International Journal of Advances in Engineering & Technology, March 2012.

©IJAET ISSN: 2231-1963

PERFORMANCE & EMISSION STUDIES ON A SINGLE

CYLINDER DI DIESEL ENGINE FUELED WITH DIESEL &
RICE BRAN OIL METHYL ESTER BLENDS
Bhabani Prasanna Pattanaik1, Basanta Kumar Nanda2 and Probir Kumar Bose3
1
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engg., Gandhi Institute for Technological
Advancement, Bhubaneswar - 752054, Orissa, India,
2
Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Maharaja Institute of
Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India,
3
Director, National Institute of Technology, Agartala, Jirania, Tripura – 799055, India,

ABSTRACT
The Present research work studies about the production of Rice bran oil biodiesel (RBOBD), study of its
characteristics and potential as a substitute for Diesel fuel in CI engines. In the present investigation biodiesel
is produced by base catalyzed transesterification of rice bran oil is known as Rice Bran Oil Methyl Ester
(RBOME). Various proportions of RBOME and Diesel are prepared on volume basis and used as fuels in a four
stroke single cylinder direct injection Diesel engine to study the performance and emission characteristics of
these fuels. The results obtained show a 49% reduction in smoke, 35% reduction in HC and 37% reduction in
CO emissions for the blends whereas the brake power and BTE are reduced by 2.4% and 3.2% respectively with
4.3% increase in the SFC . Therefore it is concluded from the present experimental study that the blends of
RBOME and Diesel fuel can successfully be used in Diesel engines as an alternative fuel without any
modification in the engine and it is also environment friendly by the emission standards.

KEYWORDS: RBOBD, Transesterification, Blend, RBOME, Performance & Emission.

I. INTRODUCTION
The use of vegetable oils in Diesel engines replacing petroleum diesel is being studied over the last
century. Many scientists and researchers over the years have studied various types of vegetable oils
and their use in Diesel engines. However some physico-chemical properties of vegetable oils like high
density and viscosity, low volatility and formation of carbon deposits tend to limit their use as fuel in
diesel engines. It was experimentally proven and worldwide accepted that the transesterification
process is an effective method for biodiesel production and reduce in viscosity and density of
vegetable oils. The transesterification process is a reversible reaction between the triglycerides of the
vegetable oil and alcohol in the presence of an acid or base as catalyst. As a result of
transesterification the monoalkyl esters of the vegetable oil are formed and glycerin is produced as a
byproduct in the process.
The monoalkyl or methyl esters of the vegetable oil produced during transesterification are popularly
known as biodiesel. In India efforts are being made for using non-edible and under exploited oils for
production of methyl esters or biodiesel [7]. Blending petroleum Diesel fuel with methyl esters of
vegetable oils is the most common practice of using biodiesel in diesel engines in present time. There
have been reports that significant reduction in the exhaust gas are achieved with the use of blends in
Diesel engines [19]. Several studies have shown that diesel and biodiesel blends reduce smoke
opacity, particulate matters, un-burnt hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide emissions,
but the NOx emissions have slightly increased [32]. It was reported from several previous studies that

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©IJAET ISSN: 2231-1963
the transesterification of the crude vegetable oil with alcohol in the presence of catalyst is the easiest
method for production of biodiesel [14].
The present experimental work investigates about the production of biodiesel from rice bran oil by
transesterification with methanol, preparation of test fuels for the engine experiments in the form of
three blends of rice bran oil biodiesel (RBOBD) and Diesel as B20, B30 and B50 and measurement of
various engine performance parameters and exhaust emissions.
The structure of the present research paper is as follows. Section 2 represents the detailed
experimental procedure for biodiesel production, characterization of the test fuels and the description
of the experimental setup of the present work. Section 3 represents the results of the series of
experiments conducted during the present research work followed by discussions on the behavior of
the test fuels used in the engine. Section 4 discusses the conclusions and findings of the ongoing
experimental investigation along with their implications.

II. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

2.1 Biodiesel Production by base-catalyzed transesterification method
Rice bran oil and methanol were mixed in a molar ratio of 3:1 and the mixture was poured into the
test reactor. Then base catalyst (KOH) in 1% w/w was added into the already present mixture in the
reactor. The mixture inside the reactor was heated to a temperature of 65oC and stirred continuously.
The mixture in the reactor was allowed to remain at the same temperature for a period of 3 hrs and
then it was allowed to settle under gravity. After settling two layers were formed, the upper layer was
found to be Rice bran oil methyl esters (RBOME) and the lower layer being glycerol. The glycerol
was separated out and the RBOME was mixed with 10% (by vol) hot water and shaken properly and
allowed to settle again for 24 hrs. After settling was over the lower layer was separated which
contained water and KOH. The part was biodiesel and moisture. After complete removal of moisture,
pure biodiesel or RBOME was obtained.
2.2 Preparation of biodiesel blends
After production the RBOME was blended with neat diesel fuel in various volume concentrations to
prepare biodiesel blends. These blends were subsequently used in the engine tests. The level of
blending for convenience is referred as BXX. Where XX indicates the percentage of biodiesel present
in the blend. For example a B20 blend is prepared with 20% biodiesel and 80% diesel oil by volume.
During the present engine experiments the blends prepared and used were B20, B30 and B50.

2.3 Characterization of Test Fuel

The test fuels used in the engine during the experiments were B20, B30, B50 and Diesel oil. Before
application on the engine, various physico-chemical properties of all the above test fuels were
determined and compared to each other.

Table 1. Properties of Diesel and RBOME

Properties Diesel RBOME

Density at 20oC 0.82 0.87
Kinematic Viscosity at 40oC 2.7 4.81
Heating Value (MJ/Kg) 42.50 38.81
Flash Point (oC) 67 166
Cloud Point (oC) -6 -1
Cetane Index 50 47

2.4 Experimental Setup

A schematic diagram of the experimental setup and test apparatus are given below.

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International Journal of Advances in Engineering & Technology, March 2012.
©IJAET ISSN: 2231-1963

Figure 1. The Experimental Setup

1. Test engine, 2. Dynamometer, 3. Diesel tank, 4. Fuel blend tank, 5. Diesel burette, 6. Fuel blend
burette, 7. Air tank, 8. Air flow meter, 9. Air intake manifold, 10. Exhaust, 11. Smoke meter, 12.
Exhaust Gas analyzer, 13. Stop watch, 14. RPM indicator, 15. Exhaust temp. indicator, 16. Coolant
temp. indicator, 17. Lub. Oil temp. indicator, 18. Rotameter, 19. Pressure sensor, 20. Charge
amplifier, 21. Computer.
Table 2. Test Engine Specification

Sl. No. Item Description

1 Make Kirloskar oil engines
2 Engine type Four stroke CI
3 No. of cylinders One
4 Cooling Method Water cooled
5 Bore × Stroke 80 mm × 110 mm
6 Compression ratio 16.7:1
7 Injection Pressure 170 bar
8 Engine speed 1500 rpm
9 Rated output 5.1 kW
10 Injection nozzle opening 23o bTDC
11 Dynamometer Eddy current type
12 Exhaust gas analyzer AVL

2.5 Description of Experimental Setup

The present set of experiments were conducted on a four stroke single cylinder direct injection water
cooled diesel engine equipped with eddy current dynamometer. Two separate fuel tanks with fuel
flow control valves were used for the operation of the engine on diesel and biodiesel. One of the fuel
tanks contained diesel and the other tank was filled with individual fuel blends of B20, B30 and B50.
The engine was operated with full load and constant speed and the performance parameters like brake
power, torque, specific fuel consumption and brake thermal efficiency were measured for diesel and
all the test fuels. The CO and HC emissions were also measured for diesel and all the test fuels by
using the data obtained from the exhaust gas analyzer.

