TAMILNADU COLLEGE OF

ENGINEERING
COIMBATORE

RUBBER SEED OIL AS AN

ALTERNATE FUEL

BY

S.SANTHOSH
P.SARAVANA KUMAR
santhosh.rose@gmail.com

CELL NO: 9443403136.

ABSTRACT

The global fuel crises in the 1970 have generated awareness amongst many countries of
their vulnerability to oil embargoes and shortages. Considerable attention was focused on the
development of alternative fuel sources as Blends of Rubber seed oil and diesel fuel were
investigated and found to be technically feasible. Research on the use of biodiesel has been
ongoing during the last 20 years and is being used quite extensively in parts of the world where
petroleum fuels are more expensive. As a result the use of alternative fuels as a means of meeting
these requirements has generated much attention. Hence there has been renewed interest in the
rubber seed oil-diesel blends with particular emphasis as a alternate fuel in diesel engine. When
considering an alternative fuel for use in diesel engines, a number of issues are important. This
purpose of this paper is to review these issues with particular reference to safety and distribution.
The experiment analysis of different proportion and evolutions of important properties such as
flash point, fire point, viscosity and calorific value, the result of which are tabulated and graphs
drawn. Graphical representation of brake thermal Efficiency, Specific fuel consumption and
mechanical efficiency characteristics of and its comparison is shown and the variation shown by
each proportion is compared and discussed. The result of this concluded that 8:2 proportion of
diesel and rubber seed oil was most efficient proportion.

Keywords. Biofuel, blend, diesel engines, Alternative fuels, Methyl-ester

INTRODUCTION

The scare and rapidly depleting conventional petroleum resources have promoted research for
alternative fuels for internal combustion engines. The increasing industrialization and
motorization of the world hassled to steep rise for demand of petroleum based fuels. petroleum
based fuels are obtained from limited reserves hence it is necessary to look for alternative fuels
which can be produced from resources available locally within the country such as alcohol,bio-
diesel, vegetable oil etc., In recent years much research has been carried out to find suitable
alternative fuels to petroleum products. The use of renewable fuels like ethanol, bio gas, bio-
diesel in diesel is significant in this context. The fuels we are using currently are hydro-carbons
such as petrol, diesel, coal etc., we can find these fuels for another 75 years in order to excuse
from forth coming danger there exists a needs for searching alternative fuels to meet our
minimum energy needs. Fuels like biodiesel (mono alkyl ester) can be utilized for another 800
years.

Biodiesel appears to be an excellent alternative fuel extender for diesel fuel. Biodiesel is derived
from vegetable oils and as the name implies, it is similar to diesel fuel except it is produced from
commonly grown oil crops. Several excellent oil crops are grown in the region, including canola,
sunflower, soybean and safflower. They are all capable of producing several gallons of fuel per
acre that can be used in an unmodified diesel engine. For example, sunflower and canola can
produce 75 to 100 gallons of vegetable oil per acre which will convert into about an equal amount
of biodiesel.

Bio diesel is the name for is clean burning alternative fuels produced from domestic renewable
resources. There is nothing new under the sun, Rudolph diesel used peanut oil his engine for
automobiles.bio diesel contains no petroleum, but it can blended at any level with petroleum
diesel to create a bio diesel blend.bio diesel has a viscosity similar to petrol diesel, the industry
term for diesel produced from petroleum. It can be used as an additive in formulation of diesel to
increase the lubricity of pure ultra low sulpur diesel (ULSD) fuel, which is an advantage because
it has virtually no sulpur content. Hence it can be used in compression ignitions(diesel)engines
with little or no modification.bio diesel is simple to use,biodegradable,non toxic and essentially
true or sulpur and aromatics.bio-diesel is the only alternative to have fully completed the health
effect testing requirement of 1990 clear air act amendment.bio-diesel that meet ASTM D6751
and is legally registered with environmental protection agency is a legal motor fuel for sale and
distribution.raw vegetable oil cannot meet bio-diesel fuel specification.bio-diesel is define as
mono alkyl Easter of long chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oil and animals fats, which
confirm to ASTM D6751 specification for using disel engines.bio-diesel refer to pure fuel
blending with diesel fuel.

