ANALYSIS OF PERFORMANCE AND EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF A DIESEL ENGINE FUELLED WITH BIODIESEL

The rapid depletion in world petroleum reserves and uncertainty in petroleum supply due to political and economical reasons along with the sharp escalation in the petroleum prices have simulated the search for alternatives to petroleum based fuels especially diesel and gasoline. Moreover, bulks of petroleum fuels are being consumed by agriculture and transport sector for which diesel engine happens to be the prime mover. Though there are wide varieties of alternative fuels available the research has not yet provided the right renewable fuel to replace diesel. Vegetable oil due to their properties being close to diesel fuel may be a promising alternative for diesel engines. Due to their high viscosity, they cannot be directly used in a diesel engine. Transesterification is one method by which viscosity could be drastically reduced and the fuel could be adopted for use in diesel engine.