National Conference On Recent Trends And Developments In Sustainable Green

Technologies
Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences www.jchps.com ISSN: 0974-2115
INVESTIGATION ON PERFORMANCE AND EMISSION ANALYSIS OF TiO2
NANOPARTICLE AS AN ADDITIVE FOR BIO-DIESEL BLENDS
*
Prabhu L1, S.Satish Kumar2 A.Andrerson3 K.Rajan4
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sathyabama University, Chennai-109, India.
2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Velammal Engineering College, Chennai-66.
4
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dr.M.G.R. Educational & Research Institute, Chennai-95
*Corresponding Author Email:[email protected]
ABSTRACT
The experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of titanium oxide (TiO2) nano particle as additive for diesel-
biodiesel blends on the performance and emission characteristics of a single cylinder diesel engine at different load conditions.
A 250ppm and 500ppm of titanium oxide nano-particles is blended with 20% biodiesel-diesel blend (B20). These blends are
subjected to high speed blending followed by ultrasonic bath stabilization that improves the stability of the blends. The results
indicated that the brake thermal efficiency was increased and carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC) and smoke emissions
were decreased while the NO emissions were increased marginally for 250ppm nano particle added with B20 blends when
compared with B20 and 500ppm added with B20 fuel at full load at full load conditions.
Keywords: Diesel engine, biodiesel, performance, emissions, titanium oxide nano particle.
INTRODUCTION
The compression ignition engines are widely used for transportation and agricultural sectors due to its reliable
operation and fuel economy. Due to stringent emission norms and fast depletion of petroleum reserves, it is necessary to search
for a renewable alternative fuel for diesel engines. Among the many alternative fuels, biomass and biodiesel (vegetable methyl
esters) are considered as a desirable fuel and fuel additive due to its high oxygen content and renewable in nature. Dorado et al
have tested the direct injection diesel engine with the use of olive oil methyl ester. It has been reported that the CO, CO 2, NOx
emissions were significantly reduced compared to diesel fuel. Narayana Reddy et al studied the performance of a diesel
engine with various parameters like injection pressure and ignition delay with Jatropha methyl esters.
Lakshminarayana Rao et al have studied the combustion analysis of diesel engine with various blends of rice bran oil
methyl ester and reported that the ignition delay and rate of heat release are decreases also HC and CO emissions
are decreased with increase in blends and NOx emissions are slightly increased with increase in blends. Banapurmath
and Tewari have studied the performance and emission characteristics of a thermal barrier coated diesel engine with honge oil
and its methyl ester. They reported that the CO and HC emissions were reduced for LHR engine with honge oil methyl ester
compared with honge oil. Hazer studied performance and emission characteristics of a ceramic coated diesel engine using
canola methyl ester blends with various engine speeds. They reported that the power of the engine is increased for biodiesel
and the SFC decreases about 8% for biodiesel. The CO and smoke emissions decreased, while the NOx emissions were
increased about 7.3% for biodiesel with increase in speed compared to diesel fuel. Prabhahar and Rajan have studied the
performance of a pongamia methyl ester with titanium oxide coated piston. They reported that the BSFC, CO, HC and smoke
were decreased, while the NOx emissions were increased for biodiesel with coated engine compared to base engine with
biodiesel.
The influence of cerium oxide additive on ultra fine diesel particle emissions and kinetics of oxidation was studied by
Jung et al. They found that addition of cerium to diesel cause significant reduction in number weighted size distributions and
light-off temperature and the oxidation rate was increased significantly. Escribano et al. studied the structural and
morphological characterization of a Ce-Zr mixed oxide supported Mn oxide as well as on its catalytic activity in the oxidation
of particulate matter arising from Diesel engines. Arulmozhi selvan et al. have studied the performance and emission
characteristics of neat diesel and biodiesel-ethanol blends with the addition of cerium oxide nanoparticles on the single
cylinder CI engine. They reported that the peak pressure increases and ignition delay decreases with the addition of cerium
oxide and ethanol in diesel. The carbon monoxide and hydro carbon emissions were decreased with the addition of cerium
oxide nanoparticles in diesel-biodiesel-ethanol blends. The NO and smoke emissions are lower for the neat diesel and diesel-
biodiesel-ethanol blends. The objective of the present work is to investigate the performance and emission characteristics of a
diesel engine with neat B20 biodiesel diesel blend with 250ppm and 500ppm titanium oxide nano particle and the measured
values are compared with diesel fuel.
SYNTHESIS OF TiO2 NANO PARTICLE
Nano particles typically measure 1 to 100 nm in diameter. This property of the material changes as the size of the
particle changes. In this research work titanium oxide are taken for experimentation. The chemicals used for synthesis are Zinc
acetate 2.1g in 100ml, Ammonium carbonate 0.96g in 100ml, Polyethylene glycol (5%) 5g in 100ml. The structure of zinc
oxide and copper oxide is given in the figure 1. The titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) was used starting material in the synthesis. A
50ml of TiCl4 was slowly added to the 200 ml in the ice cool bath. The beaker was taken from the ice bath to room
temperature. The beaker was kept in magnetic stirrer to make a homogeneous solution for 30 minutes. Bath temperature was
maintained at a temperature to 150oC and kept in the same temperature till the process of nano particle was completed. In

