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This experimental investigation highlights Karanja oil, a nonedible, high-viscosity straight vegetable oil (SVO), blended with fossil diesel (FD) in different volume proportions [Karanja biodiesel 10 (KB10), KB20, KB30, and KB50] in order to assess the oil characteristics and emission analysis on a diesel engine at varying load conditions (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10) kW. Results depict that brake thermal efficiency (BTE) increases, while brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) decreases with increase in blend percentage of diesel. Nitric oxide (NO) shows an increasing trend because Karanja oil has high viscosity, low volatility, and low heat content in comparison to FD. Similarly, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and hydrocarbon (HC) emission were the lowest with that diesel. In general, emission characteristics were discovered useful for KB20 over the entire range of engine operation.
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Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and
Environmental Effects
ISSN: 1556-7036 (Print) 1556-7230 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ueso20
Experimental investigation on property analysis of
Karanja oil methyl ester for vehicular usage
Swarup Kumar Nayak, Purna Chandra Mishra, Ankit Kumar, Gyana Ranjan
Behera & Biswajeet Nayak
To cite this article: Swarup Kumar Nayak, Purna Chandra Mishra, Ankit Kumar, Gyana Ranjan
Behera & Biswajeet Nayak (2017): Experimental investigation on property analysis of Karanja oil
methyl ester for vehicular usage, Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental
Effects, DOI: 10.1080/15567036.2016.1173131
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15567036.2016.1173131
Published online: 08 Feb 2017.
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Experimental investigation on property analysis of Karanja oil
methyl ester for vehicular usage
Swarup Kumar Nayak
a
, Purna Chandra Mishra
a
, Ankit Kumar
a
, Gyana Ranjan Behera
a
,
and Biswajeet Nayak
b
a
School of Mechanical Engineering, KIIT University, Patia, Bhubaneswar, India;
b
Department of Mechanical
Engineering, Krupajal Engg. College, Bhubaneswar, India
ABSTRACT
This experimental investigation highlights Karanja oil, a nonedible, high-
viscosity straight vegetable oil (SVO), blended with fossil diesel (FD) in
different volume proportions [Karanja biodiesel 10 (KB10), KB20, KB30,
and KB50] in order to assess the oil characteristics and emission analysis
on a diesel engine at varying load conditions (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10) kW.
Results depict that brake thermal efficiency (BTE) increases, while brake-
specific fuel consumption (BSFC) decreases with increase in blend percen-
tage of diesel. Nitric oxide (NO) shows an increasing trend because Karanja
oil has high viscosity, low volatility, and low heat content in comparison to
FD. Similarly, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO
2
), and hydrocar-
bon (HC) emission were the lowest with that diesel. In general, emission
characteristics were discovered useful for KB20 over the entire range of
engine operation.
KEYWORDS
Emission analysis; engine
performance; fossil diesel;
Karanja oil; oil properties
1. Introduction
Due to a sharp decline in the quantity of available petroleum diesel and exponential increase in its
demand in the last two decades, the search for viable alternative has got imminent attention
among investors, researchers, and policy makers. Among the various other alternatives, the use of
biofuel or more specifically biodiesel shows the most promising solution with its application. As
they are renewable and more environment friendly than diesel, a lot of support over its use has
gained momentous strength. The application of raw vegetable oil without modification is very
limited and negligible with Compression Ignition (CI) engines, because if used without modifica-
tion the results are less effectiveness and leads to degradation of engine life (Bari et al., 2002).
Other problems faced with straight vegetable oil (SVO) as a fuel are very poor atomization caused
by very high viscosity, low volatility, and partial combustion, which results in increased soot and
smoke concentration. As biodiesels are extracted from the plant oils, the emission of green house
gases from their combustion is almost negligible (Peterson and Hustrulid, 1998). There are various
different types of nonedible vegetable oils, but this study would be considering the application of
Karanja oil. Many prominent researchers have supported the use of Karanja oil in proper blend
with diesel as an alternative fuel for the existing petroleum diesel used in CI engines. Dry seeds of
Karanja contain 11.6% palmitic acid, 51.5% oleic acid, 16% linoleic acid, and so on. The detailed
free fatty acid composition of Karanja oil is shown in Table 1. This paper mainly emphasizes the
production of Karanja biodiesel (KB) blends for determining the performance and emission
parameters on a multi-cylinder diesel engine for the substitution of conventional fuel.
