Optimisation and effective utilisation of esterified rice bran oil in a turbocharged VCR engine by analysing its operating characteristics

ABSTRACT

The increasing population and the vehicle strength are alarming that arises the importance of the issue to deal with alternative fuels in existing diesel engine without modification The biodiesel is derived from vegetable oils to replace the conventional diesel fuel. In this research, we have considered the esterified rice bran oil as biodiesel. Even though it is edible oil, the consumption of rice, particularly in south India, is more when compared with the other parts of the world that enables the preparation of the fuel quickly. The rice bran oil prepared by the trans-esterification method and tested in a VCR engine in blends of 10% and 20% with pure diesel. The engine compression ratios were chosen as 16:1, 17:1 and 18:1. This research includes investigation on performance, combustion and emission by varying the compression ratios for the blends and compared with pure diesel and conducted experiments with a turbocharger, fitted with the engine. The results obtained were presented and analysed to optimise the suitable blend and compression ratio.

KEYWORDS:

• VCR engine
• biodiesel blend
• characteristics
• analysis
• optimisation

Additional information

Notes on contributors

S. Pasupathy raju

Pasupathy Raju S. is a graduate in mechanical engineering and post graduation in Automobile Engineering . He had more than 20 years of industrial experience. He had more than 7 years of teaching experience At present he is doing research in the area of  Internal combustion engines and biodiesel  .At present he is working as a faculty.He had published 4 papers  in Scopus (2 as first author and 2 as co author and one paper in SCI journal.

Thangavel Mohan raj

Mohan Raj T.., Principal Investigator School of Mechanical Engineering, SASTRA University  is guiding 5 Ph.Ds at present in the area of IC engine. He has published 28 papers in the reputed international journals and out of which 18papers are published in the last 5 years. He has expertise in the area of Alternate fuel usage for engine applications. He has published 30 papers in the reputed international journals and out of which 20 papers pertain to engine experimental analysis by using the biodiesel as the alternate fuel. He has done the lot of engine performance analysis by using the alternate fuel in a variable compression ratio engine and that analysis will lead to fixing a particular compression ratio for a specific alternative fuel . He has done a work on Low heat rejection engine by providing the suitable thermal coating on the piston top surface and surfaces of the engine components in order to minimize the heat rejection to the surrounding