Experimental Analysis of Surface Morphology of Commercial Fuel Filter with Oxygenated Fuels

Oxygenated fuels like biodiesel and ethanol possess prominent characteristics as an alternative fuel for diesel engines. However, these fuels are corrosive in nature and hygroscopic. This might results in material incompatibility with the fuel supply system of an automobile. The filter consists of a filter membrane that that traps the contaminants from the fuel and prevents them from entering into the combustion chamber. The operational hours of the filter membrane depend on the quality of fuel employed. The conventional filter is designed for fossil diesel operation and hence the filter life might degrade earlier in the case of oxygenated fuels like biodiesel or ethanol. The proposed work focuses on the impact of oxygenated fuels, viz. karanja and ethanol blended karanja biodiesel on the filter membrane and its flow characteristics. Two tests, pressure difference and contaminant retention test are carried out in accordance with Japanese standard D1617:1998. The experimental setup simulates the real engine operating conditions of a diesel supply system. From this experimental study the usage of commercial diesel filter is not recommended for neat oxygenated fuels.