Could marine fuel and biodiesel be the key to reducing CO emissions? That’s the theory uncovered by a study at two Turkish universities.
Researchers at Sakarya University and Kocaeli University have found that blending biodiesel with marine fuel can improve the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of a diesel engine and reduce CO emissions – although it will increase fuel consumption.
The team took a four-cylinder, four-stroke, direct injection diesel engine with a maximum power output of 40kW. They tested it with 100 per cent diesel, 100 per cent marine fuel and 100 per cent soybean oil methyl ester (SME). They then used five, 20 and 50 per cent blends of SME with the diesel and the same blends with the marine fuel.
All of the tests were performed under steady conditions and the findings for the marine fuel and marine-biodiesel blend testing produced the following results:
- - For all fuels the maximum thermal efficiency was obtained at 1,600rpm where fuel consumption is at a minimum.
- - Use of biodiesel at any blend level increased nitrogen oxide emissions.
- - CO emissions however, decreased with an increasing SME percentage in marine fuel.
Unfortunately however, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions did increase with the biodiesel blends compared to marine fuel alone.
The results were part of a paper published in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels.
