Performance and Emission Characteristics of a Diesel Engine Fuelled with Biodiesel Blends

Performance and emission characteristics of diesel engine were reviewed in this work. This study was conducted using biodiesel prepared from the raw oils of Jatropha, moringa and palm. In this study, 20% biodiesel of each and 80% of diesel fuel (JB(20), MB20 and PB20) has been used in a diesel engine, because 20% biodiesel blend has the fuel properties like: density, kinematic viscosity, calorific value etc similar to diesel and can be used in diesel engine without any engine modification. Biodiesel blends reduce the brake power (BP) and increase the BSFC than diesel. The CO and HC except the NOx emissions are reduced than diesel due to the higher oxygen content in biodiesel which leads to improve the combustion. Palm biodiesel blend is found offers better performance and reduces the engine emissions than JB and MB while the performance of MB20 biodiesel blend is found similar to other fuels.