Theoretical and experimental investigation on a variable compression ratio engine using waste cooking oil biodiesel

Abstract

Depleting petroleum reserves, rising petroleum prices, threat to the newlineenvironment from exhaust emissions and global warming create an intensive newlineinternational interest in developing alternate and renewable fuels for engines. newlineThe use of biodiesel is seriously considered as an alternate fuel. The study is newlinedone with a purpose of finding the optimum compression ratio for different newlineproportion of biodiesel obtained from waste cooking oil. The compression newlineratio strongly affects the working process and provides an exceptional degree newlineof control over engine performance. In conventional internal combustion newlineengines, the compression ratio is fixed and their performance is therefore a newlinecompromise between conflicting requirements. A variable compression ratio newlineengine offers the potential to study the effect of compression ratio of different newlineblends of biodiesel under varying load. newlineThe endeavour was to establish the modifications required in small, newlineconstant speed, direct injection diesel engines used widely for agricultural newlinepurposes so that these can be made to run on pure biodiesel with better newlineperformance and newlineThe endeavour was to establish the modifications required in small, newlineconstant speed, direct injection diesel engines used widely for agricultural newlinepurposes so that these can be made to run on pure biodiesel with better newlineperformance and at the same time decrease emissions.The suitability of waste cooking oil methyl ester as a bio fuel has newlinebeen established in this study. Biodiesel has been produced from waste newlinecooking oil by transesterification process. The performance, emission and newlinecombustion characteristics of a single cylinder, four stroke, variable newlinecompression ratio multi fuel engine when fuelled with waste cooking oil newlinemethyl ester and its 20%, 40%, 60% , 80% and 100% blends with diesel newline(on a volume basis) are investigated and compared with that of standard diesel. newline