Engine performance and emission formation of a diesel engine fueled with biodiesel B15 at different injection timings

Biodiesel could now be considered as an alternative fuel for compression ignition engines and it can be used directly or in blends with diesel without engine modification. Biodiesel is non-toxic, contains no aromatics is sulphur-free, biodegradable and an oxygenated and renewable fuel. In the present work, a numerical study was performed to determine the engine performance and exhaust gas emissions of a direct injection DI, four-cylinder, diesel engine by using pure diesel and biodiesel B15 fuel (15% sunflower oil mixed with 85% diesel, by volume) operating at different fuel injection timings. The results were acquired at engine speed 3000 rpm under full load conditions. A comparison between the numerical results and experimental data regarding the in-cylinder pressure was done in order to check the usefulness of this model. The results have shown that the engine performance of biodiesel B15 was slightly lower than that of pure diesel fuel. Concerning gas emissions; lower soot emission, higher NOx emissions of biodiesel B15 were obtained compared to those of diesel fuel at same operating conditions.