Investigation of Esterified Karanja Oil Biodiesel Fuel For Military Use on a 38.8L Diesel Engine

Rapid depletion in petroleum reserves, increasing cost of fuels and increasing pollution has given us opportunity to find bio fuels. Biodiesel is an alternative diesel fuel that can be produced from renewable feedstock such as edible and non-edible vegetable oils, waste frying oils, and animal fats. Biodiesel is an oxygenated, sulphur free, non-toxic, biogradable, and renewable fuel. The diesel performance and emission characteristics depend upon the fuel properties such as cetane number, density, low caloric valve, and kinematic viscosity. In this study, the military diesel engine performance and emission characteristics from non-edible karanja oil biodiesel and diesel fuel were compared. The test results showed that the engine performance of pure biodiesel was similar to that of diesel fuel with slightly higher fuel consumption. Whereas bio diesel produced lower exhaust emission as compared to diesel fuel but with slightly higher NOx emission.