A suitable blending ratio for using jatropha oil as fuel in high speed diesel engine

Abstract

This paper presents a suitable blending ratio for using Jatropha oil in high speed diesel engine. Two types of blended fuel, namely diesel blended with crude Jatropha oil (J) and diesel blended with bio-diesel froma Jatropha oil (BJ), were tested in a high speed, 4-cylinder, direct injection, water-cooled, EFL 250 truck type, 2,369 cc, 74 bhp diesel engine. The crude Jatropha oil and bio-diesel from Jatropha oil were blended with diesel in 5 different portions, 2%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 30% by volume, respectively. Experimental results revealed that torque and power output from the engine which used J and BJ were respectively 2-6% and 0.3-9% less than those from the engine which used diesel. The specific fuel consumption of both fuel blends was 5-11% and 4-25% higher than that of diesel fuel. Moreover, it was found that the engine which used blended fuel produced less carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and smoke. Comparison of both blended fuels revealed comparable engine performance and emission. Also, the suitable blending ratio between the crude Jatropha oil and bio-diesel from Jatropha oil with diesel fuel were formed to be 10% and 30%, respectively.