See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/286265728

Effect of compression ratio with biodiesel and its blends on performance and
emission characteristics of an IC engine

Article in Journal of Environmental Protection and Ecology · January 2015

CITATIONS READS

2 952

4 authors, including:

Sheeju Selva Roji S Edwin Raj

Anna University Constituent College, Nagercoil St. Xavier's Catholic College of Engineering
4 PUBLICATIONS 9 CITATIONS 34 PUBLICATIONS 2,055 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Z. Robert Kennedy
EASA College of Engineering and Technology
18 PUBLICATIONS 460 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Sheeju Selva Roji S on 15 June 2016.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Journal of Environmental Protection and Ecology 16, No 2, 601–609 (2015)
Ecology – rubber seed oil biodiesel

EFFECT OF COMPRESSION RATIO WITH BIODIESEL

AND ITS BLENDS ON PERFORMANCE AND EMISSION
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN IC ENGINE
S. SHEEJU SELVA ROJIa*, R. EDWIN RAJb, D. F. MELVIN JOSEc, Z.
ROBERT KENNEDYd
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College of Engineering,
629 004 Nagercoil, India E-mail:
[email protected]
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, St. Xavier Catholic College of
Engineering, 629 003 Nagercoil, India cDepartment of Mechanical
Engineering, Sri Vellappally Natesan College of Engineering, 690 503
Alappuzha, India dDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Karunya University,
641 114 Coimbatore, India

Abstract. Energy crisis and environmental degradation are the major current energy issues which need
to be tackled judiciously. Supplementing energy through biodiesel is a viable, sustainable and feasible
option. In the present work, biodiesel extracted from discarded rubber seed is characterised for engine
performance and emission analysis at various compression ratios (CR) and fuel blends. The brake
thermal efficiency (BTE) of B100 is consistently higher at all CR due to the presence of oxygen content
and lubricity property. The exhaust gas temperature and NOx emission decrease with increase in CR for
every fuel blend and these properties were progressively lower for higher concentration of biodiesel.
Overall engine performance is optimum at CR of 18 for B20 fuel blend.
Keywords: rubber seed oil biodiesel, compression ratio, engine performance, emission.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND

The depleting reserves and environmental issues have pushed the world to search for
eco-friendly renewable energy sources. The inevitable decline in the fossil fuels,
namely coal, petroleum and natural gas has spurred vigorous efforts all over the world
to harness renewable energy from all sources. Among various options investigated
for automotive fuels, extraction of biodiesel from vegetable oils seems to be a
forerunner as they are renewable and available1. For an agricultural country like India,
it will not be economical to use edible vegetable oil for biodiesel extraction since it
is largely needed for food preparation. So, it is very important and urgent to find many
viable non-edible vegetable oil sources to reduce dependability on depleting fossil
fuels.

*
For correspondence.
601
The production of non-edible vegetable oils like Jatropha oil, Karanja oil, Mahua oil,
Neem oil and rubber seed oil, is more beneficial, as they are free from sulphur,
aromatic hydrocarbons, metals and crude oil residues. However, there are some
problems need to be addressed in using vegetable oil as fuel for engines due to its
high viscosity2. The high viscosity of the biodiesel is due to its complex chemical
structure with non-branched chains of different lengths, which leads to complications
in pumping and combustion in internal combustion (IC) engine.
Injection parameters such as, injection pressure, spray penetration, injection
timing and compression ratio were studied in detail elsewhere3,4. Ramadhas et al. have
done experiments on rubber seed oil methyl esters (RSOME) for various blends with
diesel and found better performance for B10 blend5. Edwin Geo et al. have compared
the performance of the engine with raw rubber seed oil (RSO), rubber seed oil methyl
ester and diesel and concluded that the high viscosity and poor volatilities of RSO
leads to higher hydrocarbon (HC) and CO emissions than RSOME (Ref. 6). Initial
preliminary work on rubber seed oil biodiesel on engine performance at variable
compression ratio was published elsewhere7.
In this paper, non-edible, highly viscous rubber seed oil was esterified using two
stage catalytic esterification. The extracted rubber seed oil methyl ester was tested at
standard test condition for its fuel properties. Different blends of biodiesel in the ratios
of B20, B40, B60 and B100 along with diesel were tested for their performances at
various compression ratios. The combustion phenomena were analysed along with
exhaust emission characteristics and the results were compared to optimise the design
parameters.