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III. RESULTS & DISCUSSION

3.1 Engine Performance Analysis
3.1.1 Brake Power

Brake Power vs Load

4
3.5
Brake Power (kW)

3
2.5 Diesel
2 B20
1.5
B30
1
B50
0.5
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Load
Figure 2. Variation of (%)Power with Engine Load
Brake

The power developed by the engine at varying load is higher for Diesel and slightly less for the blends
of RBOME. However with B20 blend the brake power developed is very close to that with diesel. A
2.4% reduction in brake power is obtained with the B50 blend. The lower value of power output with
biodiesel blends is due to the higher viscosity and lower heating value of the blends as compared to
petro diesel [10].

3.1.2 Brake Thermal Efficiency

BTE vs BMEP
30
20
BTE (%)

Diesel
B20
10

B30
B50
0

0 2 4 6
BMEP (bar)
Figure 3. Variation of BTE with BMEP

The brake thermal efficiency (BTE) increases with increase in brake power for all types of fuels. The
BTE is observed higher in case of Diesel than all the three blends of RBOME. As the percentage of
biodiesel increases in the blend it results in a slight decrease in BTE. A 3.2% decrease in BTE is
observed for the B50 blend during the experiments. This is due to the fact that with higher blends of
biodiesel, the fuel is more viscous hence lower is the heating value [6].

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3.1.3 Brake Specific Fuel Consumption
The brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) was found to be lowest for diesel and tend to increase a
little with the RBOME blends. The BSFC is more with higher blends of biodiesel. A 4.3% increase in
BSFC is observed in case of the B50 blend. This is because of lower heating value and higher
viscosity of the blends as compared to petro diesel [27].

35 BSFC vs BMEP

30

25
BSFC (kg/kWhr)

20
B50
15
B30
10
B20
5
Diesel
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
BMEP (bar)
Figure 4. Variation of BSFC with BMEP
3.2 Engine Exhaust Emission Analysis
3.2.1 CO Emissions

%CO vs Load

0.35
0.3
0.25 Diesel
CO (%)

0.2 B20
0.15 B30
0.1 B50
0.05
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Load (%)
Figure 5. Variation in CO emissions with engine load

The variation in CO emission at different loads with all the test fuels is shown in fig 5. At low and
medium loads, CO emissions of the blends were not much different from those of diesel fuel [28].
However at full load conditions the CO emissions of the blends decrease significantly when compared
to those of diesel [28]. This type of behavior can be attributed towards the complete combustion
occurring in case of blends due to the presence of oxygen in the methyl esters of rice bran oil.

3.2.2. HC Emissions
The HC emission from the engine at different loads is shown in the above result. At lower loads the
HC emissions are usually less and at higher loads they are more. However at full load operation the

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©IJAET ISSN: 2231-1963
HC emission is maximum for diesel [30]. With higher blends of biodiesel the HC emission gradually
reduces [29].

%HC vs Load
120

100

80
HC (ppm)

60 Diesel
B20
40
B30
20 B50

0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Load (%)
Figure 6. Variation in HC emissions with engine load
3.2.3 Smoke Opacity

Smoke Opacity vs Load

18
16
Smoke Opacity (%)

14
12
10 Diesel
8 B20
6 B30
4
B50
2
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Load (%)
Figure 7. Variation in Smoke emissions with engine load
Fig 7. Shows the variation in smoke emissions at different loads for all the test fuels used in the
experiments. The smoke is formed due to incomplete combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber
[27]. It is seen from the above set of results that the smoke emissions are less with blends of RBOME
in comparison to that of diesel fuel. This is because of better combustion of blends due to the
availability of more oxygen in biodiesel [24].

