Investigations on performance parameters of carburetted butanol and plastic oil

Abstract

As fuel prices continue to rise and pollution levels caused by fossil fuels escalate, there is a growing recognition of the importance of alternative fuels. Alcohols and vegetable oils are particularly promising as substitutes for diesel fuel due to their renewable properties. However, both vegetable oils and alcohols have certain drawbacks, such as high viscosity and low volatility for vegetable oils, and low energy content and Cetane number for alcohols. To address these challenges, the use of semi-adiabatic diesel engines (SADE) has been proposed. In this study, the focus was on evaluating the performance characteristics of both a conventional engine (CE) and a semi-adiabatic diesel engine (SADE). The engines were powered by a combination of carbureted butanol and injected plastic oil, leveraging the high energy content of plastic oil and the high volatility of butanol to achieve lower pollution levels. The objective was to assess the effectiveness of these engines in mitigating environmental impact The experimental engines utilized carbureted butanol and injected plastic oil, with variations in injection timing and pressure. The engine used in the study was a water-cooled, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine with a ceramic-coated cylinder head. It had a rated output of 3.68 kW at 1500 rpm. Measurements of various engine parameters, including thermal brake efficiency, brake specific energy consumption, exhaust gas temperature, coolant load, and volumetric efficiency, were conducted under full load conditions. To modify the injection timing, an adjustable sensor was employed, while a variable jet carburetor mounted at the engine's inlet manifold controlled the rate of carbureted butanol. Injection pressure was adjusted using a spout testing instrument, and conventional injection was utilized for the crude plastic oil.