Abstract
The interest in biofuels was stimulated by the fossil fuel depletion and global warming. This work focuses on the impact of biodiesel fuel on ethanol/diesel (ED) fuel blends. The soybean methyl ester was used as a representative composition of typical biodiesel fuels. The heating and evaporation of ethanol–biodiesel–diesel (EBD) blends were investigated using the Discrete–Component (DC) model. The Cetane Number (CN) of the EBD blends was predicted based on the individual hydrocarbon contributions in the mixture. The mixture viscosity was predicted using the Universal Quasi-Chemical Functional group Activity Coefficients and Viscosity (UNIFAC–VISCO) method, and the lower heating value of the mixture was predicted based on the volume fractions and density of species and blends. Results revealed that a mixture of up to 15% biodiesel, 5% ethanol, and 80% diesel fuels had led to small variations in droplet lifetime, CN, viscosity, and heating value of pure diesel, with less than 1.2%, 0.2%, 2%, and 2.2% reduction in those values, respectively.
Highlights
The energy demand is sharply increasing along with the increases in worldwide population and global fossil fuel consumption
The combining of biofuels with fossil fuels has received significant attention during the last two decades due to the depletion of fossil fuels and the need for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions (GGE) which contribute to global warming
We investigated the feasibility of mixing different fuel fractions of biodiesel and ethanol with diesel in terms of heating and evaporation characteristics, Cetane Number (CN), viscosity, and heating value
Summary
The energy demand is sharply increasing along with the increases in worldwide population and global fossil fuel consumption. Previous studies on EBD blends only focused on the solubility, toxic emissions, heating value and CN of these blends The impact of such blends on droplet heating and evaporation, with consideration to full fuel compositions, has not been investigated to the best of our knowledge. The heat and mass transfer equations are solved analytically in this model, using the Effective Thermal Conductivity (ETC) and Effective Diffusivity (ED) models, as will be described later In the latter models, several physics inside droplets associated with fuel heating and evaporation are considered, for example, temperature and species gradient, and recirculation due to moving droplets [29,32]. Due to the presence of ethanol, which forms a highly non-ideal solution when it mixes with diesel fuel, the Universal Quasi-Chemical Functional group Activity Coefficients (UNIFAC) model is used to predict the AC of 106 components of the EBD blends. The physical properties of Energies 2019, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
