Search Results (37)

In this study, low-viscosity (<5 mm²·s⁻¹, fits European Biodiesel Standard-EN 14214) quaternary microemulsification fuels were developed and tested in a CRDI diesel engine to evaluate their effects on engine performance, injection, combustion, and emission characteristics. The fuels were formulated using 50% petro-diesel, 30% waste frying oil (without converting biodiesel), and a combination of 10% n-butanol with either 10% methanol or 10% ethanol. Engine tests were conducted at constant speed of 2000 rpm and five different engine loads. The results indicated that both microemulsified fuels exhibited increased brake specific fuel consumption by about 20% and brake specific energy consumption by around 8% compared to petro-diesel, while thermal efficiency decreased by about 8%. Injection timing for both pilot and main injections occurred earlier with the emulsification fuels, and higher injection amount and injection rate values were observed at all loads. As engine load increased, the peak cylinder pressures of the emulsified fuels surpassed those of petro-diesel, although the crank angles at which these peak values were attained were similar. The combustion duration was shorter for both quaternary fuels, with similar maximum pressure rise rates to petro-diesel. Emulsification fuels caused higher exhaust emissions (especially THC) and this difference increased with increasing load. When comparing two formulations, the methanol-containing fuel demonstrated slightly better results than the ethanol-containing blend. These findings suggest that microemulsified fuels containing bio-alcohols and waste frying oil can be sustainable fuel alternatives for partial petro-diesel substitution if the injection settings are adapted in accordance with the properties of these fuels. Full article

Chikungunya fever (CF), caused by the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), is characterized by disabling symptoms such as joint pain that can last for months. Monocytes play a central role in immune modulation and viral replication during infection. This study evaluated the clinical and immunological profiles of patients with laboratory-confirmed CF. Fever and joint pain were the most frequently reported symptoms, whereas edema was more common in women. CHIKV-infect individuals exhibited increased TLR4 expression in non-classical monocytes (CD14+CD16++). Additionally, intermediate (CD14+CD16+) and non-classical (CD14+CD16++) monocytes expressing TLR7 were enriched during the acute phase and in some chronic patients, thereby suggest prolonged TLR7 pathway activation. Levels of soluble CD163 (sCD163)—a marker of monocyte/macrophage activation—were elevated as well, indicating sustained immune activation. Coagulation-related mediators—including Tissue factor (TF) and Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI)—also increased, despite the rarity of hemorrhagic events or thrombocytopenia. Patients with arthritis demonstrated higher frequencies of TLR7+ intermediate monocytes and elevated Epidermal growth factor (EGF) levels, whereas those with edema exhibit increased Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels. Overall, these findings highlighted the differential activation of CD16+ monocytes and suggested that sCD163 is a marker of monocyte/macrophage activation during CHIKV infection. Full article

This investigation focuses on synthesizing ZSM-5 zeolite from kaolin clay and its application as a catalytic converter to reduce NOx emissions in CRDI diesel engines. By doping the synthesized zeolite with CuCl₂ and AgNO₃ and coating it on a ceramic monolith, this study demonstrated superior catalytic activity for NO_x reduction compared to conventional converters. A set of experimental trials conducted by using a diesel engine with an AVL DI-gas analyzer showed that CuCl₂-ZSM5 and AgNO₃-ZSM5 catalysts reduced the NO_x conversion efficiencies to 72% and 66%. Additionally, these catalysts effectively reduced CO and HC emissions. The results highlight the potential of kaolin-derived zeolites with copper and cobalt dopants as efficient catalysts for emission control in internal combustion engines, offering a promising, sustainable solution for improving air quality and environmental sustainability. Full article

