Performance of Diesel Engine Using Yellow Oleander, Koroch and Degraded Koroch Biodiesels

The performance and emissions of an internal combustion engine (ICE) engine fuelled with three bio-diesels are experimentally measured and analysed and compared with that of the petroleum diesel. This study found that the performance of pure bio-diesel fuels (yellow oleander and koroch) is lower due to the lower energy content of biodiesel when compared with petroleum diesel. For both the bio-diesels (yellow oleander and koroch) some emissions were found to be higher than petroleum diesel, while some were lower. One of the major drawbacks of biodiesel over petroleum diesel is that it can be more susceptible to oxidation at room temperature. It is due to the chemical structure of fatty acid methyl esters. The fatty acid methyl esters undergo a chemical process autoxidation when biodiesel is stored for long time and exposed to air. Oxidized koroch biodiesel or degraded biodiesel shows highest fuel consumption reflecting the lower energy content of biodiesel.