Publication: Egg yolk oil-based emulsification of refined palm oil: engine performance and emission characteristics
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Date
2024-09-01
Authors
Mohd Fadzli, Hamid
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Abstract
This study explores the potential of using refined palm oils (RPO) as a biofuel alternative to diesel fuel. Neat biofuel, which refers to biofuel without modification, has certain drawbacks such as high viscosity,larger and heavier molecules that can negatively affect its performance in compression-ignition (CI) engines. To address these issues, this study employed an emulsification process to improve the physicochemical properties of the biofuel. This involved mixing RPO with water, surfactant, and co-surfactant using an ultrasonic mixer. To enhance the mixing of air and emulsified biofuel in the engine, this study also improved the in-cylinder air flow characteristics by modifying the guide vane design (GVD) and piston-bowl configuration. The physicochemical properties of the emulsified biofuel were analyzed by varying the composition of RPO, water, surfactant, and co-surfactant, using different types of resources such as span80, tween80, Tritton X-100 and a biodegradable surfactant namely egg yolk oil (EYO). SolidWorks 2018 was used to model the GVD and piston configuration, while ANSYS FLUENT V15 software facilitated a three-dimensional (3D) cold flow internal combustion engine simulation, including the investigation of the spraying pattern in the CI engine. The simulation results demonstrated that the optimized GVD with specific vane characteristics, such as a vane angle of 0.60R, vane number of V4, vane angle of 35°, and vane length of 0.6D(L) in the intake manifold, along with the modified piston with a shallow depth re-entrance combustion chamber (SCC) configuration, improved the in-cylinder air flow characteristics by 36% in terms of swirl, 45% of tumble, 40% of cross-tumble ratio, and 35% of turbulence kinetic energy. These improvements facilitated the injection and uniform distribution of the emulsified biofuel throughout the piston. Spraying investigations showed that the emulsified biofuel (RPO85EYO15) exhibited comparable spray penetration to diesel fuel in terms of length penetration and spray cone angle, meeting the standards of ASTM D6751 and EN 14214. Experimental engine performance tests were conducted using neat diesel, RPO90EYO10, RPO85EYO15, and RPO80EYO20. The results indicated a significant improvement in brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) compared to the baseline diesel, with a 9.71% reduction, although torque and brake output decreased by 19.2%. In overall, this study contributes to providing insights into improving the physicochemical properties of biofuels through emulsification, optimizing in-cylinder air flow characteristics, and evaluating the performance of emulsified biofuels in CI engines. The results of this study provide valuable information that can guide future research and development endeavors focused on improving the efficiency and feasibility of biofuels as viable alternatives to conventional diesel fuel.