JCHPS Special Issue 7: 2015 NCRTDSGT 2015 Page 408

 National Conference On Recent Trends And Developments In Sustainable Green
Technologies
Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences www.jchps.com ISSN: 0974-2115
another vessel 26 gram of urea was dissolved in 250 ml of distilled water. From the vessel 150 ml of urea solution was added
to the beaker under constant stirring, drop by drop touching the walls of the beaker. The solution turned into white colloid
without any precipitation. After the complete reaction, the solution was allowed to settle and the solution was washed with
distilled water for 5 minutes.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Preparation of Biodiesel (Neem oil methyl ester: NOME)
Neem oil was converted into its methyl ester by transesterification process. Neem oil react with methyl alcohol in the
presence of catalyst (NaOH) to produce glycerol and fatty acid ester. The methyl alcohol (200 ml) and 8 gram of sodium
hydroxide were taken in a round bottom flask to form sodium methoxide. Then the methoxide solution was mixed with Neem
oil (1000 ml). The mixture was heated to 65 oC and held at that temperature with constant speed stirring for 2 hours to form the
ester. Then it was allowed to cool and settle in a separating flask for 12 hours. Two layers were formed in the separating flask.
The bottom layer was glycerol and upper layer was the methyl ester. After decantation of glycerol, the methyl ester was
washed with distilled water to remove excess methanol. The transesterification improved the important fuel properties like
specific gravity, viscosity and flash point. The properties of diesel, Neem oil and its methyl ester are shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Properties of diesel, Neem oil and its methyl ester
Properties Diesel Neem oil NOME
Specific gravity 0.830 0.920 0.860
Kinematic Viscosity at 40°C (cSt) 3.720 38 4.5
Flash point (°C) 62 350 152
Fire point (°C) 64 365 180
Calorific value (kJ/ kg) 42500 39500 38500
Cetane No 48 38 51
SYNTHESIS OF TiO2 NANO PARTICLE
Nano particles typically measure 1 to 100 nm in diameter. This property of the material changes as the size of the
particle changes. In this research work titanium oxide are taken as additive for biodiesel for experimentation. The chemicals
used for synthesis are Zinc acetate 2.1g in 100ml, Ammonium carbonate 0.96g in 100ml, Polyethylene glycol (5%) 5g in
100ml. The titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) was used starting material in the synthesis. A 50ml of TiCl4 was slowly added to the
200 ml in the ice cool bath. The beaker was taken from the ice bath to room temperature. The beaker was kept in magnetic
stirrer to make a homogeneous solution for 30 minutes. Bath temperature was maintained at a temperature to 150oC and kept in
the same temperature till the process of nano particle was completed. In another vessel 26 gram of urea was dissolved in 250
ml of distilled water. From the vessel 150 ml of urea solution was added to the beaker under constant stirring, drop by drop
touching the walls of the beaker. The solution turned into white colloid without any precipitation. After the complete reaction,
the solution was allowed to settle and the solution was washed with distilled water for 5 minutes. The titanium oxide nano-
particle acts as an oxidation catalyst to oxidize CO and HC emission inside the combustion chamber. The activation energy of
titanium oxide acts to burn off carbon deposits within the engine cylinder at the wall temperature results reduction in HC
emissions.
Experimental setup
Experiments were conducted on a four-stroke single cylinder direct-injection water-cooled diesel engine, specifications of
which are given in Table 2. The schematic of the experimental set up is shown in Figure 1. The engine was operated at
constant speed of 1500 rev/min. The tests were conducted diesel engine using diesel, neem oil methyl ester with and without
nano particle addition with load, from no load to full load in the steps of 25%. The engine was coupled with electrical
dynamometer to provide the brake load. Two separate fuel tanks were used for the diesel fuel and neem oil methyl ester. The
volumetric fuel flow rate was measured using a 50 cm3 burette and a stop watch. The emissions like CO, HC, and NO were
measured by using AVL-444 five gas analyzer and the smoke was measured by Bosch smoke pump and smoke meter.

