Performance and Emissions of Heavy Duty Diesel Engine Fueled with Biodiesel Blends

Casey Spaulding, Keith Richardson, Taylor Lyon and Nestor U. Soriano, Jr.

Biodiesel is defined as monoalkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from plant oil or animal fat used as an alternative fuel in diesel engines. Biodiesel gained a lot of attention because it is renewable, biodegradable, reduces certain emissions, is safe to handle and transport because of its high flash point, exhibits inherent lubricity, does not require engine modification and promotes the production of domestic fuel.In the US, biodiesel is normally blended with regular diesel fuel to eliminate some operational problems associated with using neat biodiesel (B100). This experiment was done to show the differences in performance and emissions of a heavy duty diesel engine fueled with various blends of canola biodiesel as compared to regular diesel fuel. The test was performed using a water break dynamometer and the effects of engine loads in performance and emissions were also discussed.

Fuel consumption had increased with increasing biodiesel blends only at lower engine load. Exhaust temperatures remained almost unchanged up to B50. However, the use of B100 resulted in lower exhaust temperatures especially at higher engine load. Compared to regular diesel, NOx emissions had increased by 40% in B20 and B50 levels and only by 20% using B100 regardless of engine load. Total hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and soot emissions had decreased significantly with increasing biodiesel blend levels reaching up to 34%, 60%, and 90% reduction, respectively with the use of B100. Formaldehyde had increased on all three steps with the use of B20 and B50 and decreased with the use of B100.