Investigation on behavior of diesel engine performance, emission, and combustion characteristics using nano-additive in neat biodiesel

This work investigates the combustion, performance and emission characteristics of neat palm stearin biodiesel (PSBD) fuelled diesel engine with silver oxide as a additive in various mass fractions (5 and 10ppm) and various particle size (10 and 20nm) particles and the results compared with conventional diesel. Experiments were conducted in a natural aspirated, single-cylinder diesel engine at a constant speed and compression ratio of 1500rpm and 18:1 respectively. Silver oxide (AgO) nano particles were added with neat biodiesel using ultrasonicator. The experimental investigation on diesel engine reveals that the addition of silver oxide nano-additives to PSBD resulted in enhancement in ignition characteristics because of enhanced surface area to volume ratio. Further, the addition of AgO nano-additive to PSBD resulted in enhancement in brake thermal efficiency (BTE) with a reduction in brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC). The experimental results also show that the AgO nanoparticles at 20nm particle size and 10ppm concentartion promote an improved level of hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), smoke emissions and nitrogen (NOx) emission than neat biodiesel. Further, The AgO nano-additive inclusion at different 10ppm significantly reduces the peak pressure and increases the net Heat Release rate values and its corresponding CA. An inclusion of 20nm nano-additive at 10ppm concentartion in PSBD reduces the In Cylinder Pressure and increases the Net Heat Release Rate values by 2.2 and 4.7% respectively than PSBD.