Search Results

The fossil fuels are depleting rapidly and the prices are going up day by day. The vegetable oils converted into biodiesel have the potential of alternative fuels. There are several types of vegetable oils, edible & non-edible, which can be used for biodiesel production. Very little published work has been found on utilization of Madhuca Indica oil for biodiesel production including optimization of transesterification process. Very little research has been done on utilization of oil in general and optimization of transesterification process for biodiesel production using acid, base and heterogeneous (micro & nano) catalyst. In the present study, transesterification process with use of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalyst has been optimized.

This paper’s analysis approach combines the orthogonal array design of experiments with grey relational analysis for optimization CI engine performance using blend of Madhuca Indica biodiesel as a fuel. Grey relational theory is adopted to determine the best input parameters that give lower emission and higher performance of CI engine. Five design parameters namely; compression ratio, injection pressure, injection nozzle geometry (no. of holes on nozzle of injector), additive (AA-93 TM) and fuel fraction were selected, and four levels for each factor. To reduce an experimental effort the experiments have been performed by employing Taguchi's L16 orthogonal array for various engine performance and emission related responses. Injection nozzle geometry was found to most influencing factors. The optimal combination so obtained was further confirmed through experimentation was suitable for optimizing the performance and emission parameters of diesel engine.