Blended E85-diesel fuel droplet heating and evaporation

The multidimensional quasi-discrete (MDQD) model is applied to the analysis of heating and evaporation of mixtures of E85 (85 vol % ethanol and 15 vol % gasoline) with diesel fuel, commonly known as “E85–diesel” blends, using the universal quasi-chemical functional group activity coefficients model for the calculation of vapor pressure. The contribution of 119 components of E85–diesel fuel blends is taken into account, but replaced with smaller number of components/quasi-components, under conditions representative of diesel engines. Our results show that high fractions of E85–diesel fuel blends have a significant impact on the evolutions of droplet radii and surface temperatures. For instance, droplet lifetime and surface temperature for a blend of 50 vol % E85 and 50 vol % diesel are 23.2% and up to 3.4% less than those of pure diesel fuel, respectively. The application of the MDQD model has improved the computational efficiency significantly with minimal sacrifice to accuracy. This approach leads to a saving of up to 86.4% of CPU time when reducing the 119 components to 16 components/quasi-components without a sacrifice to the main features of the model

Used cooking oil as a source for biodiesel blend

With the depleted world petroleum reserves and increase demand for oil as a fuel, it has become imperative to investigate the possibility of using non-fossil fuel as an alternative fuel for diesel engine. Therefore, this paper describes the experimental investigation on possibility of producing biodiesel from used cooking oil and their properties, characteristics and performance as a blended biodiesel for diesel engine at constant speed. Properties analysis of biodiesel from used cooking oil in accordance to the ASTM D6751 specification showed that it fulfilled the requirements of a biodiesel fuel specification. Comparison also conducted between the ordinary diesel as a standard fuel and several set of blended biodiesel range from I% to 5% volume of biodiesel. The properties of blended biodiesel were not much different to the properties of conventional diesel fuel except the density and specific gravity. The density of diesel is 0.8358 gm/cc and the biodiesel is 0.8723 gm/cc. For blended biodiesel, it's slightly increased from 0.8363 gm/cc for I% to 0.8385 gm/cc for 5%. The results from Detroit Deisel Engine performance test showed that the blending fuel sample produced almost the same performance characteristics as compared to conventional diesel. As a result, blended biodiesel with used cooking oil is suitable to be used up to 5% as a fuel for diesel engine at constant speed and gives the same engine performances as conventional diesel fue

PROCESSING OF TRIGLYCERIDES TO DIESEL RANGE HYDROCARBON FUELS: EASILY PRACTICABLE SMALL SCALE APPROACH

Lipid fraction of biomass has been identified as carbon neutral substitution to fuels from fossil sources in the transportation sector. Although, the diesel engine, invented by Rudolph Diesel over a century ago first ran on peanut oil, the current combustion engines are designed to run on hydrocarbon fuels derived from petroleum. Therefore, a substitute for diesel fuel from renewable source will need to have identical or closely similar properties. The most popular of the existing technology for processing vegetable or animal oils is based on the conversion of the triglycerides constituents to fatty acids methyl esters (FAME). FAME technology does not produce diesel fuel with identical properties as petro-diesel. Other alternative processing routes are dilution of the vegetable oils, emulsification, pyrolysis and hydrotreating. These routes are discussed in this paper. Appropriate technologies for small scale production of diesel range hydrocarbon fuel from vegetable oil without the need for co-reactants such methanol or hydrogen as part of the feedstock is emphased. Also alternative catalyst systems in place of the expensive precious metal supported catalysts are suggested

Characterising the friction and wear between the piston ring and cylinder liner based on acoustic emission analysis

