Experimental Study on Single Cylinder Diesel Engine Port Water Injection and Blends of Biodiesel for Performance & Emission.

The increasing demand for alternative fuels due to environmental concerns has sparked interest in biodiesel as a viable substitute for conventional diesel. Most of automotive engines use diesel fuel engine. They contribute a major portion of today's air pollution, which causes serious health issues including chronic bronchitis, respiratory tract infections, heart diseases, and many more. Greenhouse gases are produced using fossil fuel in the engines and causes global warming. To combat with air pollution, we need clean renewable and environment friendly fuels. Due to depletion in fossil fuels, it has become necessary to find alternative fuel which are safer for the environment and humankind. One such possible solution is Biodiesel. In present study series of experiments were carried out on 435cc naturally aspirate DI Diesel engine with port water injection and different blend of Jatropha based Biodiesel. Biodiesel was derived from Jatropha oil, produced using a heterogeneous catalyst. The physical and chemical properties were determined for different blends of Biodiesel specifically JB20, JB30 and JB100 before engine testing. Engine tests were recorded on engine eddy current dynamometer and vehicle emission were recorded on chassis dynamometer to investigate the performance and emission characteristics of different biodiesel blends compared with conventional diesel. The effects of port water injection on diesel combustion optimization were studied for engine performance and emission. Water injection in late suction stroke has revealed substantial reduction in NOx emission. The influences of water injection duration with Biodiesel were also studied. Recorded engine test performance infers improvement in observed torque and power. Bsfc and Smoke results were comparable on full load and part load conditions. There is reduction in HC, NOx raw emission with JB20 Biodiesel fuel as compared to conventional BS6 Diesel fuel. Vehicle mass emission with combination of port water injection and JB20 biodiesel has benefited further to reduce HC & NOx emission to meet BS6 emission norms on Diesel three-wheel vehicle on Indian Driving cycle. These findings highlight the potential of Jatropha biodiesel as a cleaner alternative to conventional diesel.