Diesel Water Research Articles

The Potential of a Water-in-Diesel Emulsion for Increased Engine Performance and as an Environmentally Friendly Fuel

With increasing energy prices and the drive to reduce CO 2 emissions, universities and industries face the challenge of finding new technologies to reduce energy consumption, to meet legal emission requirements and to reduce cost while increasing quality. In this study, an experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of water-in-diesel (WiDE) emulsions on the combustion performance and emulsion characteristics of a direct injection diesel engine under 0 to 50% engine loads at 0 to 300 psi with engine operating speeds of 1200 to 2500 rpm. The five types of emulsified diesel fuel used in this study consisted of WiDE-5%, WiDE-10%, WiDE-20%, WiDE-30% and WiDE-40% with 3% of the surfactants tested. The results show that 15–85% emulsion diesel fuel is comparable and compatible with pure diesel. The power curve shows the emulsion diesel to be relatively similar to pure diesel, but with slightly higher results at 0% (0 psi). The torque curve at 0% also shows the emulsion diesel to be similar to pure diesel where the 15 – 85% torque is higher than that of pure diesel. The engine torque, power and brake efficiency increase as the water percentage in the emulsion increases. The NO and CO 2 emission results of the 15–85% fuel were better than that of pure diesel; however, the CO emissions were higher, especially at higher engine speeds.

Optimum fly ash proportion in concrete to sustain the impact imposed by diesel

The paper reports an experimental investigation on the deterioration of diesel on concrete specimens. Also, it is found that this deteriorating effect is lessened with partial replacement of fly ash. Concrete specimens with a water-concrete ratio of 0.47 with ten different percentages of fly ash replacements are used for the study. The specimens are subjected to both water curing and diesel soaking. The specimens are analysed with standard suites like the scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and sorptivity tests with the ground truth rendered by compressive strength (CS) analysis. We perform detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) to get an insight on the significance of the XRD data buffered with varying window sizes of the XRD data series. It is evident from the results that 30% replacement of fly ash admixture is optimum for surpassing the negative impact of diesel on concrete.

Improving the Precision of Blueberry Frost Protection Irrigation

In Florida, early-ripening southern highbush blueberry cultivars allow growers to take advantage of high prices in the early market before other states can compete with higher volumes of berries sold at lower prices. That advantage comes with a vulnerability, however, because frosts can reduce gains. Florida growers rely on strategies like cold protection irrigation to reduce their risk of loss due to cold damage. This 9-page article by Tatiana Borisova, Tori Bradley, Mercy Olmstead, and Jeffrey Williamson describes a UF/IFAS study comparing precision cold protection irrigation to uniform cold protection irrigation to estimate the potential savings in diesel costs and water withdrawal volumes associated with the two practices and help protect Florida’s valuable and vulnerable blueberry harvest. Published by the Food and Resource Economics Department in October 2015.

Experimental investigation of a diesel engine power, torque and noise emission using water–diesel emulsions

In the present study, the results of an investigation on a Perkins A63544 direct injection diesel engine using water–diesel emulsions (2%, 5%, 8% and 10% water by volume) are reported. The engine was run at different engine speeds ranging from 1400 to 1900rpm, with steps of 100rpm, for power and torque analysis. In order to evaluate noise emissions, four engine speeds (1600–1900rpm with steps of 100rpm) and four engine load conditions (25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) were selected. No change in engine components and fuel injection systems was made. The statistical analysis results showed that the engine speed and fuel type parameters had significant effects at 1% probability level (P<0.01) on the average values of the engine power and torque. The engine noise emission was affected significantly (P<0.01) by the engine speed, fuel type and engine load parameters. The results showed that adding small amounts of water, 2%, to neat diesel fuel produced a significant increase in the engine power. Furthermore, its engine torque and noise emission were comparable with those of neat diesel fuel. The higher water addition to diesel decreased the engine power and torque, however no such change was found for the engine noise emission. The significant increase in the engine power and comparable engine torque and noise emission for 2% water content showed a good potential for this emulsion to be considered as an appropriate alternative to neat diesel fuel.

