NOx reduction studies on a diesel engine operating on waste plastic oil blend using selective catalytic reduction technique

Abstract

The constant escalation in the consumption of petroleum products has compelled researchers to discover for new alternative fuels which can be successfully incorporated in the existing automotive engines. Oil derived from waste plastics is one such alternative, which not only ensures longevity of fossil fuels but also assists in bringing down the hazardous impacts caused by the improper disposal of plastic wastes. This work focuses on the utilization of valuable energy of toxic non-biodegradable waste plastics to lucratively be used as an alternative fuel. An attempt was further made to reduce the NO <inf>X</inf> emissions which increased with the use of waste plastic oil blend. The main objective of this experimental investigation is to study the performance & emission characteristics of a twin cylinder CRDI engine subjected to selective catalytic reduction (SCR) after-treatment technique. Different flow rates of ammonia as a reducing agent were tested and concluded that a flow rate of 0.5 kg/hr furnishes optimum results. A comparison of NO <inf>X</inf> reduction efficiency was also made between SCR and EGR techniques. The comparison eventually indicated that SCR gives better NO <inf>X</inf> conversion efficiency at higher loads without any adverse effect on the engine performance while operating on Waste Plastic Oil blend (P30). © 2018 Energy Institute