The experimental investigation of diesel fuel-biofuel blends at different injection pressures in a DI diesel engine

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of a diesel-biodiesel blend (B20) and a diesel-biodiesel-bioethanol blend (BE5) on combustion parameters in addition to engine performance and exhaust emissions compared with diesel fuel. Parameters included in the evaluation was brake specific fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency, CO, CO2, HC, NOx, smoke opacity emissions and finally cylinder pressure, heat release rate, ignition delay, some key points of the combustion phases such as start of ignition, start of combustion, CA50 and CA90 and combustion duration. Engine tests were conducted at different injection pressures of 170 bar, 190 bar, which is the original injection pressure, and 220 bar by the engine being loaded by 25, 50, 75 and 100% for the assessment of engine performance and exhaust emissions. For combustion evaluation, the data obtained at 1400 rpm, maximum torque-speed, and 2800 rpm, maximum power-speed were used, while the injection pressures were set to 170, 190 and 220 bar under full load condition. According to test results, the better performance characteristics, exhaust emissions and combustion behaviour of engine were obtained with the use of BE5 at high injection pressure. So, BE5 fuel improved brake specific fuel consumption by about 7% and brake thermal efficiency by about 6% compared to B20. In addition, while the emission values of BE5 gave better results than diesel fuel, it reduced the NOx and smoke emissions of B20 by approximately 1.4% and 6.4% respectively. Moreover, it has achieved a reduction in smoke emission of up to 45% compared to diesel fuel.