Performance of hydrophilic glass fiber media to separate dispersed water drops from ultra low sulfur diesel supplemented by vibrations

Separation of dispersed water droplets in diesel fuel has received attention in the automotive, aviation, and petrochemical industries. In fuels, especially diesel, water causes corrosion of sensitive engine parts, promotes microbial growth, and can plug injection systems. In this work, we use glass fiber coalescing filters augmented with vibrations to separate the water drops from Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel. As a water–diesel emulsion enters a fibrous filter, the water droplets can be captured or filtered by the fibers. Ensuing droplets carried by the diesel collide with the prior droplets and coalesce to form larger drops. Externally generated vibrations promote the aggregation of water drops on the fibers and the subsequent release of enlarged drops, thus improving the fibrous fiber filtration efficiency. This work discusses fabrication, characterization, effects of vibration direction, and experimental results. Water separation experiments showed that glass fiber mats improved water separation by vibration, especially at frequency 100 Hz in the horizontal direction, with water removal efficiencies reaching beyond 95%, as compared to efficiency of about 69% for glass fiber media without vibration.

Design and Simulation of 0.75hp Soft Start AC Water Pump Powered by PV Solar System

Shortage of electricity is one of the main problem in the development of rural areas in Pakistan. Photovoltaic techniques are generally attaining an escalating attention and they're to become very competitive alternative, additionally, environmental issues such as population and global warming impact are attracting experts towards green electricity sources such as solar systems. A standout amongst the most imperative provisions of photovoltaic frameworks is for water pumping, especially in rural areas that have a considerable amount of solar radiation and have no access to national grids. They are generally utilized within household and animals water supplies and small-scale irrigation systems [1]. Water pumping from a PV array is a valid option to pollution-generating diesel and human-powered water pumps. PV-array water pumping can be fulfilled with or without a backup module. With a backup module, energy generated by the sun can be stored in the backup; hence, the application of the water pump can be fulfilled, even to a cloudy day, or at night to operate small loads. The application of photovoltaic is increasing in rural areas due to shortage, unavailability and costly electricity. Solar powered water pumps are commonly used in agriculture and residential level. This designed model deals with solar powered submersible pump. Among many available schemes, it consists of a PV panel, a storing backup, a variable-frequency inverter, a charge controller and induction motor coupled with a water pump. The inverter drives the induction motor, which drives the water pump. To obtain maximumoutput power of the Solar panel, the inverter is operated at variable frequency or soft start to minimize stall current of induction motor [5]. This designed model powers 0.75hp water pump. Different types of controllers can be used to increase frequency gradually from 0 to 50 Hz with 5 sec of delay each, thus voltage is controlled from 0 to 220V AC.

Experimental investigation on the role of indigenous carbon nanotube emulsified fuel in a four-stroke diesel engine

Effect of carbon nanotube emulsified fuel in a single-cylinder water-cooled four-stroke diesel engine was studied. CNT were produced by indigenous flame synthesis method. Water diesel emulsion was prepared in the proportion of 78% diesel, 20% water, and 2% surfactant with a HLB balance of 8. Tween 80 and Span 80 were used as surfactants. CNT in the mass fraction of 50 ppm, 100 ppm, and 150 ppm were blended in the water–diesel emulsion. CNT were dispersed in the water for 35 min with the help of ultrasonicator set at frequency of 40 kHz and ultrasonic power of 120 W, subsequently added in diesel, surfactant mixture to produce CNT blended water diesel emulsion. A mechanical homogenizer was used to produce emulsion at the speed of 3000 r/min for 25 min. The experimental investigation was carried out using single-cylinder diesel engine coupled with eddy current dynamometer and equipped with data acquisition system. An AVL Di-gas analyzer and AVL smoke opacity meter has been used to measure the exhaust emissions. Experiment was conducted at a constant speed of 1500 r/min from no load to full load for all fuel specimens. A comparative study involving combustion characteristics, brake specific fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency, NOx, CO, HC, CO2 were recorded for pure diesel, water diesel emulsion and CNT-emulsified fuel. The results have shown significant improvement in engine performance, combustions attributes and reduction in emissions using CNT-emulsified fuel.

