Calophyllum inophyllum methyl ester biodiesel blend as an alternate fuel for diesel engine applications

Calophyllum inophyllum oil is non-edible in nature could be used as a source for biodiesel esterification in India and it is also available in abundant quantities in places such as Southern east and East Asia and Australia. The present research work examines the suitability of Calophyllum inophyllum as promising feedstock for biodiesel production and its employability in diesel engine operation. The Calophyllum trees are found in abundance in India and can reduce the dependency of petroleum imports to a certain extent. The biodiesel Calophyllum inophyllum Methyl Ester (CIME100) and its blends CIME30 and CIME60 are used in engine testing. The experimental parameters such as brake thermal efficiency, brake specific energy consumption, unburned hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, and NOx emissions are evaluated with CIME100 biodiesel and the results are compared with conventional fuel. It is observed that the CIME biodiesel resulted in slight decrease in brake thermal efficiency. The hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions are reduced with the use of biodiesel with significant penalty in oxides of nitrogen emissions. In addition, the combustion parameters such as cylinder gas pressure, ignition delay period, and heat release rate of CIME100 are discussed in detailed and compared to conventional diesel fuel under various loading conditions. (C) 2017 Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.