This article presents the test results of a turbocharged Common Rail Direct Injection (CRDI) diesel engine operating on diesel fuel and methyl ester biodiesel with nanoparticle additives. The use of nanomaterials has been shown to improve the combustion process. In this study, various nanoparticles, including zinc oxide and carbon plates, were investigated as additives to enhance the combustion performance of selected fuels. The fuel of choice was conventional diesel, and a methyl ester of rapeseed oil called biodiesel. A turbocharged Common Rail Direct Injection (CRDI) diesel engine, model FIAT 192A1000, was used for the experiments. The following engine parameters were measured and recorded: torque (Ms, Nm), fuel consumption (Bd, kg/h), carbon monoxide (CO, ppm), and nitrogen oxides (NO_x, ppm). The results show that nanoparticles can improve the combustion performance of the fuels studied in the engine. However, the effect of nanoparticles on engine parameters varied. In summary, the influence of nanoparticles is noticeable: the ID is shorter with diesel fuel with carbon nanotubes at 50 ppm and 100 ppm concentration, the NO_x is reduced with zinc oxide and D, and CO is diminished in all load modes when using RME with carbon nanotubes. Full article

The demand for renewable and environmentally friendly fuels has prompted the exploration of alternative energy sources to replace conventional fossil fuels. This work investigates the optimization of a ternary blend comprising cottonseed oil (CSO), neem oil (NO), and orange peel Oil (OPO) for improved combustion characteristics, enhanced performance, and reduced exhaust emissions. Biodiesels like Cotton Seed Oil Methyl Ester (CSOME), Neem Oil Methyl Ester (NOME), and Orange Peel Oil Methyl Ester (OPOME) were made from CSO, NO, and OPO, respectively. The experimental results show major improvements in thermal efficiency and reductions in key pollutants, including NOx, CO, HC, and smoke. The best blending ratios are determined through a methodical process that employs optimization tools such as Grey Relation Analysis (GRA) with the Taguchi Method and ANOVA for validation. Then, various proportions of these biodiesels were tested in a CRDI engine to optimize the ternary blend proportions. The addition of 10% CSO and 10% OPO to NO reduces NOx emissions by 10% at CR17 as compared to diesel. Brake thermal efficiency improved by 9.08%. HC emission decreased by 10%. Average smoke opacity decreased by 27.65%. Cylinder pressure remains unchanged, but the Net Heat Release rate increased by 2%. Optimum parameters obtained are G2B10 Blend, Load 100%, CR17 and 10% EGR. The findings underscore the potential of this ternary blend as a viable alternative to conventional diesel fuel, with GRA using Taguchi proving to be an effective optimization tool for Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). Full article

Currently, solving global environmental problems is recognized as an important task for humanity. In particular, automobile exhaust gases, which are pointed out as the main cause of environmental pollution, are increasing environmental pollutants and pollution problems, and exhaust gas regulations are being strengthened around the world. In particular, when an engine is idling while a car is stopped and not running, a lot of fine dust and toxic gases are emitted into the atmosphere due to the unnecessary fuel consumption of the engine. These idling emissions are making the Earth’s environmental pollution more serious and depleting limited oil resources. Biodiesel, which can replace diesel fuel, generally has similar physical properties to diesel fuel, so it is receiving a lot of attention as an eco-friendly alternative fuel. Biodiesel can be extracted from various substances of vegetable or animal origin and can also be extracted from waste resources discarded in nature. In this study, we used biodiesel blended fuel (B20) in a CRDI diesel engine to study the characteristics of gases emitted during combustion in the engine’s idling state. There were a total of four types of biodiesels used in the experiment. New Soybean Oil and New Lard Oil extracted from new resources and Waste Soybean Fried Oil and Waste Barbecue Lard Oil extracted from waste resources were used, and the gaseous substances emitted during combustion with pure diesel fuel and with the biodiesels were compared and analyzed. It was confirmed that all four B20 biodiesels had a reduction effect on PM, CO, and HC emissions, excluding NOx emissions, compared to pure diesel in terms of the emissions generated during combustion under no-load idling conditions. In particular, New Soybean Oil had the highest PM reduction rate of 20.3% compared to pure diesel, and Waste Soybean Fried Oil had the highest CO and HC reduction rates of 36.6% and 19.3%, respectively. However, NOx was confirmed to be highest in New Soybean Oil, and Waste Barbecue Lard Oil was the highest in fuel consumption. Full article