EXPERIMENTAL
BIODIESEL EXTRACTION PROCESS

The kernels of the rubber seed were passed through a screw press for extracting oil.
The viscosity of raw rubber seed oil was high with an acid value of 35 mg KOH/g,
which hinders direct application in IC engines. Due to its high free fatty acid (FFA),
two-stage esterification process was carried out to extract biodiesel8. In the first stage,
sulphuric acid was used as the catalyst for esterification and in the second stage
potassium hydroxide (alkaline) was used. Process parameters such as temperature,
time, volume of catalyst, and oil/methanol ratio were optimised for better yield using
design of experiment technique. The detailed process analysis and the optimisation
results were published elsewhere9.
EVALUATION OF FUEL PROPERTIES

BROOKFIELD LV-DV-II + Pro viscometer, Middleboro, USA was used to

determine the viscosity of oil at 40°C. The viscosity of the raw rubber seed oil was
reduced from 37.06 to 3.12 mm2/s after two stage esterification process. Pensky
Marteins closed cup apparatus was used to identify the flash and fire point
602
temperature of the extracted biodiesel. The heating value of the standard diesel and
the extracted biodiesel were estimated using a Parr-6772 calorimetric thermometer.
Similarly other properties such as carbon residue, cloud point, pour point, etc. were
determined with standard instruments and their properties are compared with
conventional diesel fuel. The gas chromatography analysis was carried out and the
higher amount of unsaturated acids was found in the biodiesel (Table 1).

Table 1.Comparison of rubber seed oil based biodiesel properties with diesel
Property Test procedure Biodiesel Rubber seed Diesel
standard oil – bio-
ASTM diesel

Specific gravity at 30°C ASTM D4052 0.8796 0.8236

Kinematic viscosity at 40°C ASTM D445 1.9–6.0 3.92 3.18
(mm2/s)
Heating value (MJ/kg) ASTM D240 – 38.2 44.1
Flash point (°C) ASTM D93 130 128 68
Cloud point (°C) ASTM D2500 –3 to 12 5 17
Pour point (°C) ASTM D97 –1.5 to 10 –7 –20
Carbon residue (%) – <0.3 0.14 0.17
Fatty acid composition (%) GC
Unsaturated fractions 66.28
Oleic acid (C18:1) 15.31
Linoleic acid (C18:2) 37.95
Linolenic acid (C18:3) 12.58
Palmitoleic acid (C16:1) 0.44
Saturated fractions 32.22
Palmitic acid (C16:0) 8.40
Stearic acid (C18:0) 23.46
Arachidic acid (C20:0) 0.36

EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

Four-stroke single cylinder direct injection engine with provision to vary the
compression ratio was used for the conduct of all experiments. The fuel and air
consumptions were metered by the sensor-transmitter setup which records data in real
time with the help of a data acquisition system. Similarly thermocouples were
instrumented for live recording of exhaust gas, cooling water inlet and outlet
temperatures. The engine was loaded in steps of 0.5 kW using eddy current
dynamometer and their corresponding brake powers of the engine were recorded. The
compression ratio of the engine was varied in steps of two from 16 to 22 by moving

603
the cylinder head. Engine cylinder pressure was sensed by piezo-pressure sensor
mounted on the engine head and was recorded with respect to crank angle, whereas
another one is kept at the fuel line (near to injector) to measure the injection pressure.
The signals received from these sensors are interfaced with a computer through data
acquisition system and the system software provides cylinder pressure (bar) and heat
release rate (J/deg) with respect to crank angle. Multi-gas analyser (QUINTOX Kane
International Ltd) along with air emission monitoring system (MRU Optrans 1600)
was used for exhaust gas analysis without affecting the back pressure.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