In the present investigation bio diesel is produced using unrefined rubber seed or rubber (heva
brusiliensis) seed oil was extracted and its physical and chemical properties like viscosity, flash
point, fire point, specific gravity etc., were determined. The natural form of rubber seed oil is
highly acidic.fuctional groups such as carbonyl, oeifinic unsaturation, Easter, glyceryl, methylene
and terminal methyl are present in rubber seed oil. The crude oil was bleached and a two step
trans-esterification process (acidic-alkaline Trans easterification) is developed for the production
of methyl Easter of rubber seed oil. The difficulty of alkaline easterification of oil is that they
often contain large amount of free fatty acids. These free fatty acids quickly react with alkaline
catalyst to produce soap that inhibit the separation of easter and glycerine.the first step, acid
catalyst easterification reduces the free fatty acid content of oil to less than 2%.

The second step, alkaline catalyzed trans-easterification converts the product of first step to its
monoeasters and glycerol. The viscosity of biodiesel is nearer to that of diesel and calorific value
is 14% less than that diesel. The properties of this bio-diesel fuel are closely matched with those
of diesel fuels, the performance test are carried out on CI engine using different proportion of
rubber seed oil and diesel blend and also comparison on different fuels proportion are found out.
LITERATURE REVIEW

In recent years much research has been carried out to find suitable A.F to petroleum products.
The use of renewable fuels like ethanol, biogas and bio-diesel in diesel engine is significant in
this context. The recent concern is to opt for AF which can be produced from resources available
locally with in the country such as alcohol, bio-diesel, vegetable oil etc.this reviews the
production, characterization and current statuses of vegetable oil and bio–diesel as well as the
experiment research work carried out in many countries.

Ethanol is a attractive fuels because, it is a renewable bio-based source, and it is oxygenated there
by providing the potential to reduce particulars emission in CI engines. In this review, the
properties and specification of ethanol and diesel blend are also diesel blend are also discussed.
So special emphasis is placed on the factor critical to the potential and commercial area of these
blends. The effect of fuel on engine performance and emissions and material compact ability is
also studied.

Hydrogen will play an important role in developing sustainable transportation in the United
States, became in future it may be produced (i.e.) virtually unlimited quantities using renewable
resources. Hydrogen has been used effectively in a number of IC engine vehicles as pure
hydrogen mixed with natural gas.

Natural gas is another important alternative fuel. It is domestically produced and readily available
to end-users throughout the utility infrastructure. It is also clean burning and produces
significantly fewer harmful emissions than reformulated gasoline or diesel when used in natural
gas vehicles. This is also blended with water has a high boiling point and low vapor pressure.
This is effectively used in IC engines in many places.

Bio diesel is methyl or ethyl ester of fatty acid made from virgin or used vegetable oils and
animals fats. The main resources for bio-diesel production can be non-edible oils obtained from
plant species such as jastrophacyras, pongamia pinnata, soybean, plam oil,rice bran oil, coconut
oil etc.these all can be blended in any proportion with mineral diesel to create bio diesel blend or
can be used in its pure form. Just like petroleum diesel, bio diesel operates in compression
ignition (diesel)engine and essentially require very little or no engine modifications because bio
diesel has properties similar to mineral diesel.
The need for petroleum is growing at an alarming rate since petroleum is a finite source
renewable fuels, such as ethanol and bio-diesel, will help alleviate this dependence. So here need
for development of new technologies for converting bio-oils to fuels or other high value added
products are strongly felt in several developing countries. a new technology called supercetane
technology is increasingly used in the field of bio-oils. This technology is a catalytic hydro
cracking process which reduces the boiling range of most plant oils. Now much research is being
carried out in the field of alternative fuels.
Materials and Methods

Fuel
The fuels were prepared by mixing the diesel and RSO at different proportion such as 9:1, 8:2,
7:3, 6:4 and 5:5.then their flash point, fire point, viscosity, density and calorific value were found
out. Then the performance characterics were found out by using the different blends of fuel. Here
one proportion of fuel is taken at time and it is poured in to the tank. Initial precautions such as
checking the fuel and proper connection of pipes are noticed. After this the rated power, load and
speed of the engine are found from the name plate details of the engine. Now the engine is started
and at a constant speed, time taken for consumption of 25cc fuel is noted by using stop watch.