This research focuses on the analysis of vibration of a compression ignition engine (CIE), specifically examining potential failures in the Fuel Rail Pressure (FRP) and Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensors, which are critical to combustion control. In line with current trends in mechanical system condition monitoring, we are incorporating information from these sensors to monitor engine health. This research proposes a method to validate the correct functioning of these sensors by analysing vibration signals from the engine. The effectiveness of the proposal is confirmed using real data from a Common Rail Direct Injection (CRDi) engine. Simulations using a GT 508 pressure simulator mimic FRP sensor failures and an adjustable potentiometer manipulates the MAF sensor signal. Vibration data from the engine are processed in MATLAB using frequency domain techniques to investigate the vibration response. The results show that the proposal provides a basis for an efficient predictive maintenance strategy for the MEC engine. The early detection of FRP and MAF sensor problems through a vibration analysis improves engine performance and reliability, minimizing downtime and repair costs. This research contributes to the advancement of monitoring and diagnostic techniques in mechanical engines, thereby improving their efficiency and durability. Full article

India imports fossil fuels to meet its energy needs, and the need is anticipated to increase over the coming years. The constant usage of crude fuel will initiate its depletion in due course, necessitating the hunt for substitute fuels. One of the most promising alternatives to fossil fuels is determined to be biofuels. Fuels made from second-generation feedstocks, particularly non-edible oils, may change the game in this situation. The use of Simarouba non-edible oil as a substitute for diesel in common rail direct injection (CRDI) engines is the subject of the current piece of research. Running a CRDI engine with Simarouba biodiesel blends may not be suitable under the same operating conditions as running a diesel engine. To optimize performance, the ideal conditions for operating a CRDI engine with Simarouba biodiesel mixes needs to be discovered. The control settings in this study that affect the engine’s performance viz., fuel temperature (FPT), fuel injection pressure (IP), and injection time (IT) are designed using the Taguchi technique. Under full load conditions of 12 kg, for the biodiesel blends viz., SB5, SB10, and SB20, studies were conducted using the Taguchi L9 orthogonal array (OA). Through experimentation, performance and emission responses were obtained. For analysis, six engine responses were considered. The analysis shows that each response is uniquely impacted by the engine control parameters. Therefore, it might be challenging to pinpoint the ideal circumstances that would improve performance and lower emissions. Thus, this presents an example of a multi-response optimization problem. For this reason, multiple response optimization uses Taguchi-Grey Relational Analysis (TGRA). According to TGRA, the ideal settings to increase engine performance while using Simarouba biodiesel blends as fuel are an FPT of 40 °C, an IT of 21° bTDC, and an IP of 600 bar. Full article

The global automotive industry is facing significant challenges, including dwindling fossil fuel reserves, rising crude oil prices, and increasingly strict emission regulations. To address these concerns, this study investigates the impact of the compression ratio (CR) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) on the performance and emissions of a common rail direct injection (CRDI) diesel engine fuelled with a 20% blend of tamarind seed methyl ester (TSME 20) biodiesel. The study employed an open-type electronic control unit to implement pilot fuel injection at a rate of 30%, 23° before the top dead centre (TDC), and at a higher pressure of 600 bar. Three CRs (16:1, 18:1, 20:1) and two types of EGR (hot and cold EGR at 10%) were evaluated. Diesel fuel at CR 18 was used as a baseline for comparison. The experimental procedure involved conducting tests with TSME 20 at CR 16, 18, and 20. Subsequently, TSME 20 at CR 20 + Hot EGR 10% and TSME 20 at CR 20 + Cold EGR 10% were examined. The results showed that TSME 20 operated at a higher CR (CR 20) exhibited improved diesel engine performance and significant reductions in harmful exhaust emissions. Additionally, cold EGR at 10% was more effective in reducing CO, CO₂, and NOx emissions from TSME 20 than hot EGR. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into optimizing diesel engine operation to achieve a balance between performance enhancement and emission reduction through tamarind seed biodiesel blends and different EGR techniques. The implementation of these strategies holds considerable potential in addressing the automotive industry’s challenges, including ecological considerations and fuel price fluctuations. Full article