BRAKE THERMAL EFFICIENCY AND SPECIFIC FUEL CONSUMPTION

The effect of compression ratio (CR) on efficiency for different blends of biodiesel is
complex in nature to optimise any parameter (Fig. 1a). However, it can be noted that
the efficiency of rubber seed based biodiesel (B100) is consistently better at all
compression ratios and is maximum at the CR of 18, which is the rated CR of the
given diesel engine. It is obvious that the efficiency increases with CR, but the
observed noise/vibration in engine at CR higher than 18 results in slight decrease in
thermal efficiency for biodiesel. This phenomenon is also reflected in the heat release
rate and cylinder pressure diagram plotted with respect to the crank angle (Figs 2 and
3). The heat release rate is higher at lower CR. This can be attributed to significant
air/fuel mixing and better penetration of fuel during injection. Generally, the heat
release rate of diesel is higher in comparison with biodiesel. This is due to reduced
viscosity and leads to better spray formation. But, the brake thermal efficiency (BTE)
of biodiesel is always slightly better than diesel due to the presence of oxygen, which
facilitates the combustion process10. The better lubricity property of biodiesel also
augments for its performance11.

Fig. 1. Comparison of BTE (a) and comparison of SFC for different biodiesel blends and diesel (b)

The specific fuel consumption (SFC) of blend B20 is lower than that of all other
blends at CR of 18 (Fig. 1b) and it increases with increasing CR for all of fuel blends.
The SFC of the blend B20 at CR 18 is 0.2446 kg/kW h, whereas for diesel it is 0.2681
kg/kW h. The SFC of B100 is higher than that of all biodiesel blends and diesel,
604
because the calorific value of biodiesel is around 14% lesser than that of diesel. The
calorific value decreases with increase in percentage of biodiesel blends which is the
cause for increase in SFC (Ref. 12). During engine testing with different combinations
of CRs and fuel blends, the synergic effect is seen at compression ratio of 18 where
SFC is minimum and BTE is maximum for most of the fuel blends.

Fig. 2. Heat release rate of the engine at CR 18 and 22 for biodiesel fuel

Fig. 3. Cylinder pressure of the engine at CR 18 and 22 for biodiesel fuel

EMISSION ANALYSIS

Exhaust gas temperature. Analysis of exhaust gas temperature (EGT) is crucial

because it reflects the combustion condition of the fuel inside the cylinder. The
variation of EGT at full load condition for diesel and various blends of biodiesel are
shown in Fig. 4a. The results reveal that the EGT decreases for biodiesel and its
blends in comparison with diesel. Moreover, the EGT decreases with increase in CR
and this trend is mirrored in both the biodiesel blends and diesel. The increased
CR provides higher temperature before the start of combustion which induces better
vapourisation of fuel facilitating better mixing with air. This phenomenon leads to
sudden and complete combustion resulting in reduced EGT. This trend is consistent
with all blends resulting in reduced EGT at higher CRs. The higher oxygen content
and the lower calorific value are the possible reasons for the reduction in EGT and
higher performance13,14.

605
Fig. 4. Comparison of EGT (a), CO (b), smoke density (c) and NOx emission (d) for different biodiesel
blends and diesel