CONTACT Swarup Kumar Nayak rohanrocks319@gmail.com School of Mechanical Engineering, KIIT University, Patia,
Bhubaneswar, 751024, India.
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/ueso.
© 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ENERGY SOURCES, PART A: RECOVERY, UTILIZATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15567036.2016.1173131
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Material
In this experimental consideration, Karanja oil is being used, which is present in the seed kernel of
Karanja fruits. The kernels of Karanja are brittle and have a reddish brown color. The seed kernel
contains 4550% of oil.
2.2. Conditions for the growth Pongamia Pinnata
2.2.1. Climatic condition and soil type
Karanja tree develops in regions containing tropical and subtropical areas and develops at an
elevation of 01,200 m over the ocean level (Kureel et al., 2008). It can withstand temperatures
ranging from 0°C to 50°C, with a well-distributed annual rainfall requirement of 3002,500 mm
(Kureel et al., 2008). Unlike other trees, Karanja tree does not have a requirement for soil
suitability or its constituents, which means it can grow on almost any soil type and so does not
require prime agricultural land. It can tolerate saline and water-logged soils, but for better and
efficient productivity its growth should occur in properly drained soils with optimum moisture
content (Kureel et al., 2008).
2.2.3. Productivity
Flowering occurs in between the month of March and July in a blended color of white and purple.
Productivity depends on the method of plantation and the methods of propagation (Kureel et al.,
2008). Normally, the harvesting period is either the end of year or in between of April and June. For
an average mature tree the output is about 1,000 kg of seed per tree per year.
2.3. Basic terminologies
2.3.1. Cloud point and pour point
Cloud point for a fuel is referred to the temperature lower than which wax will form a gloomy or
cloudy emergence in diesel. It is the lower limit up to which the petroleum diesel and biodiesel could
be efficiently and smoothly (without the presence of wax) used in an engine. The pour point of a
fluid is the temperature at which it gets to be semisolid and loses its stream qualities. The pour point
of oil is the most minimal temperature at which the oil will simply flow in the given standard
conditions. Cloud point and pour point of KB were found to be 5
°
C and 2
°
C, as shown in Table 2.
2.3.2. Viscosity
It is the measure of a fluidsimperviousness to flow; the higher the viscosity of a fluid, the more
difficultly it flows. Similar to density, viscosity is also affected by temperature. With increase
in temperature, there is decrease in viscosity. Kinematic viscosity of KB was found to be 5.09 cSt
at 40
°
C, which is nearly similar to the data as per the literature review (Karmee and Chadha, 2005;
Table 1. Free fatty acid composition in Karanja oil.
Acid Structure Composition (%)
Palmitic acid C16:0 11.6
Stearic acid C18:0 7.5
Oleic acid C18:1 51.5
Arachidic acid C20:0 1.7
Linoleic acid C18:2 16.0
Linolenic acid C18:3 2.6
Eicosenoic acid C20:1 1.1
Behenic acid C22:0 4.3
Lignoceric acid C24:0 1.0
2S. K. NAYAK ET AL.
Pinzi et al., 2009; Sahoo et al., 2009). The kinematic viscosity of KB10 (2.89 cSt) at 40
°
C was within
the limits of fossil diesel (FD).
2.3.3. Cetane number
Cetane number is defined as the inverse function of the ignition delay of a fuel and the time duration
between the start of injection and the first noticeable pressure rise during combustion of the fuel. In
general, the higher the cetane numbers, the more easily the fuel will combust in a compression
setting (such as diesel engine).
