Influence of Biodiesel on Powercell Components 2009-01-0491

The use of Biodiesel is one of the main drivers behind biomass fuels for diesel engine use. This paper compares the performance of powercell components after 100 thousand km field tests using different fuel variants. The tested engine was a 3.0L High Speed Diesel with 120kW @ 3800rpm. Two variants of B5 fuels were tested: one with oil from Soy Bean and other from Castor Bean. Each type of fuel, including regular Diesel, was tested twice.

Compared to regular Diesel, the engines tested with B5 presented similar performance [1]. The evaluated powercell parts were: piston, rings, bearings, and cylinder bores. The parts were evaluated in terms of wear, seizure and corrosion.

The parts from the B5 tests presented similar visual characteristics after test compared with regular Diesel. A slight wear increase was observed on the parts that ran with the B5 variants. In the case of bearings, corrosion residues were observed with B5 from Castor oil. Carbon deposits were not an issue with this level of Biodiesel blends and test duration.

Some preliminary engine results with B20 and B100 are also discussed in the paper.