Performance of a diesel engine with blends of biodiesel (from a mixture of oils) and high-speed diesel

A 10.3-kW single-cylinder water-cooled direct-injection diesel engine was evaluated using blends of biodiesel (B10 and B20) obtained from a mixture of mahua and simarouba oils (50:50) with high-speed diesel (HSD) in terms of brake specific fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency, and exhaust gas temperature and emissions such as CO, HC, and NOx. Based on performance and emissions, blend B10 was selected for long-term use. Experiments were also conducted to assess soot deposits on engine components, such as cylinder head, piston crown, and fuel injector tip, and addition of wear metal in the lubricating oil of diesel engine when operated with the biodiesel blend (B10) for 100 h. The amount of soot deposits on the engine components was found to be, on average, 21% lesser for B10-fueled engine as compared with HSD-fueled engine due to better combustion. The addition of wear metals such as copper, zinc, iron, nickel, lead, magnesium, and aluminum, except for manganese, in the lubricating oil of B10-fueled engine after 100 h of engine operation was found to be 11% to 50% lesser than those of the HSD-fueled engine due to additional lubricity.