Experimental investigation of preheated ethyl ester of palm oil for a common rail direct injection diesel engine

Abstract

The main aim of this research work is to study the performance and exhaust emissions of a common rail direst injection diesel engine at a constant speed of 1500 rpm under load variation by preheating fuels. Fuels are a neat ethyl ester of palm oil (EEPO) and its blended with diesel for the ratios of 10–50% v/v. The fuels are preheated to 65 ± 2 °C and 80 ± 5 °C, respectively. The results of preheated fuels compared with conventional diesel show the changes in performance parameters and exhaust emissions. The preheated neat EEPO resulted in the permutation of performance parameters. The brake thermal efficiency (BTE) reduced while the brake specific energy consumption (BSEC) increased, by 5%. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitric oxide (NO) were raised up to 18%, but carbon monoxide (CO) was dropped by 16%. Outstandingly, the preheated conventional diesel mixed with 10% EEPO improved the BTE and the BSEC by 2%. The preheating conventional diesel mixed with increasing EEPO (10–50% v/v) caused the increasing CO2 and NO but the CO emissions were continuously reduced.