Faculty Publications
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Item Evaluation of properties and storage stability of Madhuca indica biodiesel(Japan Oil Chemists Society yukagaku@jocs-office.or.jp, 2009) Kapilan, N.; Ashok Babu, T.P.; Reddy, R.P.Mahua Oil (MO) is an underutilized non-edible vegetable oil, which is available in large quantities in India. In the present work, biodiesel was derived from the MO by the transesterification process. The fuel properties of the MO biodiesel were found to be within the limits of biodiesel specifications of many countries. The chemical nature of biodiesel makes it more susceptible to oxidation during long-term storage which leads to degradation of fuel properties that can compromise fuel quality. The effect of long storage condition on the stability of the MO biodiesel was studied in the present work. The biodiesel samples were stored in plastic containers at room temperature. The study was conducted for a period of 12 months and the test sample was kept in the darkness. From the experimental results, it was observed that the acid value and viscosity increases with the storage time, but the iodine value decreased with increasing storage time. This is due to the presence of the double bond in the molecule of the biodiesel which produce a high level of reactivity. This high level reactivity produces formation of hydroperoxides, soluble polymers and other secondary products. From the experimental results, a slight difference in the acid value, iodine value and viscosity of the MO biodiesel stored for a period of 30 days was observed. But after this period, the differences were significant. © 2009 by Japan Oil Chemists' Society.Item Characterization and effect of using Mahua oil biodiesel as fuel in compression ignition engine(2009) Kapilan, N.; Ashok Babu, T.P.; Reddy, R.P.There is an increasing interest in India, to search for suitable alternative fuels that are environment friendly. This led to the choice of Mahua Oil (MO) as one of the main alternative fuels to diesel. In this investigation, Mahua Oil Biodiesel (MOB) and its blend with diesel were used as fuel in a single cylinder, direct injection and compression ignition engine. The MOB was prepared from MO by transesterification using methanol and potassium hydroxide. The fuel properties of MOB are close to the diesel and confirm to the ASTM standards. From the engine test analysis, it was observed that the MOB, B5 and B20 blend results in lower CO, HC and smoke emissions as compared to diesel. But the B5 and B20 blends results in higher efficiency as compared to MOB. Hence MOB or blends of MOB and diesel (B5 or B20) can be used as a substitute for diesel in diesel engines used in transportation as well as in the agriculture sector. © 2009 Science Press, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, CAS and Springer Berlin Heidelberg.Item Improvement of performance of dual fuel engine operated at part load(Universiti Malaysia Pahang editor.ijame@gmail.com, 2010) Kapilan, N.; Ashok Babu, T.P.; Reddy, R.P.Rising petroleum prices, an increasing threat to the environment from exhaust emissions, global warming and the threat of supply instabilities has led to the choice of inedible Mahua oil (MO) as one of the main alternative fuels to diesel oil in India. In the present work, MO was converted into biodiesel by transesterification using methanol and sodium hydroxide. The cost of Mahua oil biodiesel (MOB) is higher than diesel. Hence liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is one of the cheapest gaseous fuels available in India, was fumigated along with the air to reduce the operating cost and to reduce emissions. The dual fuel engine resulted in lower efficiency and higher emissions at part load. Hence in the present work, the injection time was varied and the performance of the dual fuel engine was studied. From the engine tests, it is observed that an advanced injection time results in higher efficiency and lower emissions. Hence, advancing the injection timing is one of the ways of increasing the efficiency of LPG+MOB dual fuel engine operated at part load. © Universiti Malaysia Pahang.Item Performance characteristics of a dual fuel engine operated with Mahua biodiesel and liquefied petroleum gas(ASTM International, 2011) Kapilan, N.; Ashok Babu, T.P.; Reddy, R.P.Fuel crisis because of dramatic increase in vehicular population and environmental concerns have renewed the interest of the scientific community to look for alternative fuels of bio-origin such as vegetable oils and ethanol. India is looking at biodiesel derived from Mahua oil (MO), as one of the renewable alternative fuels for compression ignition (CI) engine. Although MO biodiesel (MOB) has several advantages over fossil diesel, in the present scenario, the use of biodiesel is restricted due to its high cost. In India, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is easily available and is one of the cheapest gaseous fuels. Hence, use of LPG to fuel a CI engine along with MOB seems to be an option for substitution of fossil diesel. In the present work, LPG, which was fumigated along with the air and biodiesel was admitted into the engine cylinder through conventional fueling device as an igniter. A single cylinder CI engine was modified to work in dual fuel mode and engine tests were carried out at rated speed under variable load conditions. The performance of the engine in dual fuel mode was compared with the diesel. The dual fuel operation results in thermal efficiency close to the diesel and also reduces the NOx and smoke emissions significantly. From the experimental results, we concluded that biodiesel in dual fuel mode with cheaper gaseous fuel induction is an option for reducing the operating cost of the biodiesel fuelled CI engine. Copyright ©2011 by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959.