ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION

A Comparative Study of Engine Performance and ExhaustEmissions Characteristics of Linseed Oil Biodiesel Blendswith Diesel Fuel in a Direct Injection Diesel Engine

B. L. Salvi • S. Jindal

Received: 26 April 2012 / Accepted: 18 January 2013 / Published online: 17 March 2013

� The Institution of Engineers (India) 2013

Abstract This paper is aimed at study of the performance

and emissions characteristics of direct injection diesel

engine fueled with linseed oil biodiesel blends and diesel

fuel. The comparison was done with base fuel as diesel and

linseed oil biodiesel blends. The experiments were con-

ducted with various blends of linseed biodiesel at different

engine loads. It was found that comparable mass fraction

burnt, better rate of pressure rise and BMEP, improved

indicated thermal efficiency (8–11 %) and lower specific

fuel consumption (3.5–6 %) were obtained with LB10

blend at full load. The emissions of CO, un-burnt hydro-

carbon and smoke were less as compared to base fuel, but

with slight increase in the emission of NOx. Since, linseed

biodiesel is renewable in nature, so practically negligible

CO2 is added to the environment. The linseed biodiesel can

be one of the renewable alternative fuels for transportation

vehicles and blend LB10 is preferable for better efficiency.

Keywords Biodiesel � Linseed � Blending � Performance �Emissions

Introduction

The ever increasing number of transportation vehicles and

consequently increasing energy demand is leading to rapid

exploration and depletion of fossil fuel resources. The

petroleum based fuels are also highly contributing to

environment pollution. The stringent environment protec-

tion rules and necessity of clean fuels have promoted

research for alternative fuels for transportation vehicles.

Biodiesel can be one of the suitable options as clean fuel for

transportation vehicles and power generation. Vegetable

oils, due to their agricultural origin, are able to reduce

net CO2 emissions (i.e. recycling from plant to engine,

environment and back to plant) to the atmosphere while pro-

viding for import substitution of petroleum products [1–3].

With greater environmental concerns and long term

sustainability point of view, it becomes necessary to

develop alternative fuels with properties comparable to

petroleum based fuels. It is important to have a long-term

plan for development of alternative energy sources in a

balanced manner by making optimal use of available

land and manpower resources. It is being more important

to study the feasibility of substitution of diesel with an

alternative fuel, which can be produced locally on a sub-

stantial scale for commercial utilization. Vegetable oils are

considered as good alternatives to diesel as their properties

are close to diesel [1, 3–5]. But direct utilization of vege-

table oils in internal combustion engine causes some

problems due to their high viscosity compared with con-

ventional diesel fuel. Various techniques and methods are

used to solve the problems resulting from high viscosity.

Transestrification of vegetable oils is the most commonly

adopted technique, which helps converting vegetable oils

into biodiesel fuel.

Many feed stocks for preparation of biodiesel has been

tried by different researchers world over. The performance

and emission tests with cotton methyl ester and diesel fuel

mixtures shows that engine performance (i.e. engine power

and specific fuel consumption) and emission values (up to

17–22 % for CO, up to 5.2–10 % for smoke) improved [6].

In the emission characteristics of ethyl and methyl ester

of rapeseed oils with diesel control fuel, it was reported

that with 100 per cent rapeseed methyl ester (RME) and

B. L. Salvi (&) � S. Jindal

Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Technology

and Engineering, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

e-mail: blsalviudr@yahoo.in

123

J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. C (January–March 2013) 94(1):1–8

DOI 10.1007/s40032-013-0057-1

100 per cent rapeseed ethyl ester (REE), emissions of

hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and oxides of

nitrogen (NOX) were reduced to around 52.4, 47.6 and 10.0

per cent respectively. But carbon dioxide (CO2) and par-

ticulate matter (PM) increased [7].

Emission study of an automobile diesel engine fueled with

sunflower methyl ester was conducted by Munoz et al. [8]. It

was found that the NOX emission with pure SFME (sunflower

oil methyl ester) were always larger than that with diesel fuel.

Puhan et al. [9] investigated performance of a 4-stroke direct

injected natural aspirated diesel engine at constant speed of

1,500 rev/min at different brake mean effective pressures with

Mahua oil ethyl ester (MOEE) as fuel. He observed that brake

thermal efficiency with MOEE (26.42 %) was comparable

with diesel (26.36 %). Emissions of carbon monoxide, hydro-

carbons, oxides of nitrogen and Bosch smoke number where

reduced around 58, 63, 12 and 70 %, respectively in case of

MOEE compared to diesel.

