Abstract:
Feasibility of using hydrocarbon fuel extracted from pyrolysis of waste
polypropylene (PP) as an alternative fuel blended with diesel in a
compression ignition (CI) engine was investigated. A semi-batch reactor
plant built at the department was used to extract samples of waste
polypropylene derived fuel. The extracted liquid fuel was blended with
diesel and used in the analysis of engine performance of a CI engine. The
blending of waste PP derived fuel with diesel varied from 10% to 70% by
volume. The variation of brake power (BP), brake specific fuel
consumption (BSFC) and brake thermal efficiency (BTE) at different
loading (varies from 0 W to 5000 W by steps of 1000 W) for pure diesel
and the blends were investigated. For the blended fuel mixtures, the brake
specific fuel consumption was found to vary in the range 0.208 ml/kJ -
0.315 ml/kJ at low load (1000 W) and 0.107 ml/kJ - 0.122 ml/kJ at high
load (5000 W). The brake power was observed to vary between 960 W and
920 W at low load and between 4347 W and 3400 W at high load. The
calculated brake thermal efficiency varied between 8.87% and 13.02% at
low load and between 22.08% and 25.38% at high load. Engine
performance of 10/B/PP/D to 50/B/PP/D is almost same or slightly higher
than that of diesel. Therefore, it can be concluded that use of 10/B/PP/D to
50/B/PP/D blends in diesel engines may perform similar to use of diesel.
However, cleanliness of waste PP derived fuel has to be improved to use
this alternative fuel in commercial vehicles.
