Performance and emission characteristics of a diesel engine fuelled with Mesua ferrea biodiesel with chromium oxide (Cr2O3) nanoparticles: Experimental approach and response surface methodology

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of using nano-fuelled diesel engines, including Mesua ferrea biodiesel and chromium oxide (Cr2O3) nanoparticles. The RSM model was created to make accurate predictions of the operating parameters. The amount of Cr2O3 nanoparticles was set at 60, 80, and 100 mg/L and an equal amount of surfactant and dispersant was added to the nanoparticles. The test was carried out under different compression ratios and load conditions. The parameters evaluated were the engine loads (3, 6, 9, and 12 kgf), fuel samples, and compression ratios (16.5:1, 17.5:1, and 18.5:1) as inputs and the parameters BTE, BSFC, CO, UHC, NOx, and smoke opacity as outputs. The BD20 + Cr2O3 80 mg/L + DSP 80 mg/L fuel sample resulted in a significant improvement in BTE by 16.58 % and a reduction in BSFC by 0.58 % compared to the other samples, while CO concentration decreased by 31.85 %, UHC concentration by 22.23 %, NOx concentration by 6.16 % and smoke opacity by 62.61 % at CR 18.5:1 and full load. The correlation coefficient (R2), which was determined using response surface methods and artificial neural networks, was between 0.96 and 0.98 for all output parameters. The observed range of values demonstrates a strong correlation between the experimental data and the predicted results.