Performance Investigation of Direct Injection Diesel Engine Characteristics Fuelled with Ternary Blends and Additive as Ethanol

This study aims to examine the effectiveness and environmental impact of using linseed and jatropha oil as biodiesels in combination with diesel. These oils were transformed through a process called trans-esterification, and three blends of ethanol, biodiesel, and diesel were prepared in E10-B20, E15-B20, and E20-B20 configurations. Ethanol was added to improve the combustion properties. The performance of these novel blends was tested in a computerized single-cylinder water-cooled diesel engine to measure brake power and emissions. It was found that the ternary biodiesel mixtures produced lower NO_x and CO emissions than regular diesel fuel. In terms of performance, the E10-B20 blend reduced brake-specific fuel consumption and increased brake thermal efficiency by 6.1% to diesel. The E15-B20 blend showed a significant reduction of about 50% in unburnt hydrocarbons when compared to regular diesel at heavy load conditions. Additionally, the NOx value also decreased by 28.15% compared to the E15-B20 blend with regular diesel at heavy load conditions. These ternary blends have superior emission characteristics while maintaining comparable performance, making their use highly recommended.