The performance and emission of a diesel engine fueled

with Jatropha biodiesel and its blends was studied by Chauhan

et al. [10]. The experimental study reveals that brake thermal

efficiency of Jatropha methyl ester and its blends with diesel

were lower than diesel and brake specific energy consumption

was found higher. HC, CO and CO2 and smoke were found

lower with Jatropha biodiesel fuel. NOx emissions on Jatropha

biodiesel and its blend were higher than diesel. The experi-

mental study on use of vegetable oils as a fuel in diesel engines

at blend of 50 % sesame oil and 50 % diesel fuel found that the

engine power and torque of the mixture of sesame oil–diesel

fuel are close to the values obtained from diesel fuel and the

amounts of exhaust emissions are lower than those of diesel

fuel [11].

The experimental work carried out on biodiesel by many

researchers concluded different aspects of the performance and

emissions characteristics of compression ignition engines. But

experimental work on linseed oil biodiesel is rarely reported.

Linseeds

Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) is naturally growing crop

requiring less water for its life cycle. It is available in most of

the regions of the world. It is also known by various names like

Chih-ma, Lint Bells, Winterlien etc. Linseeds–plant and seeds

are shown in Fig 1. There are many unsaturated fats as well as

mucilage in the linseed. The linseed oil is abundantly available

oil and renewable in nature.

Present Work

The present research work is aimed at exploring the

potential of using linseed oil as a feed stock for preparation

of biodiesel and testing of engine performance and emis-

sion characteristics in compression ignition engine.

Materials and Methods

The linseed biodiesel was prepared in laboratory using meth-

anol (as alcohol) and KOH (as catalyst) and the fuel properties,

as depicted in Table 1, were tested according to ASTM/BIS

standards. Viscosity of biodiesel was measured as 3.33 cSt at

34.5 �C which is well within the acceptable limits.

Experimental Setup and Procedure

A naturally aspirated single cylinder direct injection diesel

engine test rig was used for experimental study (Fig. 2). The

specifications of engine and instrumentation are shown in

Table 2. The performance test of the engine was conducted as

per IS: 10000 [P: 5]:1980. Initially the engine was run at no

load condition and at rated speed (1,500 ± 10 rpm). Then tests

were performed at varying loads, i.e. 25, 50, 75 and 100 %;

with different blends of linseed biodiesel with diesel (LB05,

Fig. 1 Linseeds–plant and fruits

Table 1 Properties of mineral diesel and Linseed biodiesel

Property Diesel Linseed

Biodiesel

Biodiesel

ASTM

Calorific Value, kJ/kg 44,129 41,820 –

Density, kg/m3 830 871 \900

Kinematic Viscosity at room

temp (34.5 �C), cSt

3.67 3.33 \6 at

40 �C

Acid value (ASTM D664) NA 0.35 \ 0.5

Flash Point, �C 59 180 [130

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LB10, LB15 and LB20). After initial warm up of engine for

more than 30 min, when the engine exhaust and other tem-

peratures were stabilized, the engine was run at different loads

and the readings were taken after steady temperatures were

reached. Three sample readings were taken for each load and

averaged for analysis. The performance of the engine at dif-

ferent loads and settings was evaluated in terms of brake

thermal efficiency (BTHE), brake specific fuel consumption

(BSFC), indicated power (IP) and brake power (BP), exhaust

temperature, indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP), cyl-

inder pressure (Pc), rate of pressure rise (dP/dh), net heat release

rate (dQn/dh) and emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon

dioxide (CO2), un-burnt hydrocarbon (HC), oxides of nitrogen

(NOx) and exhaust gas opacity.

The software enables evaluation of performance from the

acquired data using standard relationships. The BTHE is eval-

uated using the expression BTHE = (brake power 9

3,600 9 100/volumetric fuel flow in 1 h 9 fuel density 9

calorific value of fuel). Similarly, BSFC is evaluated on the

basis of fuel flow and brake power developed by the engine

using the expression BSFC = (volumetric fuel flow in

1 h 9 fuel density/brake power). The indicated work done per

cycle (Area of indicator diagram 9 scale factor 9 105) and the

indicated power (indicated work done per cycle 9 speed/

2 9 10-3) are computed from the area of indicator diagram.

Results and Discussion

Performance

The engine operating at full load was tested for mineral

diesel and different blends of linseed oil biodiesel

(i.e. LB05, LB10, LB15 and LB20). The mass fraction

burnt with crank angle is in good agreement with diesel and

the biodiesel shows nearly equal rate of pressure rise, even

when the calorific value of the biodiesel blend is less than

the mineral diesel (Figs. 3, 4). At the specified conditions,

the rate of pressure rise is found better with the biodiesel

blends with LB10 showing a peak pressure 63.75 bars, as

shown in Fig. 5. The higher rate of pressure rise may be

due to better combustion of fuel.