This study investigated the impact of dual-fuel operation using ethanol-blended diesel fuel enriched with hydroxy gas on CRDI engine performance, combustion, and emission characteristics. Neat diesel fuel was used to run the engine, along with a 20% volume fraction of an ethanol-diesel mixture that had been enhanced with three distinct streams of hydroxy gas, namely 1, 1.5, and 2 LPM. Hydroxy gas was generated by an electrolysis technique using a plate-type dry cell electrolyser (316 L stainless steel) in the presence of a NaOH catalyst. Compared to E20 (Ethanol 20%) fuel, HHO gas enrichment with lower proportions of ethanol blend E20 + 2LPM had a 2.74% increase of BTE and a 5.89% decrease of BSEC at a 5.02 bar BMEP condition. Similarly, HC, CO, and smoke emissions decreased by 4.61%, 5.19%, and 3.1%, while NOx emissions and EGT increased by 3.22% and 3.06% compared to E20. With the addition of HHO gas, combustion characteristics such as HRR, CP, and ignition delay improve while the combustion duration increases. At maximum BMEP, cylinder pressure and heat release rate increase by 3.18% and 6.58% for E20 + 2LPM HHO, respectively. It was found that the 20% volume of the ethanol-diesel blend, with 2 LPM of hydroxy gas, positively affects engine characteristics. Full article

The developments in the field of nano-additives have increased in the recent years due to the desire to reduce the level of exhaust emissions in diesel engines. The soot characteristics of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NO_X) were experimentally investigated using two concentrations of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) as nano-additives (25 ppm and 40 ppm) blended with C20D (composed of 20% castor oil methyl ester and 80% diesel fuel) and 30% exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). The combustion of C20D + TiO₂ increases brake thermal efficiency (BTE) by 2.8% in comparison with neat C20D, while a significant reduction was obtained in BSFC 6.5% and NO_X emissions were maintained at a level parallel with diesel. The results indicated that the technique involving a high EGR rate and the addition of 25 ppm and 40 ppm of TiO₂ nanoparticles to the C20D exhibits better reductions in NO_X emissions by 17.34% and 21.83%, respectively, compared to the technique comprising the use of C20D + TiO₂ and C20D. The reduction in the total concentration of PM via the addition of TiO₂ nanoparticles to the C20D was 26.74% greater than neat C20D and diesel. In contrast, the incorporation of a high rate of EGR with C20D +TiO₂ increased the PM concentrations by 16.85% compared to the technique without EGR. Furthermore, the high concentrations of TiO₂ nanoparticles (40 ppm) in the C20D produced 19 nm smaller soot nanoparticles compared to the 23 nm larger soot nanoparticles produced from the low concentrations of TiO₂ nanoparticles (25 ppm) added into the C20D. The current investigation reveals that the reduction in NO_X emissions and the production of soot nanoparticles notably improved due to the synergic effect of EGR, the TiO₂ nanoparticles, and biodiesel. Full article

The demand for sustainable alternative-fuels in the transportation and agriculture domains is essential due to the quick depletion of petroleum supplies and the growing environmental challenges. The ternary-blends (diesel, biodiesel, and Methyl oleate) have the ability to report the existing challenges in this area because they offer significant promise for reducing exhaust emissions and improving engine performance. In the current work, soy methyl ester is blended with methyl oleate and diesel. The emissions and performance of blended biodiesel was conducted in common rail direct injection engine (CRDI). The characterization and physical properties were also evaluated by utilizing various methods like Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-vis Spectroscopy (UV-vis), and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. FTIR spectra showed the existence of the strong C=O, indicating the presence of FAME at 1745 cm⁻¹. Again, UV-vis has reported the appearance of conjugated dienes in the oxidized biodiesel. The results indicated all blended samples retained the properties of diesel. The addition of methyl oleate improved brake specific fuel consumption of blended biodiesel almost near to diesel. D50::S80:M20 produced a mean reduction in hydrocarbon 42.64% compared to diesel. The average carbon monoxide emission reduction for D50::S80:M20 was 49.36% as against diesel. Full article

