On the Use of Jojoba Methyl Ester as Pilot Fuel for Dual Fuel Engine Running on Gaseous Fuels

The use of Jojoba Methyl Ester as a pilot fuel was investigated for almost the first time as a way to improve the performance of dual fuel engine running on natural gas or LPG at part load. The dual fuel engine used was Ricardo E6 variable compression diesel engine and it used either compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as the main fuel and Jojoba Methyl Ester as a pilot fuel. Diesel fuel was used as a reference fuel for the dual fuel engine results. During the experimental tests, the following have been measured: engine efficiency in terms of specific fuel consumption, brake power output, combustion noise in terms of maximum pressure rise rate and maximum pressure, exhaust emissions in terms of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, knocking limits in terms of maximum torque at onset of knocking, and cyclic data of 100 engine cycle in terms of maximum pressure and its pressure rise rate. The tests examined the following engine parameters: gaseous fuel type, engine speed and load, pilot fuel injection timing, pilot fuel mass and compression ratio. Results showed that using the Jojoba fuel with its improved properties than before has improved the dual fuel engine performance, reduced the combustion noise, extended knocking limits and reduced the cyclic variability of the combustion.