Predicting surface tension for vegetable oil and biodiesel fuels

Vegetable oil and biodiesel are considered as alternatives to diesel fuel due to their favorable engine characteristics and renewable nature. Estimates of their surface tension values are essential in understanding fuel spray behavior. This study proposes an approach for predicting the surface tension of vegetable oil and biodiesel based on their composition. In the proposed methodology, the surface tension of fatty acids and methyl esters are first estimated using suitable property correlations available in the literature. The suitability of correlations is adjudged based on validation with the measured data. Further, the correlations are also modified to improve the predictions. A weighted average mixing rule is then employed to determine the surface tension of the vegetable oil and biodiesel from their measured composition. The predicted and measured surface tension values of karanja, palmolein and coconut are compared and found to agree within 7 percent over a useful temperature range of up to 353 K. The effects of transesterification and compositional variations on the surface tension of biodiesel fuels are also discussed in this paper.

[1]  M. Hanna,et al.  THE EFFECTS OF CATALYST, FREE FATTY ACIDS, AND WATER ON TRANSESTERIFICATION OF BEEF TALLOW , 1998 .

[2]  C. Ejim,et al.  Analytical study for atomization of biodiesels and their blends in a typical injector: Surface tension and viscosity effects , 2007 .

[3]  Juhun Song,et al.  Biodiesel combustion, emissions and emission control , 2007 .

[4]  Guangrun Wang,et al.  Predicting the surface tension of biodiesel fuels by a mixture topological index method, at 313 K , 2008 .

[5]  Pramod S. Mehta,et al.  A comprehensive approach for estimating thermo-physical properties of biodiesel fuels , 2011 .

[6]  Alan Christopher Hansen,et al.  PREDICTING THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF BIODIESEL FOR COMBUSTION MODELING , 2003 .

[7]  H. K. Rashedul,et al.  Performance and emission characteristics of a compression ignition engine running with linseed biodiesel , 2014 .

[8]  S. No.  How Vegetable Oils and Its Derivatives Affect Spray Characteristics in CI Engines- A Review , 2011 .

[9]  C. Muraleedharan,et al.  Use of vegetable oils as I.C. engine fuels—A review , 2004 .

[10]  Olawole Abiola Kuti,et al.  Experimental and analytical study on biodiesel and diesel spray characteristics under ultra-high injection pressure , 2010 .

[11]  W. Moreda,et al.  Chromatographic analysis of minor constituents in vegetable oils. , 2000, Journal of chromatography. A.

[12]  I. M. Rizwanul Fattah,et al.  Production, characterization, engine performance and emission characteristics of Croton megalocarpus and Ceiba pentandra complementary blends in a single-cylinder diesel engine , 2016 .

[13]  M. Ramos,et al.  Influence of fatty acid composition of raw materials on biodiesel properties. , 2009, Bioresource technology.

[14]  Hüseyin Serdar Yücesu,et al.  The potential of using vegetable oil fuels as fuel for diesel engines , 2001 .

[15]  P. S. Mehta,et al.  Estimating the Viscosity of Vegetable Oil and Biodiesel Fuels , 2010 .

[16]  P. S. Mehta,et al.  Predicting the Density of Straight and Processed Vegetable Oils from Fatty Acid Composition , 2010 .

[17]  S. Kent Hoekman,et al.  Review of the effects of biodiesel on NOx emissions , 2012 .

[18]  T. W. Ryan,et al.  The effects of vegetable oil properties on injection and combustion in two different diesel engines , 1984 .

[19]  Dimitrios C. Rakopoulos,et al.  Comparative performance and emissions study of a direct injection Diesel engine using blends of Diesel fuel with vegetable oils or bio-diesels of various origins , 2006 .

[20]  Roger Sierens,et al.  Surface Tension Prediction of Vegetable Oils Using Artificial Neural Networks and Multiple Linear Regression , 2014 .

[21]  Evangelos G. Giakoumis,et al.  A statistical investigation of biodiesel physical and chemical properties, and their correlation with the degree of unsaturation , 2013 .

[22]  Aninidita Karmakar,et al.  Properties of various plants and animals feedstocks for biodiesel production. , 2010, Bioresource technology.

[23]  H. Raheman,et al.  Biodiesel production from mahua (Madhuca indica) oil having high free fatty acids , 2005 .

[24]  Alan Christopher Hansen,et al.  Computational modelling of NOx emissions from biodiesel combustion , 2007 .

[25]  M. A. Amalina,et al.  Effects of Jatropha biodiesel on the performance, emissions, and combustion of a converted common-rail diesel engine , 2014 .

[26]  Haji Hassan Masjuki,et al.  Characterization and prediction of blend properties and evaluation of engine performance and emission parameters of a CI engine operated with various biodiesel blends , 2015 .

[27]  Cecil A. W. Allen,et al.  Predicting the surface tension of biodiesel fuels from their fatty acid composition , 1999 .

[28]  Abdul Rahman Mohamed,et al.  Utilization of oil palm as a source of renewable energy in Malaysia , 2008 .

[29]  Don W. Green,et al.  Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook , 2007 .

[30]  M. A. Wakil,et al.  Evaluation of rice bran, sesame and moringa oils as feasible sources of biodiesel and the effect of blending on their physicochemical properties , 2014 .

[31]  M. P. Dorado,et al.  The effect of biodiesel fatty acid composition on combustion and diesel engine exhaust emissions , 2013 .

[32]  A. B. Chhetri,et al.  Surface tensions of petro-diesel, canola, jatropha and soapnut biodiesel fuels at elevated temperatures and pressures , 2013 .

[33]  J. V. Gerpen,et al.  BIODIESEL PRODUCTION FROM OILS AND FATS WITH HIGH FREE FATTY ACIDS , 2001 .

[34]  D. Macleod.  On a relation between surface tension and density , 1923 .

[35]  Christopher M. A. Parlett,et al.  Reports of meetings , 1967 .

[36]  P. Girard,et al.  Characteristics of vegetable oils for use as fuel in stationary diesel engines-Towards specifications for a standard in West Africa , 2013 .

[37]  R. Puig,et al.  Characterization of the surface tension of vegetable oils to be used as fuel in diesel engines , 2012 .

[38]  Robert L. McCormick,et al.  Combustion of fat and vegetable oil derived fuels in diesel engines , 1998 .

[39]  P. S. Mehta,et al.  Experimental investigations on combustion, performance and emissions characteristics of neat karanji biodiesel and its methanol blend in a diesel engine , 2011 .

[40]  Controlling Nitric Oxide in C I Engine - Bio-Mix Approach , 2014 .

[41]  C. Depcik,et al.  Investigation of the Effects of Biodiesel Feedstock on the Performance and Emissions of a Single-Cylinder Diesel Engine , 2012 .

[42]  Andrés Agudelo,et al.  Effect of the Degree of Unsaturation of Biodiesel Fuels on Engine Performance, Combustion Characteristics, and Emissions , 2011 .

[43]  R. Reid,et al.  The Properties of Gases and Liquids , 1977 .

[44]  Kaokanya Sudaprasert,et al.  Estimation of surface tension of fatty acid methyl ester and biodiesel at different temperatures , 2014 .

[45]  A. J. Meirelles,et al.  Surface tension of fatty acids and triglycerides , 1999 .

[46]  L. F. Ramírez-Verduzco,et al.  Models for predicting the surface tension of biodiesel and methyl esters , 2015 .

[47]  João A. P. Coutinho,et al.  Measurement and Prediction of Biodiesel Surface Tensions , 2011 .