Carbon monoxide emission. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a highly poisonous gas emitted
because of incomplete combustion of fuel. The variation of CO emission with
different CRs for various blends of biodiesel and diesel is shown in Fig. 4b. It is found
that the CO emission for the blends of biodiesel is less than diesel irrespective of CR
(Ref. 5). This may be due to presence of oxygen in biodiesel itself which augments
in the process of complete combustion (Table 1). It can be observed that the CR or
biodiesel blend does not have any consistent correlation on CO emissions. The CO
emission for B20 is the lowest at CR of 18, whereas the CO emission slightly
increases beyond CR of 20. The CO emission has decreased for all blends at CR 20
expect for B20. Generally, higher CR reduces the dilution of fresh charges with the
residual gasses which leads to lower emission. This is reflected for almost all blends
up to CR of 20, whereas the emission of CO increases beyond CR 20.
Smoke density. Suspension of solid soot particles in exhaust gas is called as smoke.
Fig. 4c shows the variation of smoke level at different compression ratios for different
blends of biodiesel and diesel. Corroborating the thermal efficiency results presented
in Fig. 1a, the thermal efficiency and smoke intensity are inversely proportional
irrespective of fuel and CR. Higher thermal efficiency for biodiesel indicates
complete combustion of fuel, where smoke density is lower in comparison with
diesel. A slight increase in smoke density and a slight decrease in engine performance
can be noted for all blends of biodiesel above CR of 18. Smoke reduction is due to
the fact that biodiesel has about 10–11% oxygen content which helps in better
606
combustion of the fuel inside the cylinder. Ramadhas et al.5 has reported reduction in
smoke density for rubber seed oil based biodiesel and the similar trend is reflected for
all CRs.
Nitrogen oxides emissions. The emission of NOx is significantly influenced by the in-
cylinder gas temperature and availability of oxygen during combustion. This
phenomenon is reflected in our investigation, showing similar trends for EGT (Fig.
4a) and NOx (Fig. 4d). The effect of CR on NOx emission for different biodiesel
blends along with diesel is shown in Fig. 4d. The NOX emission for diesel is
comparatively higher at all CRs in comparison with all blends of biodiesel 15 and it
decreases with increase in biodiesel content and it is lowest for B100. The EGT has
decreased for all blends at higher CRs which is reflected in the reduction of NO x in
identical pattern, since it is obvious that higher temperature, oxygen concentration
and longer residence time induce NOx formation16.
Hydrocarbons emission. The key component of brown haze of smog is hydrocarbon
(HC), which plagues many urban areas causing serious health problems to human
beings. The unburned HC emission depends on the engine operating conditions and
fuel properties. The variation of HC emission with different compression ratios for
different biodiesel blends and diesel is shown in Fig. 5. It is observed that HC
emissions for different blends are higher at higher CRs, especially for CR 22. This
phenomenon is also reflected in CO emission as well, which may be due to erratic
combustion17.

Fig. 5. Variation of HC for different biodiesel blends and diesel

CONCLUSIONS
Experimental evaluation was done to analyse the effect of CR and biodiesel blends
on engine performance and emission characteristics of diesel engine. It is found that
the BTE of biodiesel and for all of its blends is higher than diesel at its rated CR. The
presence of oxygen content in biodiesel and its better lubricity have contributed for
the better performance and lower emission characteristics of biodiesel and its blends.
Higher heat release rate for biodiesel is obtained at CR of 18 and it slightly decreases

607
thereafter. The calorific value of biodiesel is lower than diesel, which has reflected as
higher SFC for biodiesel fuel.
Significant and progressive reduction in EGT and NOx for increased
concentration of biodiesel is observed. Similarly for all fuel blends the EGT reduces
with increase in CR, which may be attributed to the presence of oxygen and enhanced
vapourisation leading to better mixing. The emission of CO is very low for B20 at
CR of 18, however, no significant correlation can be observed for CO emission. The
HC emission is consistently higher at all blends above CR of 20 due to uneven and
erratic combustion. Optimum performance for biodiesel B20 blend is obtained at the
rated CR of 18 for the tested direct injection diesel engine, which demands no major
engine modification.