2.3.4. Sulfur content
Diesel fuel contains sulfur in their chemical constituent. This sulfur in turn produces sulfuric acid on
mixing with the water vapors formed during the combustion, which is very corrosive for the engine
and extremely harmful for living beings if it gets emitted in the environment.
2.4. Experimentation
The experimental study was carried out to investigate the emission characteristics of a direct-
injection diesel engine KB and comparing it with that of diesel. The prepared biodiesel was passed
through various tests to determine its physical and chemical properties. The engine used for the
experimentation has a wide range of applications in the agricultural sector. The technical specifica-
tion of the diesel engine is elaborated in Table 3. The diesel engine was first initially started with
diesel and then with the prepared test fuels. The speed of the engine was kept constant at 1,500 rpm
under varying load conditions to measure the emission characteristics with the help of a multi-gas
analyzer.
Table 2. Physico-chemical properties of Karanja oil methyl ester (KOME).
Sl. No Properties Diesel KOME Reference (a, b, c) ASTM Methods
1 Density (kg/m
3
) 846.3 880.1 876890 D1298
2 Kinematic viscosity at 40
°
C 3.64 6.03 4.37 to 9.60 D445
3 Acid value (mg KOH/gm) 0.35 0.41 D664
4 FFA (mg of KOH/gm) 0.175 0.503 D664
5 Cloud point
°
C14 6 13 to 15 D2500
6 Pour point
°
C15 3 3 to 5.1 D2500
7 Flash point
°
C 55 168 163 to 187 D93
8 Fire point
°
C 74 184 209 D93
9 Calorific value (MJ/Kg) 42.72 39.71 3638 D240
10 Cetane index 48.3 55 5258 D613
11 Carbon (%, w/w) 81.33 ––
12 Hydrogen (%, w/w) 12.78 ––
13 Nitrogen (%, w/w) 1.97 Nil ––
14 Oxygen (%, w/w) 1.21 ––
15 Sulfur (%, w/w) 0.32 Nil ––
(a) Karmee & Chadha (2005); (b) Pinzi et al. 2009; (c) Sahoo et al. 2009.
Table 3. Specification of the test engine.
Engine
Make Prakash Diesel Pvt. Ltd.
Rated horse power (H.P) 14
Number of cylinders 2
Number of strokes 4
Rotation per minute (RPM) 1,500
Compression ratio 16:1
Stroke length (mm) 110
Bore diameter (mm) 114
ENERGY SOURCES, PART A: RECOVERY, UTILIZATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS 3
3. Result and discussion
3.1. Brake thermal efficiency (BTE)
The discrepancy of BTE with respect to load for all prepared test fuels under varying load conditions
is depicted in Figure 1. From the figure it is seen that BTE increases with load up to 8kW and then
decreases at full load because of partial combustion. The graph shows that diesel has the highest BTE
compared to other prepared test fuels because of higher volatility, lower viscosity, and lower density
compared to KB and its blends.
3.2. Brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC)
The discrepancy of BSFC with respect to load for all prepared test fuels under varying load
conditions is depicted in Figure 2. From the figure it is seen that BSFC first decreases for all the
Figure 1. Brake thermal efficiency versus brake power (kW).
Figure 2. Brake-specific fuel consumption versus brake power (kW).
4S. K. NAYAK ET AL.
test fuels with increase in load, i.e. up to 8 kW, and then tends to increase with increase in load. It is
seen that BSFC is the highest for pure biodiesel and the lowest for diesel because of high viscosity,
density, low volatility, and the low heat content of pure biodiesel when compared with that of diesel.
3.3. Carbon monoxide (CO)
The discrepancy of CO with respect to load for all the prepared test fuels under varying loading
conditions for the working method is portrayed in Figure 3. From the figure it is depicted that with
increase in load CO shows a decreasing trend because of enhanced combustion due to the high
charge temperature and again increases to the highest load because of inadequate combustion. It is
the highest for biodiesel due to poor spray characteristics, which leads to inappropriate ignition. At
full loading condition, CO emissions for FD, KB10, KB20, KB30, and KB50 are 0.074, 0.08, 0.0639,
0.053, and 0.07 ppm, respectively.
