EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS ON A DIESEL ENGINE FUELLED WITH MULTIWALLED CARBON NANOTUBES BLENDED BIODIESEL FUELS

Experimental investigations were carried out to determine performance, emission, and combustion characteristics of diesel engine using multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) blended biodiesel fuels. The fuel combinations used for the study were neat diesel for base line data generation, and CNT blended –biodiesel. The biodiesel was prepared from honge oil called Honge Oil Methyl Ester [HOME]. The MCNTs were blended with the biodiesel fuel in the mass fractions of 25 and 50 ppm with the aid of a mechanical homogenizer and an ultrasonicator. Subsequently, the stability characteristics of MWCNT blended –biodiesel fuels were analyzed under static conditions. The investigation were carried out using an experimental set-up consisting of a single-cylinder diesel engine coupled with an eddy current dynamometer loading device, an MRU 1600s five gas analyzer, a Hartridge smoke meter, and a data-acquisition system comprising a high pressure piezoelectric pressure sensor and a crank angle encoder. All the experiments were conducted at a constant speed of 1500 rpm and the results revealed that a considerable enhancement in the brake thermal efficiency and substantial reduction in the harmful pollutants due to the incorporation of MWCNTs in the biodiesel fuels were observed.