Preparation, characterization and engine performance of water in diesel nanoemulsions

Water in diesel (W/D) nanoemulsions were prepared by the aid of high energy emulsification method. The formulation was accomplished in the presence of Triton X-100 surfactant. A wide range of surfactant concentration (0.25%–0.40% v/v) with varying amount of water percentage (0.50%–0.90% v/v) was used in the preparation of W/D nanoemulsion fuels. The droplet size of the nanoemulsions at different water:surfactant:diesel ratio increased as surfactant concentration decreased. High kinetic stability was observed in the nanoemulsions. The stability of nanoemulsions with 0.40% surfactant concentration was persisted more than two weeks without phase separation. The droplet size of the nanoemulsions increased with time proving the influence of breakdown processes such as Ostwald ripening. Combustion characteristics of W/D nanoemulsions were studied in terms of different formulating compositions. An engine test bed of diesel engine was used to combust the nanoemulsions to study the exhaust emission concentrations such as CO, CO2, NH3 and NO, and performance parameters include brake power, thermal efficiency. The highest reduction in the exhaust gas emissions concentrations was notified by using surfactant concentration of 0.40% with 0.90% water content. The lowest calorific value of prepared W/D nanoemulsions was achieved 38.48 MJ/kg by using surfactant concentration of 0.40% with 0.90% water. The highest brake power and thermal efficiency was also obtained with 0.40% surfactant concentration and 0.90% water content. In addition, the characteristic evaluation of W/D nanoemulsions was made on the basis of emission characteristics of neat diesel. It has been observed that the use of W/D nanoemulsions in diesel engine has evidently led to the reduction in exhaust emissions, anticipating its application as an alternative eco-friendly fuel in the internal combustion engine.

Adhesion of canola and diesel oils to some parts of diesel engine in the light of surface tension components and parameters of these substrates

Measurements of the surface tension of canola oil from different manufacturers, diesel oil and water–oil interface tension as well as the contact angle on different parts of the diesel engine were made. The contact angle for canola and diesel oils on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) surfaces as well as for water, diiodomethane and formamide on different parts of the diesel engine was also measured. On the basis of the obtained results as well as the van Oss et al. approach to the interfacial tension and the Young equation the Lifshitz–van der Waals component of the surface tension and electron-donor and electron-acceptor parameters of the acid–base components of this tension of canola and diesel oils and parts of diesel engine were determined. Taking into account the determined values of the parameters and components of the surface tension of diesel and canola oils, their adhesion to the particular parts of a diesel engine was determined by using the van Oss et al. equation and compared to the adhesion work determined from the Young–Dupre equation. It appeared that the adhesion work determined from the van Oss et al. equation which decreased the precursor film pressure is comparable to that determined from the Young–Dupre equation. Adhesion work of the diesel oil to different parts of the diesel engine is somewhat lower than that of canola oils. In addition the water–diesel oil interface tension is lower than that for water–canola oil.

New insights on the role of YSZ in a NiAl2O4/Al2O3–YSZ catalyst

Abstract Yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) role as co-support in alumina (Al2O3) supported Al–Ni spinel (NiAl2O4) was investigated from three perspectives: (a) influence on catalyst morphology, (b) influence on catalyst crystalline phases, and (c) role during diesel steam reforming tests. For the first objective, YSZ surface properties were related to NiAl2O4/Al2O3 morphology. The interaction between these two species was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM); surface properties were determined using the multipoint Brunauer, Emmet, and Teller (BET) method for the specific surface area, and mass titration for the zero point charge (PZC) of the surface. The second objective demonstrated, mainly through X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, that YSZ enhanced the stabilization of a single Al2O3 phase and inhibited the formation of a metastable aluminates phase. Finally, for the third objective, Y2O3% used to stabilize ZrO2 was varied. Diesel steam reforming tests, using the various YSZ formulations were performed in a fixed-bed reactor setup, with a proprietary diesel–water emulsion mixture at 760 °C. It has been shown that there is a direct dependence of the catalytic activity on the support oxygen vacancies and a maximal Y2O3% was determined.

