In-depth University studies

There are a great many questions that in-depth University studies could answer with regards to the correct use of PPO in properly converted engines. There are 20 years of practical usage and developmental research that has been carried out by our service partners Elsbett and the use of DIN standard PPO in correctly converted engines is irrefutable due to the high volume of long term users across Germany.

For those of you from an industrial background, or for those of you who want to have a real in-depth look at the use of PPO, we hope the studies below will be of use. All things point to the fact that if correctly converted and if the oil is of approved standard diesel engines operate perfectly well on Pure Plant Oil.

We are in the process of puting together a research project to be carried out alongside Brighton University and Elsbett. We hope that we can help answer further questions with regards to the use of PPO and help further bring forward the technology.

C.D. Rakopoulos, K.A. Antonopoulos, D.C. Rakopoulos, D.T. Hountalas and E.G. Giakoumis, Comparative performance and emissions study of a direct injection Diesel engine using blends of Diesel fuel with vegetable oils or bio-diesels of various origins, Energy Conversion and Management, Volume 47, Issues 18-19, , November 2006, Pages 3272-3287.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V2P-4JKHKW2-1/2/9dc750f94332976273266da0b6d5da76) Abstract: An extended experimental study is conducted to evaluate and compare the use of various Diesel fuel supplements at blend ratios of 10/90 and 20/80, in a standard, fully instrumented, four stroke, direct injection (DI), Ricardo/Cussons [`]Hydra' Diesel engine located at the authors' laboratory. More specifically, a high variety of vegetable oils or bio-diesels of various origins are tested as supplements, i.e. cottonseed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil and their corresponding methyl esters, as well as rapeseed oil methyl ester, palm oil methyl ester, corn oil and olive kernel oil. The series of tests are conducted using each of the above fuel blends, with the engine working at a speed of 2000 rpm and at a medium and high load. In each test, volumetric fuel consumption, exhaust smokiness and exhaust regulated gas emissions such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and total unburned hydrocarbons (HC) are measured. From the first measurement, specific fuel consumption and brake thermal efficiency are computed. The differences in the measured performance and exhaust emission parameters from the baseline operation of the engine, i.e. when working with neat Diesel fuel, are determined and compared. This comparison is extended between the use of the vegetable oil blends and the bio-diesel blends. Theoretical aspects of Diesel engine combustion, combined with the widely differing physical and chemical properties of these Diesel fuel supplements against the normal Diesel fuel, are used to aid the correct interpretation of the observed engine behavior. Keywords: Diesel engine; Diesel fuel blends; Vegetable oil; Bio-diesel; Comparative performance; Emissions

J. Narayana Reddy and A. Ramesh, Parametric studies for improving the performance of a Jatropha oil-fuelled compression ignition engine, Renewable Energy, Volume 31, Issue 12, , October 2006, Pages 1994-2016.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V4S-4HNSG34-1/2/b57fac866a81dc0ca4a41d59f0b96e80) Abstract: A single cylinder, constant speed, direct injection diesel engine was operated on neat Jatropha oil. Injection timing, injector opening pressure, injection rate and air swirl level were changed to study their influence on performance, emissions and combustion. Results have been compared with neat diesel operation. The injection timing was varied by changing the position of the fuel injection pump with respect to the cam and injection rate was varied by changing the diameter of the plunger of the fuel injection pump. A properly oriented masked inlet valve was employed to enhance the air swirl level. Advancing the injection timing from the base diesel value and increasing the injector opening pressure increase the brake thermal efficiency and reduce HC and smoke emissions significantly. Enhancing the swirl has only a small effect on emissions. The ignition delay with Jatropha oil is always higher than that of diesel under similar conditions. Improved premixed heat release rates were observed with Jatropha oil when the injector opening pressure is enhanced. When the injection timing is retarded with enhanced injection rate, a significant improvement in performance and emissions was noticed. In this case emissions with Jatropha oil are even lower than diesel. At full output, the HC emission level is 532 ppm with Jatropha oil as against 798 ppm with diesel. NO level and smoke with Jatropha oil are, respectively 1162.5 ppm and 2 BSU while they are 1760 ppm and 2.7 BSU with diesel. Keywords: Non-edible vegetable oil as fuels; Jatropha oil fuel; Injection parameters; Vegetable oil combustion; Bio fuels; Renewable fuels