REFERENCES
1. A. DHROSO, I. MALOLLARI, S. DRUSHKU, A. MALJA, H. MANAJ, Z. HASANDOCAJ,
F. GJYRIQI: Production of Biodiesel from Natural Vegetable Oils. J Environ Prot Ecol, 13 (4), 2338
(2012).
2. A. GUNES, H. CAKAR, O. AKAT, M. A. GUNEY, B. OZKUL, E. KORU, A. Y. KORKUT, C.
SUZER, S. CIRIK, K. FIRAT, S. SAKA: Determination of the Bioenergy Production Capacity from
Biochemical Profiles of Some Aquatic Phytoremediation Plants Energy while Cleaning. J Environ
Prot Ecol, 15 (3), 1042 (2014).
3. M. BADAMI, F. MALLAMO, F. MILLO, E. F. ROSSI: Influence of Multiple Injection Strategy on
Emissions, Combustion Noise and BSFC of a DI Common Rail Diesel Engine. SAE Int SP1696,
2002, 261–272.
4. H. RAHEMAN, S. V. GHADGE: Performance of Diesel Engine with Biodiesel at Varying
Compression Ratio and Ignition Timing. Fuel, 87 (12), 2659 (2008).
5. A. S. RAMADHAS, C. MURALEEDHARAN, S. JAYARAJ: Performance and Emission
Evaluation of a Diesel Engine Fueled with Methyl Esters of Rubber Seed Oil. Renew Energ, 30 (12),
1789 (2005).
6. V. E. GEO, G. NAGARAJAN, B. A. NAGALINGAM: A Comparative Combustion Analysis of
Rubber Seed Oil and its Methyl Ester in a D.I. Diesel Engine. SAE Int, 01, 1386 (2008).
7. D. F. M. JOSE, B. D. PRASAD, R. E. RAJ, Z. R. KENNEDY: An Extraction and Performance
Analysis of Rubber Seed–Methyl Ester on an IC Engine at Various Compression Ratios. Int J Green
Energy, 11 (8), 808 (2014).
8. M. SATYANRAYANA, C. MURALEEDHARAN: Methyl Ester Production from Rubber Seed oil
Using Two-Step Pretreatment Process. Int J Green Energy, 7 (1), 84 (2010).
9. D. F. M. JOSE, R. E. RAJ, B. D. PRASAD, Z. R. KENNEDY, A. M. IBRAHIM: A Multi-variant
Approach to Optimize Process Parameters for Biodiesel Extraction from Rubber Seed Oil. Appl
Energ, 88 (6), 2056 (2011).
10. I. M. ATADASHI, M. K. AROUA, A. A. AZIZ: High Quality Biodiesel and Its Diesel Engine
Application: A Review. Renew Sust Energ Rev, 14 (7), 1999 (2010).
11. M. GHEORGHE, D. SCARPETE, R. C. BUTURCA: A Review on Effect of Some Alternative Fuels
on Diesel Engine Emissions. J Environ Prot Ecol, 14 (2), 572 (2013).
12. J. B. HEYWOOD: Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals. McGraw Hill Book Co., New York,
1988.
13. V. A. M. SELVAN, R. B. ANAND, M. UDAYAKUMAR: Combustion Characteristics of Diesohol
Using Bio Diesel as an Additive in a Direct Injection Ignition Engine under Various Compression
Ratios. Energ Fuels, 23 (11), 5413 (2009).
608
14. K. MURALIDHARAN, D. VASUDEVAN: Performance, Emission and Combustion
Characteristics of a Variable Compression Ratio Engine Using Methyl Esters of Waste Cooking Oil
and Diesel Blends. Appl Energ, 88 (11), 3959 (2011).
15. R. PESIC, S. MILOJEVIC: Efficiency and Ecological Characteristics of a VCR Diesel Engine. Int
J Auto Tech, 14 (5), 675 (2013).
16. P. KANELLIS, V. GIOMATARIS, A. DOMVROGIANNI, G. STEFANIDIS, D. SAVVIDIS, M.
GOGOS, F. VOSNIAKOS, J. TRIANDAFYLLIS: Reduction of NOx Emissions by Chang-
ing the Injection Timing in a Diesel Engine Fuelled by Biodiesel. J Environ Prot Ecol, 10 (4), 1091
(2009).
17. S. MURUGAN, M. C. RAMASWAMY, G. NAGARAJAN: A Comparative Study on the
Performance, Emission and Combustion Studies of a DI Diesel Engine Using Distilled Tyre
Pyrolysis Oil-diesel Blends. Fuel, 87 (10), 2111 (2008).
Received 27 February 2015
Revised 7 April 2015

609

View publication stats