Dual‐Layer Superamphiphobic/Superhydrophobic‐Oleophilic Nanofibrous Membranes with Unidirectional Oil‐Transport Ability and Strengthened Oil–Water Separation Performance

Thin porous membranes with unidirectional oil‐transport capacity offer great opportunities for intelligent manipulation of oil fluids and development of advanced membrane technologies. However, directional oil‐transport membranes and their unique membrane properties have seldom been reported in research literature. Here, it is proven that a dual‐layer nanofibrous membrane comprising a layer of superamphiphobic nanofibers and a layer of superhydrophobic oleophilic nanofibers has an unexpected directional oil‐transport ability, but is highly superhydrophobic to liquid water. This novel fibrous membrane is prepared by a layered electrospinning technique using poly(vinylidene fluoride‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF‐HFP), PVDP‐HFP containing well‐dispersed FD‐POSS (fluorinated decyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes), and FAS (fluorinated alkyl silane) as materials. The directional oil‐transport is selective only to oil fluids with a surface tension in the range of 23.8–34.0 mN m–1. By using a mixture of diesel and water, it is further proven that this dual‐layer nanofibrous membrane has a higher diesel–water separation ability than the single‐layer nanofiber membranes. This novel nanofibrous membrane and the incredible oil‐transport ability may lead to the development of intelligent membrane materials and advanced oil–water separation technologies for diverse applications in daily life and industry.

Study of stability and thermodynamic properties of water-in-diesel nanoemulsion fuels with nano-Al additive

The present work addresses the formation of water-in-diesel (W/D) nanoemulsion by blending different percentages of water along with nano-Al additive in various propositions to enhance the combustion characteristics. The roles of various surfactants such as Sorbitan monooleate (Span 80), Triton X-100, Tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide, and newly synthesized and characterized dicationic surfactants were discussed based upon their ability to stabilize the nanoemulsions. Surface active properties of the surfactants were determined by measuring their interfacial tension and subsequently by measuring the critical micelle concentration of the surfactants. Triton X-100 was found to be the most efficient surfactant for the current water-in-diesel nanoemulsion as it stabilized the suspensions for more than 8 h. Particle size analysis proved emulsion size to be in the order of nanometer, and zeta potential values were found to have neutral behavior at water–diesel interface. Experimental studies confirmed that that blends W/D [1 % (vol.) water] and W/DA [1 % (vol.) water, 0.1 % (wt.) nano-Al] were thermodynamically stable.

Microalgae Oil: Algae Cultivation and Harvest, Algae Residue Torrefaction and Diesel Engine Emissions Tests

Microalgae can be used as a biological photocatalyst to reduce the CO2 levels in the atmosphere, with the advantage of not competing with food crops for arable land, and thus offer a potential method for limiting climate change. Microalgae have also been proposed as a sustainable fuel source. This study investigated the microalgae harvest yields, the thermogravimetric behavior of both microalgae oil and microalgae residue, the torrefaction of microalgae residue, and diesel engine tests using diesel-microalgae biodiesel blends. The mean annual harvest rate of microalgae oil in open ponds was found to be 4355 kg per 10000 m 2 . Compared with conventional diesel, the fuel blends - B2 (2% microalgae biodiesel + 98% conventional diesel), B2-But20 (B2 + 20% Butanol) and B2-But20-W0.5 (B2-But20 + 0.5% water) showed a reduction of 22.0%, 57.2%, and 59.5% in PM emissions, and a decrease of 17.7%, 31.4% and 40.7% in BaPeq emissions, while B2-But20 and B2-But20-W0.5 had reduced NOx emissions, of approximately 25.0% and 28.2%, respectively, but B2 showed a 2.0% increase in NOx emissions. Conversely, the addition of water and butanol fractions in diesel increases HC and CO emissions, although these can be easily removed using tailpipe catalysts and absorbers. In addition, torrefaction of microalgae residue results in solid, liquid and gas products. This study is the first of its kind to report the liquid compositions from the torrefaction of microalgae residue. The condensate liquid products contained glucose molecules like 1,4:3,6-Dianhydro-α-d-glucopyranose, and furfural, limonene, pyridine, levoglucosan, and aziridine, among others. These compounds can be utilized as microalgae value added products, and applied in specialty industries as pharmaceutical, cosmetic, or solvent raw materials. Briefly, microalgae not only offer benefits in reducing CO2 from the atmosphere or providing raw materials for biodiesel production, but microalgae residue can also be treated via torrefaction to produce biochar. Based on the results of this study, more research is recommended on the economic potential of using both solid and liquid products from microalgae torrefaction.

