Tractor engine performance on sunflower oil fuel

Abstract

A wide range of diesel-engined agricultural tractors was tested with degummed sunflower oil as fuel. In all cases performance of these tractors was very similar to that with diesel fuel. Long-term operation of direct injection diesel engines on sunflower oil resulted in carbon build-up on injector nozzles, sticking piston rings and lubricating oil polymerization. Transesterification of sunflower oil using alcohol and a catalyst produced a fuel which could be used as a substitute for diesel fuel. Long-term operation of a direct injection diesel engine on ester fuel yielded exceptionally good results. Atlantis Diesel Engines, the South African manufacturer of Perkins engines, has no declared its intention to honour its normal factory guarantee on their direct injection Perkins engines when run on ethyl ester of sunflower oil. Pre-combustion type diesel engines do not seem to produce a coking problem on degummed sunflower oil and trans-esterification does not seem to be necessary for successful operation in these engines. Deutz 912W pre-combustion diesel engines now carry the normal guarantee when operated on degummed sunflower oil. The extension of factory guarantees to two differently designed engines, proves that sunflower oil, either degummed or trans-esterified, can be a successful diesel fuel substitute.