The effect of coconut oil and diesel fuel blends on diesel engine performance and exhaust emissions

The effect of a coconut oil as diesel fuel alternatives or as direct fuel blends are investigated using a single-cylinder, direct-injection diesel engine. The spray characteristics in terms of the mean droplet diameter of these fuels were measured with a phase Doppler Anemometer. Operation of the test engine with the pure coconut oil and coconut oil-diesel fuel blends for a wide range of engine operating conditions was shown to be successful even without any engine modification. Results show that neat coconut oil fuels gave lower smoke and NOx emissions. (C) 2001 Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. and Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.