36 research outputs found
Impact of biodiesel fuel on cold starting of automotive direct injection diesel engines
The use of biodiesel fuels in diesel engines is gaining attention as a promising solution to control CO2
emissions. Great research efforts have been carried out to identify the impact of biodiesel physical and
chemical properties on engine systems and processes. Most of these investigations were performed in
warm conditions, but the suitability of biodiesel for starting the engine at under-zero ambient temperatures
has not widely evaluated. The surface tension and the viscosity of biodiesel fuels are higher
compared to those of standard diesel and, in cold conditions, these differences become critical since the
injection fuel rate is largely affected and consequently the combustion process can be deteriorated. In
order to improve its flow characteristics at cold temperatures and make them more suitable for low
temperatures operation, additives are used in biodiesel fuels. In this paper the suitability of different
biodiesel fuels, with and without additives, for cold starting of DI (direct injection) diesel engines has
been evaluated. The results have shown that the engine start-ability with pure biodiesel fuels can be
largely deteriorated. However, using diesel/biodiesel blends the start-ability of the engine can be
recovered with the additional benefit of reducing the opacity peak of the exhaust gasesBroatch Jacobi, JA.; Tormos Martínez, BV.; Olmeda González, PC.; Novella Rosa, R. (2014). Impact of biodiesel fuel on cold starting of automotive direct injection diesel engines. Energy. 73:653-660. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2014.06.062S6536607