The BSFC with different biodiesel blends and loads

show the varying trend. Initially the BSFC increases and

then decreases. As illustrated in the Fig. 6, the BSFC

decreased with the increase in biodiesel percentage in the

fuel blend. At 100 % load and LB10, minimum BSFC is

observed as compared to the diesel fuel. It can be consid-

ered that the decrease in the BSFC may be due to better

heat release and improved rate of pressure rise.

The brake power decreases with increasing biodiesel

blends, as shown in Fig. 7. At full load and LB5 brake

power is better, but it decreases with increase in blend. The

indicated thermal efficiency and brake thermal efficiency

was observed maximum at full load and LB10, as shown in

Fig. 8. The higher thermal efficiency may be due to better

combustion, increased heat release rate and lower BSFC at

LB10.

Emissions Characteristics

At full load, the emission characteristics with varying

biodiesel blend show that opacity, CO and unburned

hydrocarbon emission decreases with increase in biodiesel

blends up to LB10 and again increases beyond that. CO2

and NOx emission increases with blends. The overall

Fig. 2 Experimental setup

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emission trend show that CO2 and NOx emission increase

continuously, while opacity and CO initially decreases and

after LB10, again there is increase in emission, as shown in

Figs. 9 and 10.

The increase in NOx may be due to higher heat release

rate and higher oxygen content in the biodiesel fuel. The

increase in CO2 may be due to higher carbon contents in

the fuel. The opacity was decreased due to the decrease in

Table 2 Test Engine specifications

Item Make/Model/Specs

Engine

Make & Type Kirloskar (TV1) - Single cylinder, DI, Four stroke, Water cooled

Bore and stroke 87.5 mm 9 110 mm

Cubic capacity 0.661 l

Compression ratio 17.5:1

Rated power 3.5 kW at 1,500 rpm

Injector opening pressure 210 bar

Injection timing 23� BTDC static (diesel)

Instrumentation

Dynamometer Eddy Current Type–Model AG10 of Saj Test Plant Pvt Ltd

Cylinder pressure sensor Piezo sensor of PCB Piezotronics Inc, Model–M111A22; Resolution 0.1 psi; sensitivity 1 mV/psi

Fuel pressure sensor Piezo sensor of PCB Piezotronics Inc, Model–M108A02; Resolution 0.4 psi; sensitivity-0.5 mV/psi

Load measurement Load Cell–Sensortronics make, model 60001 with Digital indicator, Range 0–50 kg, Supply 230VAC

Fuel flow measurement Differential pressure transmitter, make-Yokogawa; Model-EJA110A-DMS5A-92NN

Air Flow Transmitter Make-Wika; Model-SL1

Temperature sensor Type RTD, PT100 and Thermocouple, Type K

Crank angle sensor Digital encoder–Resolution 1�, Speed 5,500 rpm with TDC pulse

Engine indicator Input: Piezo sensor(cylinder pressure and injection pressure), crank angle sensor, No of channels 2,

Communication RS232

Software ‘‘Enginesoft LV’’ Engine performance analysis software (on NI platform)

Fig. 3 Mass fraction burnt vs crank angle

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the hydrocarbon emission and better combustion of the

fuel.

Conclusions

In order to search alternative fuels for transportation

vehicles and simultaneously keeping environmental issues

in mind, the research work on biodiesel has been carried

out by many researchers considering different sources of

the biodiesel. In the present study, test with linseed bio-

diesel and diesel fuel in the direct injection diesel engine

were carried out. At full load, with LB10, comparable mass

fraction burnt, rate of pressure rise and maximum peak

pressure, BMEP were observed. The brake power decrea-

ses with increase in biodiesel blends, as calorific value of

Fig. 4 Cylinder pressure rise with crank angle

Fig. 5 Rate of pressure rise with crank angle

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Fig. 6 BSFC at different loads and blends

Fig. 7 Brake power vs biodiesel blends

Fig. 8 Efficiency vs biodiesel blends

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the biodiesel decreases. With LB10, better thermal effi-

ciency (8–11 %) and lower specific fuel consumption

(3.5–6 %), lower CO, lesser smoke and hydrocarbon

emission are the advantages while a little increase in NOx

emission is confronted. With the advantages, the linseed

proves to be a potential source for deriving alternative and

renewable fuel for IC engines.

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