Fig.1. Schematic of the experimental

JCHPS Special Issue 7: 2015 NCRTDSGT 2015 Page 409

 National Conference On Recent Trends And Developments In Sustainable Green
Technologies
Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences www.jchps.com ISSN: 0974-2115
setup

Table 2.Test engine specifications

Engine Kirloskar, AV-I,
Power 4.4 kW
Bore (mm) 87.5
Stroke(mm) 110
Compression ratio 17.5:1
Speed (rpm) 1500
Injection pressure(bar) 200
Injection timing 23obTDC
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
a) Brake Thermal Efficiency
The variation of brake thermal efficiency with load for diesel and B20 and with nano particle is shown in Figure 2.
The brake thermal efficiency (BTE) is increased with an increase in load for all fuels. It is observed that brake thermal
efficiency is higher for neat diesel compared 20% biodiesel blend. However a small improvement in brake thermal efficiency
is obtained for B20 with the addition of 250ppm titanium oxide nano particle as compared with other tests fuel at full load. The
maximum brake thermal efficiency obtained for 20%biodiesel blend with 250ppm and 500ppm nano particle are 29.64% and
28.92% for diesel it is 30.48% at full load. The increase in brake thermal efficiency may be due to addition of titanium oxide
nano particles in biodiesel act as an oxidation catalyst resulting in better combustion of biodiesel.

Fig. 2 Variation of brake thermal efficiency with BP Fig.3. Variation of BSFC with BP
b) Brake Specific Fuel consumption
Figure 3 shows the variation of brake specific fuel consumptions (BSFC) with load for diesel and B20 and with nano
particle is shown in Figure 3. The BSFC decreases with increase in load for all fuels at all loads. The specific fuel
consumption is higher for the 20% biodiesel blend than neat diesel at all loads. This is due to the lower calorific value of the
biodiesel blend. The lowest BSFC is obtained as 0.3326kg/kW-hr and 0. 34 kg/kW-hr for 250ppm and 500ppm nano particle
added with B20 respectively whereas it is 0.352kg/kW-hr for B20 at full load. This may be due to the result of titanium oxide
addition with biodiesel, which promotes the combustion process.
c) Exhaust gas temperature
Figure 4 shows the variation of exhaust gas temperature with load for diesel, biodiesel blend with and without nano
particle. It is observed that the exhaust gas temperature increases with increase in load for all test fuels. The maximum exhaust
gas temperature is obtained for 250 ppm and 500ppm nano particle with B20 are 358oC and 346oC respectively, whereas for
diesel it is 317oC at full load. The increase in exhaust gas temperature may be due to the higher combustion temperature
prevalent in the combustion chamber by the addition of titanium oxide nano particle with the biodiesel blend, which promotes
the combustion process in the later part of expansion stroke at full load.

