An experimental study of performance and emission parameters of a compression ignition engine fueled by different blends of Diesel-Ethanol-biodiesel

The effects of different ethanol-diesel blended fuels on the performance and emissions of diesel engines have been evaluated experimentally and compared in this paper. After series of miscibility tests, it was found that ethanol is not miscible in diesel beyond 10% concentration. In order to increase its miscibility, Pongamia piñata methyl ester (PPME), popularly known as biodiesel was added as an amphiphilic agent. Different concentrations of ethanol and biodiesel produced different blends from which 4 blends were chosen for engine testing. The results indicated that biodiesel inclusion in the blends increased the brake thermal efficiency and reduced the fuel consumption of the engine. The study of emission parameters also showed that diesel ethanol blends reduced NO_x and CO₂ emission but increased hydrocarbon emission with elevated exhaust smoke opacity. It was also noticed that biodiesel inclusion in the blends reduced hydrocarbon emission, reduced exhaust smoke opacity with the penalties of simultaneous increase in NO_x and CO₂ emission.