Comparative study on multi-cylinder DI diesel engine using hybrid fuel blends (diesel-biodiesel-ethanol derivative) as fuel

The present work focuses on the experimental study of multi-cylinder DI diesel engine using diesel-biodiesel-ethanol based fuel blends. The blends contain diesel, biodiesel and alcohol are 60:30:10% on a volume basis. The measured emission was converted into a specific basis and the overall cycle emission was also calculated. The combustion parameters such as cylinder pressure history, maximum pressure and its angle, rate of pressure rise, heat release rate, and angle of 5, 10, 50, and 90% mass burning were compared. A little lower peak pressure was observed for hybrid fuel blends (< 7%), the premixed heat release was lower than diesel fuel whereas the diffusion stage heat release rate was higher. The lower rate of pressure rise for hybrid fuel blends shows its suitability in diesel engines in terms of combustion noise, higher thermal efficiency, lower specific and cyclic emissions, than diesel expect unburned hydrocarbon in the exhaust. [Received: September 4, 2021; Accepted: November 14, 2022]

Automated summary

The present study investigates the performance of a multi-cylinder direct injection (DI) diesel engine using diesel-biodiesel-ethanol fuel blends. The blends, consisting of 60% diesel, 30% biodiesel, and 10% ethanol on a volume basis, were tested for their emissions and combustion characteristics. The results showed that the hybrid fuel blends exhibited slightly lower peak pressure and lower premixed heat release compared to diesel, but higher diffusion stage heat release rate. The lower rate of pressure rise in the hybrid fuel blends indicates their suitability for diesel engines in terms of reduced combustion noise, improved thermal efficiency, and lower specific and cyclic emissions, except for unburned hydrocarbons in the exhaust.