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Author: search.filters.author.Kapilan, N.Subject: search.filters.subject.Biodiesel

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    Technical aspects of biodiesel and its oxidation stability
    (2009) Kapilan, N.; Ashok Babu, T.P.; Reddy, R.P.
    Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative renewable fuel made from natural renewable sources. It is defined as mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats, which conform to ASTM specifications for use in diesel engines. Biodiesel present a very promising alternative fuel to diesel oil and properties of this oil offer the advantage of immediate substitution in existing diesel engines with little or no modifications at all. But one of the major technical problems associated with the biodiesel is its susceptibility to oxidation, which can cause the fuel to become acidic and to form insoluble gums and sediments that can plug fuel filters. This is due to the unsaturated fatty acid chains and the presence of the double bond in the molecule, which produce a high level of reactivity with the oxygen, especially when it placed in contact with air. The oxidation of fatty acid chains is a complex process that proceeds by a variety of mechanisms. The various other factors influence the oxidation process of biodiesel includes light, temperature, extraneous materials, peroxides, size of the surface area between biodiesel and air. One of the methods of improving biodiesel oxidative stability includes the deliberate addition of antioxidants or modification of the fatty ester profile. This article discusses the technical aspects of biodiesel and its oxidation stability.
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    Evaluation of methyl esters of mahua oil (mahua indica) as diesel fuel
    (2008) Kapilan, N.; Reddy, R.P.
    There is increasing interest in India for suitable alternative fuels that are environment friendly. This search has led to mahua oil (MO) as one alternative for diesel fuel in India. Mahua oil methyl esters (MOME) were prepared by transesterification using potassium hydroxide (KOH) as catalyst and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) testing was done to determine the conversion of vegetable oil to biodiesel (MOME). The properties of MOME were close to those of diesel oil. Engine testing was conducted using a single-cylinder 4-stroke direct-injection, constant-speed compression-ignition diesel engine using MO, MOME and B20 as fuels. The engine ran smoothly with MOME and B20, but heavy smoke emissions were observed when MO was used as fuel. © 2007 AOCS.
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    Experimental investigation of esters of mahua oil as an alternative fuel for dual fuel engine
    (2008) Reddy, P.B.; Kapilan, N.; Reddy, R.P.
    In the present work, an attempt was made to use methyl ester of mahua oil (MEMO) as substitute for dieselin dual fuel engine. A four stroke single cylinder engine was modified to work in dual fuel mode. From the test results, it was observed that the MEMO could be used as pilot fuel in dual fuel engine. At lower loads, diesel gave higher brake thermal efficiency. But at higher loads, biodiesel resulted in brake thermal efficiency comparable with diesel and lower smoke and oxides of nitrogen emissions. From the test results, it was concluded that MEMO could be used as a substitute for diesel in dual fuel engine.
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    Synthesis of biodiesel from edible and non-edible oils and characterisation
    (2009) Kapilan, N.; Ashok Babu, T.P.A.; Varun, J.D.
    In recent years, biodiesel has been receiving increasing attention because of scarcity and increasing cost of fossil fuels and growing emissions of combustion related pollutants. In the present work, biodiesel was synthesised via the transesterification of edible and non-edible oils such as gingili and mahua, with methanol as alcohol and sodium hydroxide as catalyst. The yield percentage obtained from non-edible mahua oil was comparable to that obtained from edible gingili oil, under optimum conditions. According to American Society of Testing and Methods (ASTM), several tests were conducted to characterise the biodiesel in relation to diesel oil, in order to evaluate various physical, chemical and thermal properties such as viscosity, acid value, iodine value, flash point, fire point and calorific value. From the results, it was observed that the fuel properties of biodiesel produced from mahua oil and gingili oil were within the recommended standards of biodiesel fuel of various countries. Hence the biodiesel produced from gingili oil and mahua oil can be used as a renewable alternative fuel for the diesel engine. © 2009 Energy Institute.
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    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.
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    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.
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    Performance characteristics of a dual fuel engine operatedwith mahua biodiesel and liquefied petroleum gas
    (2011) Kapilan, N.; Ashok Babu, T.P.A.; 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.