Performance of diesel engine using different jatropha ethyl ester blends with diesel fuel

Increased farm mechanization in agriculture, ever increasing demand and fast depletion of the fossil fuels has lead to search for alternative fuel to reduce our dependence on petroleum based fossil fuels. The performance of a 3.73 kW multi fuel compression ignition (CI) engine was evaluated using different blends of jatropha ethyl ester with diesel as a fuel at a compression ratio of 16.5:1. The fuel samples were prepared by blending jatropha ethyl ester with diesel in the composition of 0:100, 10:90, 20:80, 30:70 and 40:60. The performance parameters of the diesel engine such as break thermal efficiency, break specific fuel consumption, exhaust gas temperature and exhaust emissions parameter such as nitric oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) were measured and analyzed at different engine loadings. Brake thermal efficiency increased with increase in load on the engine for all blends and also increased with increase in proportion of biodiesel in diesel fuel. Brake specific fuel consumption decreased with increase in load on the engine for all fuel blends. Brake specific fuel consumption increased with increase in concentration of blends in diesel fuel. NOx emissions increased with increase in percentage of ester in blend as compared to diesel fuel and also increased with increase in load. CO emissions were lower for all the blends at all loads. CI engine could be operated without affecting the performance of the engine with 40% blending of jatropha ethyl ester biodiesel with diesel.