JCHPS Special Issue 7: 2015 NCRTDSGT 2015 Page 410

 National Conference On Recent Trends And Developments In Sustainable Green
Technologies
Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences www.jchps.com ISSN: 0974-2115
Fig.4. Variation of exhaust gas temperature with BP Fig.5. Variation of CO emissions with BP
d) Carbon monoxide emission (CO)
Figure 5 shows the variation of carbon monoxide (CO) emissions with load for diesel, biodiesel blend with and
without nano particle. The carbon monoxide emission decreases with biodiesel blend than neat diesel fuel at full load. The CO
emission is marginal up to the 75% of the load and then increases rapidly with full load. The addition of titanium oxide further
decreases the CO emission when comparing with neat diesel. The lowest CO emission is obtained for 250 ppm and 500ppm
nano particle with B20 are 0.04%Vol and 0.055% Vol respectively, whereas for diesel it is 0.065%Vol at full load. The
decrease in CO emission may be due to the activation energy of titanium oxide, which oxidize the biodiesel, resulting in
complete combustion.
e) Hydrocarbon emission (HC)
The variation of hydrocarbon emission with load is shown in Figure 6. The addition of titanium oxide decreases the
hydrocarbon emission when comparing with neat diesel and biodiesel blend. The use of nano particle additives promotes
complete combustion is the cause for the hydrocarbon emission reduction. The lowest HC emission is obtained for 250 ppm
and 500ppm nano particle with B20 are 19 ppm and 21ppm respectively, whereas B20 is 26ppm at full load. The decrease in
hydro carbon emission may be due to the activation energy of titanium oxide acts to burn off carbon deposits within the engine
cylinder at the wall temperature results reduction in HC emissions.

Fig.6. Variation of HC emissions with BP Fig.7. Variation of NO emissions with BP

e) Nitrogen Oxide Emission (NO)
The variation of nitrogen oxide with load is shown in Figure 7. The NO emission is lower for the neat diesel when
comparing to biodiesel blends. The effect of nano particle oxygenated additives enhances the combustion and the longer
ignition delay results in faster premixed combustion is the cause for higher combustion temperature and the subsequent higher
NO emission. The lowest NO emission is obtained for 250 ppm and 500ppm nano particle with B20 are 692ppm and 676ppm
respectively, whereas for diesel and B20 are 575ppm 661ppm respectively at full load. The increase in NO emission may be
due to higher peak temperature obtained for nano particle added with biodiesel and more oxygen present in the biodiesel.
f) Smoke emission
The variation of smoke emissions with load for diesel and neat biodiesel are presented in Figure 8. The exhaust of the
diesel engines contains solid carbon particles that are generated in the fuel-rich zones within the cylinder during combustion.
The smoke emission increases with an increase in the load for all fuels. The smoke emissions decreases with diesel-biodiesel
blend when comparing with neat diesel. Also the addition of titanium oxide nano particle in diesel-biodiesel blends decreases
the smoke further. The use of oxygenated fuel improves better combustion is the cause for the smoke reduction. The lowest
smoke is obtained for 250 ppm and 500ppm nano particle with B20 are 2.4 BSU and 2.6 BSU respectively, whereas for B20 it
is 3.6 BSU at full load.

Fig.8. Variation of Smoke emissions with BP

JCHPS Special Issue 7: 2015 NCRTDSGT 2015 Page 411

 National Conference On Recent Trends And Developments In Sustainable Green
Technologies
Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences www.jchps.com ISSN: 0974-2115
CONCLUSION
The performance and emission characteristics of a diesel engine with diesel-biodiesel blends with the effect of titanium
oxide nano particles as additive were investigated. The following conclusions were drawn from the experimental results.
1. The brake thermal efficiency was increased by 1.32% for B20 with 250ppm added with nano particle compared to
500ppm with 20%diesel-biodiesel blends and without nano particle addition with B20 blend at full load.
2. The carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions decreased with the addition of nano particles in diesel-biodiesel
blends compared and B20 and neat diesel. The CO and HC emissions are decreased by 20% and 17.5% respectively
for 250 ppm added with B20 as additives at full load compared to 500ppm with 20% diesel–biodiesel blends and
without nano particle addition with B20 blend at full load.
3. The NO emissions increased about 5% and the smoke emission decreased by 27% for 250ppm added with B20 diesel-
biodiesel blends compared to 500ppm with 20% diesel–biodiesel blends and without nano particle addition with B20
blend at full load.
4. On the whole, it is concluded that the addition of 250ppm titanium oxide nano particle can be used as additive with
biodiesel blends for improvement of performance and reduction in emissions except marginal increase in NO
emissions.
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