3.4. Carbon dioxide (CO
2
)
The discrepancy of CO
2
with respect to load for all the prepared test fuels under varying loading
conditions for the working method is portrayed in Figure 4. From the figure it is depicted that
utilizing biodiesel-prepared trial fuels emits less CO
2
than FD for single working mode because of
low-temperature combustion. At full loading condition CO emission for FD, KB10, KB20, KB30, and
KB50 are 4.08, 3.8, 3.3, 3.1, and 2.8%, respectively.
3.5. Nitric oxide (NO)
The discrepancy of NO with respect to load for all the prepared test fuels under varying load
conditions for the working modes is portrayed in Figure 5, which depicts lower NO than diesel due
to the lower premixed burning rate following the delay period because of less air entrainment and
fuel air mixing rate. The literature reveals that NO increases with engine power output because NO
advances with rise in ignition and exhaust gas temperature. At full loading condition, NO emission
for FD, KB10, KB20, KB30, and KB50 is found to be 549, 478, 471, 465, and 444 ppm, respectively,
Figure 3. Carbon monoxide versus brake power (kW).
ENERGY SOURCES, PART A: RECOVERY, UTILIZATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS 5
which boost up linearly with load as a result of the higher cylinder charge temperature (Hurmke and
Barsic, 1981)
3.6. Hydrocarbon (HC)
The discrepancy of HC with respect to load for all the prepared test fuels under varying load
conditions for the working method is portrayed in Figure 4. From the figure it is depicted that HC
emission guides similar style as that of CO curves. Again, it is observed that HC emission shows a
reducing contour for all the prepared trial fuels in single working modes than that of diesel because
of absolute combustion. At full load condition, hydrocarbon emission for FD, KB10, KB20, KB30
and KB50 was found to be 40, 17, 13, 11 and 8 ppm respectively.
Figure 4. Carbon dioxide versus brake power (kW).
Figure 5. Nitric oxide versus brake power (kW).
6S. K. NAYAK ET AL.
4. Conclusion
Kinematic viscosity of KB10 at 40
°
C was found to be close to FD. Flash and fire points of KB were
higher than those of diesel, which signifies the safe storage and transportation of oil. From the above
results of oil characterization, it can be stated that nearly all the parameters of KB show close
agreement with FD, thereby making it a promising fuel for the partial replacement of diesel. From
the experimentation, it was concluded that BTE is the highest for diesel, while KB20 shows lose
resemblance to that of conventional fuel. BSFC is the highest for pure biodiesel at all loads because of
the high density, high volatility, and low heat content of biodiesel. CO, CO
2
, and HC emission were
the lowest for KB than that of diesel, while NO emission is more due to the high viscosity, low
volatility, and low heat content than diesel. Based on exhaustive engine tests, it can be concluded that
KB20 can be used as a fuel for current diesel engines without any modifications.
References
Bari, S., Yu, C. W., and Lim, T. H. 2002. Performance deterioration and durability issues while running a diesel engine
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Hurmke, A. l., and Barsic, N. J. 1981. Performance and emission characteristics of a naturally aspirated diesel engine
with vegetable oil fuels (part 2). SAE 1981:29252935.
Karmee, S. K., and Chadha, A. 2005. Prepration of biodiesel from crude oil of Pongamia pinnata. Bioresour. Technol.
96:14251429.
Kureel, R. S., Singh, C. B.,Gupta, A. K., and Pandey, A. 2008. Karanja: A potential source of bio-diesel. http://www.
novodboard.com: National Oilseeds & Vegetable Oils Development Board.
Peterson, C. L., and Hustrulid, T. 1998. Carbon cycle for rapeseed oil biodiesel fuels. Biomass Bioenergy 14:91101.
