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Different methods to improve the performance of a WCO (waste cooking oil of sunflower) based mono cylinder compression ignition (CI) engine were investigated. Initially WCO was converted into its emulsion by emulsification process and tested as fuel. In the second phase, the engine intake system was modified to admit excess oxygen along with air to test the engine with WCO and WCO emulsion as fuels under oxygen enriched environment. In the third phase, the engine was modified to work in the dual fuel mode with hydrogen being used as the inducted fuel and either WCO or WCO emulsion used as the pilot fuel. All the tests were carried out at 100% and 40% of the maximum load (3.7 kW power output) at the rated speed of 1500 rpm. Engine data with neat diesel and neat WCO were used for comparison. WCO emulsion indicated considerable improvement in performance. The smoke and NOx values were noted to be less than neat WCO.

This paper presents a comprehensive study on using MO (Mahua oil) as fuel effectively in a diesel engine by adopting emulsification and TBC (Thermal Barrier Coating) techniques. A mono cylinder diesel engine was used for the study. Initially trials were made on the engine using neat diesel (ND), Neat Mahua oil (NMO) as fuels. In the second phase, NMO was converted into its stable emulsion (called as MOE) and tested in the engine. Finally thermal barrier coating of 0.2 mm was made on the piston, valves and cylinder head of the engine using the ceramic power of Al2O3 and the engine was tested using NMO and MOE as fuels in the TBC engine. Results indicated improvement in BTE (brake thermal efficiency) with MOE as compared to NMO mainly at high power outputs in the unmodified engine. The maximum BTE was found as 31.5% with ND, 27.2% with NMO and 30.4% with MOE at the peak power output.

Waste utilization is found to be a challenging task all around the globe. Converting the waste into useful forms of energy is a significant landmark in meeting the demand of world energy requirement. Thus an attempt was made in this study to make use of Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) as a fuel to operate compression ignition engine effectively as it degrades both the environment and human health.WCO was collected form the hostel mess of the author institution. In the first phase of the study, a single cylinder water cooled diesel engine was developed and operated in a single fuel mode with neat diesel and WCO as fuel under various load condition. Engine was modified in the second phase of the work to operate in dual fuel mode with a low reactive fuel like ethanol as primary fuel. In this work ethanol was injected in the intake manifold using newly developed Electronic Primary Fuel Injection System (EPFIS).