O. M. I. Nwafor, Emission characteristics of diesel engine running on vegetable oil with elevated fuel inlet temperature, Biomass and Bioenergy, Volume 27, Issue 5, , November 2004, Pages 507-511.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V22-4CRY5J2-1/2/20693a3488395e035625d313004dc04a) Abstract: The world energy demand has, for the last two decades, witnessed uncertainties in two dimensions. Firstly, the price of conventional fossil fuel is too high and has added burden on the economy of the importing nations. Secondly, combustion of fossil fuels is the main culprit in increasing the global carbon dioxide (CO2) level, a consequence of global warming. The scarcity and depletion of conventional sources are also cases of concern and have prompted research world-wide into alternative energy sources for internal combustion engines. Biofuels appear to be a potential alternative "greener" energy substitute for fossil fuels. The problem of using neat vegetable oils in diesel engines relates to their high viscosity. Experiments were designed to study the effect of reducing viscosity by increasing the inlet temperature of vegetable oil fuel on combustion and emission characteristics of diesel engine. The test results showed that the CO production with heated fuel is a little higher than the diesel fuel at higher loading conditions. The CO concentrations in the exhaust were higher for unheated oil operation compared to other fuels. The heated oil showed marginal increase in CO2 emissions compared to diesel fuel. The hydrocarbon emissions were significantly reduced when running on plant oils. The fuel consumption was a little worse when running on plant fuel. The ignition delay was longer for unheated plant fuel operation. Author Keywords: Vegetable oil; Emissions; Fuel consumption; Exhaust temperature and ignition delay

O. M. I. Nwafor, The effect of elevated fuel inlet temperature on performance of diesel engine running on neat vegetable oil at constant speed conditions, Renewable Energy, Volume 28, Issue 2, , February 2003, Pages 171-181.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V4S-46PYM5P-2/2/c259577fa5ad492be94947e155769965) Abstract: The concept that engine design is all important in the use of vegetable oils as a diesel fuel has been pointed out by many researchers. One hundred percent of vegetable oil can be used safely in an indirect injection engine, but not in a direct injection engine due to the high degree of atomization required for this type. This problem is related to increasing droplet size on injection into the cylinder that results in poor combustion. This in turn, causes the formation of deposits in the combustion chamber, together with oil dilution due to introduction of unburnt fuel into the crankcase. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of increasing fuel inlet temperature on viscosity and performance of a single cylinder, unmodified diesel engine. The overall results showed that fuel heating increased peak cylinder pressure and was also beneficial at low speed and under part-load operation. The high combustion temperature at high engine speed becomes the dominant factor, making both heated and unheated fuel to acquire the same temperature before fuel injection. Author Keywords: Fuel inlet temperature; Pressure crankangle and heat release diagrams; Brake specific fuel consumption; Brake thermal efficiency; Mechanical efficiency and hydrocarbon emissions

Recep AltIn, Selim Çetinkaya and Hüseyin Serdar Yücesu, The potential of using vegetable oil fuels as fuel for diesel engines, Energy Conversion and Management, Volume 42, Issue 5, , March 2001, Pages 529-538

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V2P-41HHNHV-2/2/133c560a0b7e9e5754942d3cda747c55) Abstract: Vegetable oils are produced from numerous oil seed crops. While all vegetable oils have high energy content, most require some processing to assure safe use in internal combustion engines. Some of these oils already have been evaluated as substitutes for diesel fuels. The effects of vegetable oil fuels and their methyl esters (raw sunflower oil, raw cottonseed oil, raw soybean oil and their methyl esters, refined corn oil, distilled opium poppy oil and refined rapeseed oil) on a direct injected, four stroke, single cylinder diesel engine performance and exhaust emissions was investigated in this paper. The results show that from the performance viewpoint, both vegetable oils and their esters are promising alternatives as fuel for diesel engines. Because of their high viscosity, drying with time and thickening in cold conditions, vegetable oil fuels still have problems, such as flow, atomization and heavy particulate emissions. Author Keywords: Vegetable oil fuels; Alternative fuels; Biodiesel

 

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