In this paper, an experimental investigation was carried out to evaluate the friction and wear between the cylinder liner and piston ring using acoustic emission (AE) technology. Based on a typical compression ignition (CI) diesel engine, four types of alternative fuels (Fischer-Tropsch fuel, methanol-diesel, emulsified diesel and standard diesel) were tested under dif-ferent operating conditions. AE signals collected from the cylinder block of the testing en-gine. In the meantime, the AE signals in one engine cycle are further segregated into small segments to eliminate the effects of valve events on friction events of cylinder liner. In this way, the resulted AE signals are consistent with the prediction of hydrodynamic lubrication processes. Test results show that there are clear evidences of high AE deviations between dif-ferent fuels. In particular, the methanol-diesel blended fuel produces higher AE energy, which indicates there are more wear between the piston ring and cylinder liner than using standard diesel. On the other hand, the other two alternative fuels have been found little dif-ferences in AE signal from the normal diesel. This paper has shown that AE analysis is an ef-fective technique for on-line assessment of engine friction and wear, which provides a novel approach to support the development of new engine fuels and new lubricants

Bioremediation of biodiesel and diesel contaminated soil by pseudomonas putida

As occurs to the diesel fuel, the commercialization of biodiesel and their diesel blends can cause environmental damages due to accidental spillage. Presence of these contaminants containing polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil is toxic to humans, plants and soil microorganisms due to their recalcitrant and mutagenic or carcinogenic properties. Therefore, this study was conducted to suggest a new technique of treatment to clean up the biodiesel and diesel contaminated soil by Pseudomonas putida. Spill simulations with biodiesel, diesel and their blends in sandy gravel soil were performed according to previous study with some modification. Briefly, 200 mL of Pseudomonas putida was inoculated into soil samples: B5 (5% biodiesel + 95% diesel), B20 (20% biodiesel + 80% diesel), B50 (50% biodiesel + 50% diesel), B100 (100% biodiesel) and D100 (100% diesel). As a control sample, there is no addition of biodiesel and diesel into the sample. All samples were stored in the incubator at 35 ºC throughout the 24 days of treatment. Samples were analyzed for: soil particle size, moisture content, pH, total nitrogen (TN), orthophosphate, sulfate, total organic carbon (TOC), soxhlet extraction of PAHs and enumeration of Pseudomonas putida. The measurement of all testing parameters was carried out at interval of three days starting from Day 0 to Day 24 of bioremediation period. Results showed that the highest removal of total nitrogen (TN), orthophosphate, sulfate, total organic carbon (TOC) and PAHs were observed in the sample B100 with up to 70.43%, 69.47%, 68.08%, 97.66% and 96.28% removal, respectively. The degradation rates of PAHs and survival of Pseudomonas putida were also observed highest in the sample B100 with up to 0.149 mg/kg/day and 60 × 106 cfu/g, respectively. Based on these overall findings, it can be verified that the sample B100 has the higher biodegradability than other samples. According to results, it can conclude that, the capability and effectiveness of Pseudomonas putida as oil-biodegradable agent in soil bioremediation were proved and bioremediation of contaminated samples may be considered as a successful and feasible practice

Engine performance of a single cylinder direct injection diesel engine fuelled with blends of Jatropha Curcas oil and stardard diesel fuel

Blends of Jatropha Curcas oil and standard diesel fuel were evaluated (without pre-heating). The engine tests for the blends were performed in a Petter single cylinder direct injection diesel engine under steady state conditions at high loads. Engine speeds between 1300-1700 rpm were selected for the engine tests. Torque, power output, specific fuel consumption, in cylinder pressure, ignition delay, rate of heat released and exhaust composition were evaluated. The tested blends between 10-20% of oil shown lower effective torque and power output joint to a higher specific fuel consumption related to the lower heating value of Jatropha oil compared to diesel fuel. Lower pressure peaks and rates or pressure rises were observed when Jatropha blends are used. A decrease in the rate of heat released and shorter ignition delay were observed for the blends. Decreases in HC and CO emissions were observed for blends compared to diesel fuel. Both alternatives assessed shown that the differences observed compared to diesel fuel, can be partially restored with engines regulation. The use of Jatropha oil in order to be a partial or full alternative to the use of diesel fuel for energy production was achieved

Pollutant emissions in common-rail diesel engines in extraurban cycle: rapeseed oils vs diesel fuel

