Abstract
KEYWORDS:
fuels, comparative testing, refined palm oil, crude palm oil, methyl ester, diesel oil.
ABSTRACT:
Short term and long term performance testing of small diesel engines using diesel, 100% refined palm oil, 100% preheated degummed-deacid crude palm oil, and 100% methyl ester have been done in order to compare the performance and the effects of these fuels on engine components wear. Four small diesel engines with the same model have been used in this test. All the engines are started with the fuel used in the test except the engine running with degummed-deacid crude palm oil which is started with diesel fuel for 15 minutes in order to preheat the oil. Short term performance test is done in a PLINT and PARTNERS 12 hp engine test bed. The JIS B8018(1989): Small size water cooled diesel engines in land use is the standard method for short term performance test. Specific fuel consumption, exhaust gas temperature and black smoke density are investigated. Thermal efficiency of the engine is calculated. Some of the engine components wear are measured after every 500 hours of engine running by measuring the weight loss of the engine components. It is found that the specific fuel consumption of the engine running with refined palm oil, methyl ester and degummed-deacid crude palm oil is about 20%, 23% and 50.9% higher than the specific fuel consumption of the engine running with diesel fuel respectively. The thermal efficiency of the engine running with refined palm oil, methyl ester and degummed-deacid crude palm oil is about 4%, 7.9% and 74.2% lower than the thermal efficiency of the engine running with diesel fuel respectively. The black smoke density of the engine running with refined palm oil, methyl ester and degummed-deacid crude palm oil is about 5% higher, 6.8% lower and 100% higher than the black smoke density of the engine running with diesel fuel, respectively. The rate of wear of most components of all engines have insignificant differences, except for their piston rings. The piston rings of the engines running with refined palm oil, degummed-deacid crude palm oil and methyl ester have more wear than those of the engine running with diesel fuel.