Performance and emission characteristics of compression ignition engine handling biodiesel blends with electronic fumigation

Many research works are being carried out to enhance the performances of internal combustion engines to meet out the current energy demand and to reduce the emission with the alternate fuels. In this experimental investigation, the performances and emission characteristics of compression ignition engine were studied by using electronic fuel fumigation method. The lemongrass biodiesel blended with 20% of biodiesel and 80% of diesel (B20) was used as primary fuel and 1-propanol is used as secondary fuel for fumigation. The Kirlosker, single cylinder four stroke, direct injection, and water cooled engine was taken for conduction of tests. The speed of the engine is maintained constant and the engine load was varied in the range of 0%-100% and fumigation injection timing is varied in the range of 1 ms, 3 ms and 5 ms to study the engine parameters. It is studied that the brake thermal efficiency of fumigation fuel at 5 ms is 6.7% higher than diesel and at 3 ms is 3.1% higher than the diesel fuel at 100% load. The specific fuel consumption at 5 ms is 16 % higher than the reference diesel fuel. The 5 ms 1-propanol fumigation produces the maximum HC and CO with minimum smoke and NO because of lower combustion temperature and incomplete combustion. The SFC of fumigation fuel at 5 ms is 18.6% higher than diesel at 100% load and 23 % higher than diesel at 80% load. The net heat release of fumigation fuel (1-propanol) at 1 ms produces 2% higher than the reference diesel at crank angle of 360. The fumigation fuel (1-propanol) injection timing at 5 ms produces more percentage of CO at different load conditions. It is also studied that the minimum level of CO is 0.38 % at 40% load condition. The fumigation fuel at 5 ms injection timing produces minimum percentage of CO2 at different load conditions. The minimum level of CO2 is 9.3% at 80% load condition. The other emissions are also analyzed and recorded the levels based on the load condition.