Feasibility study of a wind powered water pumping system for rural Ethiopia

Water is the primary source of life for mankind and one of the most basic necessities for rural development. Most of the rural areas of Ethiopia do not have access to potable water. Is some regions of the country access potable water is available through use of manual pumping and Diesel engine. In this research, wind water pump is designed to supply drinking water for three selected rural locations in Ethiopia. The design results show that a 5.7 m diameter windmill is required for pumping water from borehole through a total head of 75, 66 and 44 m for Siyadberand Wayu, Adami Tulu and East Enderta to meet the daily water demand of 10, 12 and 15 m 3 , respectively. The simulation for performance of the selected wind pump is conducted using MATLAB software and the result showed that monthly water discharge is proportional to the monthly average wind speed at the peak monthly discharge of 685 m 3 in June, 888 m 3 in May and 1203 m 3 in March for Siyadberand Wayu, Adami Tulu and East Enderta sites, respectively. An economic comparison is conducted, using life cycle cost analysis, for wind mill and Diesel water pumping systems and the results show that windmill water pumping systems are more feasible than Diesel based systems.

The Formation of Rhamnolipid-Based Water-Containing Castor Oil/Diesel Microemulsions and Their Potentiality as Green Fuels

The utilization of vegetable oils as a source of renewable fuels has attracted much attention. However, the high viscosity of vegetable oils limits their long-term application. The microemulsion technique of vegetable oils has the advantages of viscosity reduction and environment-friendly properties. In this study, the phase behavior of the microemulsion and the solubilization mechanism of water and castor oil in diesel were researched to evaluate the solubilization capacity of water and castor oil in diesel under given conditions. The proper concentration of rhamnolipid (RL) was 50 g/L. N-octanol was certified as an ideal co-surfactant with the optimal co-surfactant/surfactant (C/S) mass ratio (w/w) of 0.60. The optimum castor oil/diesel (V/D) volume ratio (v/v) was 0.18. Moreover, fuel properties of water-containing castor oil/diesel (WCD) microemulsion were identified, including density, dynamic viscosity, cloud point, pour point, water content, corrosivity, heating value, and elemental composition. Th...

Synthesis of a Novel Dendrimer-Based Demulsifier and Its Application in the Treatment of Typical Diesel-in-Water Emulsions with Ultrafine Oil Droplets

Waste water resulted from polymer flooding oil recovery generally has a bad impact on the subsequent process of enhanced oil recovery. Separating residual oil from oil/water (O/W) emulsion with suitable kinds of demulsifier is one strategy generally adopted by oil companies. Because of the existence of large amounts of ultrafine oil droplets with the average diameter less than 2 μm, the emulsions can be extremely difficult to break up. To solve this problem, an amine-based dendrimer demulsifier PAMAM (polyamidoamine) was synthesized in this study, and the efficiency of the demulsifier in dealing with O/W emulsions with ultrafine oil droplets was investigated. Because of its strong interfacial activity and relatively good solubility in water, the dendrimer-based demulsifier can easily attach to emulsified oil droplets in a stable diesel-in-water emulsion. The influences of temperature, settling time, and concentration of the demulsifier used on the efficiency of the demulsifier were investigated in detail. The optimal operating condition under which more than 90% oil was removed from the original emulsion by the demulsifier was found. In contrast, less than 2% oil was removed from the emulsion without applying the demulsifier under the same conditions. Micrographs showed that the PAMAM demulsifier could lead to the breakup of diesel-in-water emulsions with ultrafine oil droplets by flocculation and coalescence. The surface tension and interfacial tension at the diesel–water interface were also measured to give a basic understanding of the demulsification mechanism. Though not perfect in dealing with emulsions with the average oil droplets less than 2 μm due to the relatively high demulsifier dosage, its relatively simple synthetic procedure and mild operating conditions showed a great promise in industrial applications with unique advantages over traditional physical methods.

Formulation of Microemulsions Based on Sugar Surfactant as an Alternative Fuel

Microemulsion systems that serve as water in diesel fuel were formulated using minimum amount of sucrose laurate at 25°C. Comparative experiments were also conducted using n-heptane. It was found that in order to formulate diesel and microemulsions a cosurfactant should be added. Alcohols such as 1-butanol,1-pentanol, 1-hexanol, and 1-heptanol served as cosurfactants. The area of the one-phase microemulsion region varies depending on the cosurfactant structure and composition. A continuous microemulsion region was observed with 1-butanol and 1-pentanol. Water solubilization capacity and thermodynamics as a function of alcohol chain length was determined.

