Biodiesel is an alternative diesel fuel consisting of the alkyl monoesters of fatty acids from vegetable oils and
animal fats. Biodiesel can be used in diesel engines as a pure fuel or in blends with petroleum–based diesel fuel. To maintain
optimum performance and meet emission regulations, it may be necessary to measure the composition of blended fuels and
adjust the fuel injection timing and other injection parameters during operation. The objective of this study was to investigate
the suitability of using a commercial Flexible Fuel Composition Sensor for the detection of biodiesel composition in
biodiesel/diesel fuel blends. Twelve different biodiesel fuel samples were tested including pure esters and esters from soybean
oil, tallow, lard, canola oil, and yellow grease. The sensor produced a frequency output between 58.75 and 60.23 Hz for all
of the biodiesel samples. Six different diesel fuel samples were also tested including commercial No. 1 diesel fuel and EPA
emission certification fuel. All of the diesel fuel samples gave frequencies between 51.84 and 52.62 Hz. The frequency output
of the sensor was linearly proportional to the percentage of biodiesel in the blend. The 7.14–Hz average difference from diesel
fuel to biodiesel is sufficient to use this fuel composition sensor for blend detection of biodiesel blended fuels.
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