The new energy strategy of EU (i.e., Directive 2009/28/EC) requires increasing the use of biofuels in transports up to at least 10% of the total fuel consumption. In the last years, the share of Diesel engines in automotive applications reached about 55% in EU market, thus trying to widen the alternatives to Diesel fuel is very important. In this framework straight vegetable oils (SVO) can represent one of the available possibilities at least in some specific applications (i.e., public transportation, hybrid or marine propulsion, etc.). SVO properties may be very different form Diesel fuel, thus operating a Diesel engine with SVO might result in some problems, especially in automotive configuration where the electronic unit acts as if it is working with Diesel fuel. This reflects in possible engine power and torque reduction, maintenance problems, and pollutant emissions during vehicles running. The latter aspect is the focus of the present paper. In this work, we used a turbocharged, four stroke, four cylinders, water cooled, commonrail multijet Diesel engine in automotive configuration to simulate the extraurban cycle according to the EU standard, comparing pollutant emissions in case of SVO and gasoil fuelling

The cruel logic of nature : Charles Darwin’s natural selection in Jude the obscure, by Thomas Hardy

A presente tese de doutorado propõe uma leitura do romance Judas o Obscuro (Jude the Obscure), de Thomas Hardy, sob a perspectiva da teoria da seleção natural de Charles Darwin. Popular desde sua primeira publicação, a teoria evolucionista de Darwin influenciou fortemente a cultura vitoriana do final do século dezenove ao apresentar uma visão de mundo materialista, de profusão e exuberância naturais, onde a vida evolui conforme a habilidade de cada indivíduo de sobreviver ao seu ambiente. Hardy era abertamente um admirador de Darwin, e encontrou nele uma forma válida de representar sua percepção da realidade, na qual o ser humano não é o centro do universo ou da criação divina, mas precisa se submeter às mesmas leis naturais, assim como qualquer outro ser vivo. Ao longo dos anos, seu polêmico Jude foi acusado de ser desde um tratado ao pessimismo gratuito até uma tentativa de parte de Hardy de começar uma guerra contra o cristianismo, devido à crítica religiosa, ao final trágico e ao tratamento hostil de seus personagens. Porém, essa tese adota a perspectiva de que o romance é basicamente o resultado das reflexões do autor sobre uma nova interpretação da vida, onde a mesma não acontece conforme caprichos humanos ou suas questionáveis leis morais, mas conforme necessidades próprias, relacionadas à adaptação e à sobrevivência. Ao invés de um punho erguido contra Deus, uma reconsideração de que talvez Ele não exista, e que a vida pode ser regida pela instintiva e insensível natureza, deixando a super evoluída raça humana isolada em seu próprio meio, buscando significados que também talvez não existam. Ao discutir as preocupações de Hardy com o sofrimento humano provocado por essa percepção, e a importância da empatia tanto entre seres humanos como para com todos os seres vivos, este estudo propõe reflexões sobre a teoria darwinista que vão além da sobrevivência do mais apto.The present dissertation proposes a reading of Thomas Hardy’s novel Jude the Obscure in the light of the theory of Natural Selection, by the naturalist Charles Darwin. Popular from its first publication, Darwin’s theory strongly influenced the Victorian culture of the end of the nineteenth century, by presenting a materialistic conception of a world of natural profusion and exuberance, where life evolves according to each individual’s ability to survive their environment. Hardy was openly an admirer of Darwin’s, and found in him a valid way of representing a tangible reality, where humankind is not the centre of the universe or of divine creation, but must submit to the same laws of nature as every other living being. Over the years, his polemic Jude has been accused of being anything from a treatise on gratuitous pessimism to an attempt on the author’s part to start a war against Christianity because of its religious criticism, the tragic ending and the hostile treatment of the characters. However, this dissertation works on the premise that the novel is basically the result of the author’s reflexions on a different interpretation of life, one in which life does not work according to human questionable moral laws and whims, but rather according to its own needs of adaptation and survival. Instead of a fist raised against God, Hardy presents us with a consideration that God might not exist, and that life could actually be ruled by an instinctive and callous nature, leaving super evolved mankind isolated in its own environment, looking for meanings that may not exist. By discussing Hardy’s preoccupations on the human suffering provoked by such awareness, and the importance of empathy both among humans and towards other forms of life, this study proposes a reflexion on the Darwinist theory that goes beyond the survival of the fittest