Professional paper

Performance and Emission Characteristics of a Diesel Engine with a Zirconium Dioxide-Coated Piston and Nerium and Mahua Methyl Esters Used as Fuels

Ramalingam Senthil ; Deptartment of Mechanical Engineering., University College of Engineering Villupuram, Kakuppam, Villupuram, India
Nattan Ravichandiran ; Deptartment of Mechanical Engineering., University College of Engineering Villupuram, Kakuppam, Villupuram, India
Rajendran Silambarasan ; Deptartment of Mechanical Engineering., University College of Engineering Villupuram, Kakuppam, Villupuram, India

Abstract

Diesel fuel has a limited resource and concerns over environmental pollution are leading to the use of ‘bio-origin fuels’ as they are renewable and environmentally benign. Jatropha methyl ester, as an esterified bio fuel, has an excellent cetane number and a reasonable calorific value. In its behaviour, it closely resembles the diesel. Biodiesel can be used more efficiently in the semi-adiabatic engine, in which the temperature of the combustion chamber is increased by a thermal barrier coating on the piston crown. In the present investigation, the piston crown was coated with a ceramic material, zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), of about 0.5 µm, using the plasma spray method. The experiments were carried out with the 100% Nerium Methyl Ester (NME), the Mahua Methyl Ester (MME), and with diesel blends, in a four stroke, direct injection diesel engine, with and without a coated piston, at different load conditions. The 100% bio diesel results showed an improvement in the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and a decrease in the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) of about 10 % at full load. The exhaust emissions, such as carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC), and smoke, were reduced and the nitrogen oxide (NO) emission increased in the case with a coated engine (CE) in comparison with the base engine (BE) with the use of diesel fuel.

Keywords

Zirconium dioxide; Performance; Emissions; Nerium methyl ester; Mahua methyl ester; Transesterification

Hrčak ID:

141795

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/141795

Publication date:

15.7.2015.

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