Hot Water Degummed Rapeseed Oil as a Fuel for Diesel Engines

Abstract

Laboratory and road test results are presented for two diesel engines running on hot water degummed rapeseed oil/diesel fuel blends. This degumming process is critical as it removes the harmful gums, which lead to filter blocking and coking problems reported by other workers. As the percentage of rapeseed oil in the diesel oil increased from 15 to 65%, no change in short-term engine performance was observed. In confirmation tests, engine power was reduced by up to 6·7% with no change in fuel consumption. In addition, the exhaust gas emissions (CO 2, CO, hydrocarbons and smoke) remained substantially unchanged. It was concluded that hot water degummed rapeseed oil was a suitable fuel, when blended with diesel oil, for use in diesel engines. This study included both short-term and longer term confirmation engine reliability tests.