IV. CONCLUSIONS
The objective of this study was production and characterization of biodiesel from Rice bran oil and
preparation of B20, B30, and B50 blends for use in a single cylinder DI diesel engine. Based on the
experimental results found the following conclusions are drawn:

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1. The physico-chemical properties of biodiesel obtained from rice bran oil are little different
from those of diesel oil. The viscosity of biodiesel is higher than that of diesel especially at
low temperatures.
2. The brake power of the engine using all the blends of RBOME is very close to the value
obtained with diesel. A nominal 2.4% reduction in brake power is obtained with the B50
blend.
3. The BTE of the test engine for the three blends was found little lower than the value obtained
with diesel. The engine with B50 blend shows 3.2% reduction in BTE.
4. The BSFC of the blends are little higher than that of Diesel. The higher fuel consumption with
the blends reflect to the lower heating value and higher viscosity of the biodiesel. The BSFC
increases linearly with the increase in biodiesel percentage in the blend. A 4.3% increase in
BSFC is observed with the B50 blend.
5. As per the exhaust emissions with the blends, it was found that the CO, HC and smoke
emissions were reduced significantly when compared to those of diesel. The results obtained
show a 49% reduction in smoke, 35% reduction in HC and 37% reduction in CO emissions at
full load.
Form the above conclusions drawn, it is found that the performance of the test engine when
operating with RBOME blends were very satisfactory and close to that of Diesel oil and significant
improvement was noticed in the exhaust emissions of CO, HC and Smoke when the engine was
operating with the blends.
Therefore it can be concluded that the blends of RBOME can be successfully used as alternative fuel
in diesel engines without any engine modifications.

Abbreviations
CI Compression Ignition
DI Direct Injection
RBOBD Rice Bran Oil Biodiesel
RBOME Rice Bran Oil Methyl Ester
KOH Potassium Hydroxide
B20 20% biodiesel + 80% diesel
B30 30% biodiesel + 70% diesel
B50 50% biodiesel + 50% diesel
BP Brake Power
BTE Brake Thermal Efficiency
BSFC Brake Specific Fuel Consumption
CO Carbon Monoxide
HC Hydro Carbons

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors thank the Department of Mechanical Engg., Jadavpur University, Kolkata for providing
laboratory facilities for the conduct of experiments and Prof. (Dr) Probir Kumar Bose, Director, NIT
Agartala for his valuable guidance and help during the course of the present research work.

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Authors Biographies
Bhabani Prasanna Pattanaik was born on 14th June 1977. He obtained his Bachelor’s
Degree in Mechanical Engg. from Utkal University, Vanibihar, Bhubaneswar in the year
2000 and M.Tech in Heat Power Engg. from Jadavpur University, Kolkata in the year 2002.
He is presently pursuing Ph.D. in the Department of Mechanical Engg., Jadavpur University,
Kolkata. His research areas are Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy Sources, Internal
Combustion Engines, Engine Combustion, Emission, Alternative Fuels and Engine
Tribology. Presently he is working as Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical
Engg., Gandhi Institute for Technological Advancement, Madanpur, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.

Basanta Kumar Nanda was born on 23rd June 1967. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in
Mechanical Engg. from REC, Silchar in the year 1992 and M.Tech in Production Engg. from
Bengal Engineering College (D.U.), Shibpur in the year 2001. He is presently pursuing Ph.D.
in the Department of Mechanical Engg., Jadavpur University, Kolkata. His research areas are
Alternative Fuels for I.C.Engines, Heat Transfer and Thermodynamics. At present he is
working as Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engg., Maharaja Institute of
Technology, Khurda, Odisha, India.

Probir Kumar Bose was born on 24th December 1955. He obtained his B.E. in Mechanical
Engg. from REC, Durgapur and M.M.E. in Heat Power Engg. from Jadavpur University,
Kolkata. He obtained his Ph.D. in the field of Thermal Engg. from IIT Powai, Mumbai. He
has supervised 39 Master Degree and 29 Ph.D. thesis. He has 87 publications in International
and National Journals. He was formerly professor in the Department of Mechanical Engg. and
formerly Director, School of Automotive Engg., Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Presently he is
the Director, National Institute of Technology, Agartala, Tripura, India.

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