Tween-80–n-Butanol–Diesel–Water Microemulsion System—A Class of Alternative Diesel Fuel

Tween-80–n–butanol–diesel–water microemulsion systems with various surfactant:cosurfactant (S:C) ratio have been reported as a class of alternative diesel fuel from their phase behavior, clouding phenomena, conductivity, turbidity, and inflammation studies. Temperature induced clouding of microemulsion containing 2% brine at an S:C ratio of 1:1 from a suitable turbid zone has been examined to see the stability of the diesel–water microemulsion systems. Regression models have been proposed to understand the impact of various components of the microemulsion on their cloud point (CP) values. Conductivity of the microemulsions at various S:C ratio increases with the volume of brine having two cut points depicting the presence of three microheterogenous phases within the system, whereas turbidity shows a linear increase. Dye-probed investigation of water-rich and oil-rich zones of the microemulsions indicates the involvement of a dynamic mass transfer process within the various zones. The intensities of flames produced during burning of the microemulsions with various O:E:W weight percentages selected from the isotropic regions of the phase diagrams have been estimated using MATLAB image processing method and the impacts of various components on the fuel use of the microemulsions have been analyzed.

COST ANALYSIS OF WATER PUMPING USING SOLAR ENERGY AND DIESEL IN DRIP IRRIGATION

COST ANALYSIS OF WATER PUMPING USING SOLAR ENERGY AND DIESEL IN DRIP IRRIGATION DINARA GRASIELA ALVES1; MARINALDO FERREIRA PINTO2; ANA PAULA ALVES BARRETO DAMASCENO3; VANESSA DE FÁTIMA GRAH3 E TARLEI ARRIEL BOTREL4 1Doutorando em Eng. de Sistemas Agrícolas, bolsista do CNPq, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, dinara@usp.br 2Doutor, funcionário do Departamento de Biossistemas, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, marinaldopinto@usp.br 3Doutorando, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, pauladamasceno@usp.br, vanessagrah@usp.br 4Prof. Doutor, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, tabotrel@usp.br 1 ABSTRACT There are several sources of power for driving motors, but electric motors and diesel engines are most commonly used in irrigation in Brazil. However, the use of diesel engines typically occurs in areas without electricity nearby, making it generally viable. Another option is to use sunlight as an alternate energy source, but this system is not widely used due to its high initial cost, and its use is mainly limited to places where there is no electricity. In view of this, the economic analysis of water pumping systems in agriculture is critical, because the capital employed is often high and the annual costs may or may not enable the agricultural activities that use them. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare water pumping costs using an electric motor powered by solar energy and a diesel motor in a drip irrigation system with microtubes. It was considered an area of 1 ha, planted with vegetable crops whose water demand is 5.6 mm, under drip irrigation. This area was divided into eight parts, each of them being irrigated for 1 hour. The lift system for pumping water that used solar energy had lower total cost and higher initial investment cost. The lift system with solar energy is more economically viable when compared with the system running on diesel. The pumping cost was the deciding factor in the analysis of the costs of water pumping systems. Keywords: Microirrigation, microtube, economic analysis

Experimental investigation of carbon black–water–diesel emulsion in a stationary DI diesel engine

Carbon black (CB), a solid waste obtained from the pyrolysis of waste automobile tyres possesses a considerable heating value in it. In this study, four different emulsions of CB, diesel and water were prepared with the help of a surfactant, by varying the percentages of the CB. An emulsion containing 5% CB was denoted as CBWD5. Similarly, 10%, 15% and 20% CB in emulsion were denoted as CBWD10, CBWD15 and CBWD20, respectively. The emulsion were characterised for their suitability as fuels. Further, they were tested as alternative fuels in a single cylinder, air cooled, direct injection (DI), diesel engine developing power of 4.4kW at 1500rpm. The combustion, performance and emission characteristics of the diesel engine fueled with the four different emulsions were compared with the diesel operation of the same engine. The engine was able to run with all the four emulsions without any modification in the engine. The results indicated that the emulsions exhibited longer ignition delay about 1–3°CA, compared to that of diesel at full load. The brake specific energy consumption (BSEC) was higher by about 0.8–25% with the emulsions than that of diesel at full load. The results also indicated that all the emulsions gave lower NO emissions by about 16–42% at full load.