Pinzi, S., Garcia, I. L., Gimenez, F. J. L., Castro, M. D. L., Dorado, G., and Dorado, M. P. 2009. The ideal vegetable oil-
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tractor engine. Fuel 88:16981707.
Figure 6. Hydrocarbon versus brake power (kW).
ENERGY SOURCES, PART A: RECOVERY, UTILIZATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS 7
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Though a considerable number of publications about biodiesel can be found in literature, several problems remain unsolved, encompassing economical, social, and technical issues. Thus, the biodiesel industry has come under attack by some environmental associations, and subsidies for biofuel production have been condemned by some governments. Yet, biodiesel may represent a truly competitive alternative to diesel fuel, for which fuel tax exemption and subsidies to energetic crops are needed. Biodiesel must increase its popularity among social movements and governments to constitute a valid alternative of energy source. In this sense, the use of nonedible oils to produce biodiesel is proposed in the present review. Moreover, the compromise of noninterference between land for energetic and food purposes must be addressed. Concerning technical issues, it is important to consider a transesterification optimization, which is missing or incomplete for too many vegetable oils already tested. In most cases, a common recipe to produce biodiesel from any raw material has been adopted, which may not represent the best approach. Such strategy may fit multifeedstock biodiesel plant needs but cannot be accepted for oils converted individually into biodiesel, because biodiesel yield will most likely fail, increasing costs. Transesterification optimization results depend on the chemical composition of vegetable oils and fats. Considering "sustainable" vegetable oils, biodiesel from Calophyllum inophyllum, Azadirachta indica, Terminalia catappa, Madhuca indica, Pongamia pinnata, and Jatropha curcas oils fits both current biodiesel standards: European EN 14214 and US ASTM D 6751 02. However, none of them can be considered to be the "ideal" alternative that matches all the main important fuel properties that ensure the best diesel engine behavior. In search of the ideal biodiesel composition, high presence of monounsaturated fatty acids (as oleic and palmitoleic acids), reduced presence of polyunsaturated acids, and controlled saturated acids content are recommended. In this sense, C 18: 1 and C 16:1 are the best-fitting acids in terms of oxidative stability and cold weather behavior, among many other properties. Furthermore, genetic engineering is an invaluable tool to design oils presenting the most suitable fatty acid profile to provide high quality biodiesel. Finally, most published research related to engine performance and emissions fails in using a standard methodology, which should be implemented to allow the comparison between tests and biofuels from different origin. In conclusion, a compromise between social, economical, and technical agents must be reached.
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The greenhouse effect, thought to be responsible for global warming, is caused by gases accumulating in the earth's atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, which makes up half of the gas accumulation problem, is produced during respiration and combustion processes. This paper provides an outline of the carbon cycle for rapeseed oil-derived fuels. Plant processes, fuel chemistry and combustion are examined with respect to carbon. A diagram is presented to interpret the information presented graphically. A comparison of carbon dioxide emissions from the combustion of rapeseed oil biodiesel and petroleum diesel is made. Complete combustion converts hydrocarbon fuels to carbon dioxide and water. The carbon cycle consists of the fixation of carbon and the release of oxygen by plants through the process of photosynthesis, then the recombining of oxygen and carbon to form CO2 through the processes of combustion and respiration. The carbon dioxide released by petroleum diesel was fixed from the atmosphere during the formative years of the earth. Carbon dioxide released by biodiesel is fixed by the plant in a recent year and is recycled. Many scientists believe that global warming is occurring because of the rapid release of CO2 in processes such as the combustion of petroleum diesel. Using biodiesel could reduce the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Karanja: A potential source of bio-diesel
  • R S Kureel
  • C B Singh
  • A K Gupta
  • A Pandey
Kureel, R. S., Singh, C. B.,Gupta, A. K., and Pandey, A. 2008. Karanja: A potential source of bio-diesel. http://www. novodboard.com: National Oilseeds & Vegetable Oils Development Board.