The present study utilized response surface methodology (RSM) and Bayesian neural network (BNN) to predict the characteristics of a diesel engine powered by a blend of biodiesel and diesel fuel. The biodiesel was produced from waste cooking oil using a biocatalyst synthesized from vegetable waste through the wet impregnation technique. A multilevel central composite design was utilized to predict engine characteristics, including brake thermal efficiency (BTE), nitric oxide (NO), unburned hydrocarbons (UBHC), smoke emissions, heat release rate (HRR), and cylinder peak pressure (CGPP). BNN and the logistic–sigmoid activation function were used to train the experimental data in the artificial neural network (ANN) model, and the errors and correlations of the predicted models were calculated. The study revealed that the biocatalyst was capable of producing a maximum yield of 93% at 55 °C under specific reaction conditions, namely a reaction time of 120 min, a stirrer speed of 900 rpm, a catalyst loading of 7 wt.%, and a molar ratio of 1:9. Further, the ANN model was found to exhibit comparably lower prediction errors (0.001–0.0024), lower MAPE errors (3.14–4.6%), and a strong correlation (0.984–0.998) compared to the RSM model. B100-80%-20% was discovered to be the best formulation for emission property, while B100-90%-10% was the best mix for engine performance and combustion at 100% load. In conclusion, this study found that utilizing the synthesized biocatalyst led to attaining a maximum biodiesel yield. Furthermore, the study recommends using ANN and RSM techniques for accurately predicting the characteristics of a diesel engine. Full article

The aim of this work is to investigate the effects of different diesel–bioethanol blended fuels on combustion, engine performance, and emission characteristics in a four-cylinder common rail direct injection (CRDI) diesel engine according to various engine loads. Combustion characteristics including in-cylinder pressure, maximum in-cylinder pressure, heat release rate (HRR), and maximum HRR; engine performance including brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC); and emission characteristics including carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and smoke were compared and analyzed. The four test fuels were diesel (D100), 95% D100 blended with 5% ethanol by volume (D95E5), 90% D100 blended with 10% ethanol by volume (D90E10), and 85% D100 blended with 15% ethanol by volume (D85E15). The results indicated that the addition of ethanol had no great impact on the in-cylinder pressure and HRR, but it could significantly reduce CO, NOx, and smoke emissions. The only deficiency was that BSFC was increased to varying degrees with increase of ethanol due to its low heating value. Full article

Pilot-fueling and nozzle-injection pressure are significant injection parameters, and they have significant impacts on modern vehicles for enhancing the engine output, in addition to meeting rigorous tailpipe-exhaust emission standards. In this current work, the influence of the pilot-fueling pressure and nozzle-opening pressure (NOP) on the engine performance and tailpipe outcomes from a compression-ignition (CI) engine at a higher injection pressure and varying load conditions was investigated using a waste cooking oil (WCO) biodiesel (B20). The experiments were executed in a high-pressure CRDi-fitted diesel engine at the start of pilot fueling (SOPF) (timing: 23° bTDC), and at the start of the main fueling (SOMF) (timing: 33° bTDC). The results showed that the combined influence of the pilot-fueling and nozzle-opening pressure induced a remarkable enhancement in the BTE, by 25.13%, and the BSFC decreased by 13.88%, compared with diesel at 10% pilot fueling. Carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, and smoke emissions were drastically reduced for the higher pilot-fueling quantity by 21.05%, 16.66%, and 33.10%, respectively, compared with the diesel at 10% pilot fueling. With the implementation of the pilot-fueling strategy, there is no effect on the NOx reduction. Full article