Characterization of Single-Cylinder DI Diesel Engine Fueled with Waste Cooking Oil Biofuel/Diesel Blends

Increasing demand for fast depleting diesel in various transport applications with a rise in vehicular exhaust emissions led many countries to research on alternative economic fuels. One of the most economical alternative fuels available worldwide is biofuel obtained from waste cooking oil (WCO). It is prepared by deploying transesterification process. In the present research work, the characterization of emission, performance and combustion of a single-cylinder compression ignition (CI) engine with the best-suited WCO biofuel/diesel blends was carried out. Six different types of mixtures, namely WCO100, WCO50, WCO40, WCO30, WCO20 and WCO10, were prepared. The fuel properties were found by testing using ASTM standards. From the experimental assessment, it was determined that WCO10 blend fuel suited better to the diesel engine with a maximum reduction of 7.93% in smoke opacity, 26.17% in carbon mono-oxide (CO), 10.71% in unburned hydrocarbon (HC), 4.29% in carbon dioxide (CO2) and 17.5% increase in NOx emission, respectively. Though the performance characteristics seem to be lesser in the case of WCO blends, WCO10 showed very less reduction among the other test fuels. Also, combustion characteristics such as net and cumulative heat release rate, cylinder pressure, mass burn fraction, pressure rise rate showed a better result comparing other mixtures.