Method:
This alternate fuel study was completed with a 4-stroke diesel engine, Engine speed was set at a
high idle of 1500 RPM and loaded to 1500 RPM for all tests. Performance of pure biodiesel and
mixtures of biodiesel and diesel fuel was the objective of these trials. Biodiesel looks to be an
excellent alternative to diesel fuel. It will mix with diesel fuel in any proportion and looks to stay
mixed while in storage. residents are showing good interest as various mixtures the diesel and
RSO at different proportion such as 9:1,8:2,7:3,6:4 and 5:5 .The biodiesel being used is a methyl
ester of rubber seed oil.

SPECIFICATION DIESEL ENGINE

`Name of the manufacturer Kirloskar
Rated speed of engine 1500 rpm
Rated power of the engine 7.4Kw
Stroke 139.7mm
Bore 114.3mm
Table1: Summary of specification for four stroke diesel engine

The four stroke twin cylinder is used to participate in this project. The engine was operated on
standard and controls of diesel and RSO.specification for engine are summarized in table1.
In-field performance data for engine implements were collected in addition to a daily log of
overall fuel usage, type of operation and operator observation.

BLEND PROPERTIES:

There are a number of fuel properties that are essential to the proper operation of a diesel engine.
The addition of RSO to diesel fuel affects certain key properties with particular reference to blend
stability, viscosity and lubricity, energy content are also important factor that need to be
considered properties that effect safely should before most in any fuel evolution. These included
flash point and flammability and are discussed in latter section.

VISCOSITY AND LUBRICITY:

Fuel viscosity and lubricity play significant roles in the lubrication of fuel injection systems,
particularly those incorporating rotary distributor injection pumps that rely fully on the fuel for
lubrication within the high pressure pumping mechanism. In the common rail accumulator fuel -
injection system, the high-pressure pump that delivers fuel to the rail also relies on the fuel for
lubrication. In in-line pumps and unit injectors, there is less reliance on the fuel for lubrication.
However, there are still some metal interfaces that require lubrication by the fuel such as between
plunger and barrel. Injector lubrication is also affected, particularly at the needle guide-nozzle
body interface. Lower fuel viscosities lead to greater pump and injector leakage reducing
maximum fuel delivery and hence power output. Hot start problems may also be encountered as
insufficient fuel may be injected at cranking speed when fuel leakage in the high-pressure pump
is amplified because of the reduced viscosity of the hot fuel.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The following inferences were made after conducting the experiment based on
brake thermal efficiency:

• 7:3 and 6:4 proportion of diesel and RSO blend shows almost similar brake thermal
efficiency at lower loads

• 8:2 proportion gives higher brake thermal efficiency at higher loads its about 25%

• Here the lowest brake thermal efficiency is at 7:3 proportion and it is about 22% at higher
loads

• 6:4 proportion shows the lowest brake thermal efficiency at lower loads

• Here steady increase in brake thermal efficiency is seen at 8:2 proportion of diesel and
RSO blend

• 7:3 and 6:4 proportion shows the most poor performance among the different proportions

The following inference were made after conducting the experiment based on
mechanical efficiency

• Mechanical efficiency is ZERO AT zero load

• At 8:2 proportion mechanical efficiency is maximum at lower loads

• 8:2 proportion shows a maximum mechanical efficiency at all loads

• Here there is a steady increase in mechanical efficiency at 8:2 proportion

The following inferences were made after conducting the experiment based on
SFC:
• SFC is gradually decreasing as the load increases

• 8:2 proportion shows the lower SFC at higher loads it’s about 0.32Kg/KWh at 8 Kg loads

• 7:3 proportion shows the maximum SFC at higher loads and 6:4 proportion shows the
maximum SFC at lower loads

• CONCLUSION

From the graph it is found that

• 8:2 proportions of diesel and RSO blends has a better brake thermal efficiency
than other blends at higher loads. it helps to get an improvement of 1 to 2%
comparing to other blends

• 9:1 proportion also shows decrease in SFC but it is less comparing to 8:2
proportions of diesel and RSO blend.

• 8:2 proportions of diesel and RSO blends show a higher mechanical efficiency. it
shows an increase of approximately 2 or 3% comparing to other blends.

• Mechanical efficiency is lowest in 9:1 proportion of diesel and RSO blends and
higher in 8:2 proportion

• Therefore it’s recommended that 8:2 proportions is the best performance in diesel
engine.
REFERENCE:

1. BALLANEY P.L,I.C Engines, Khanna publishers,1980

2. CHAUHAN D.S, Non-conventional energy resources, New age international private Ltd,
2004.

3. RAMALINGAM K.K, I.C Engines, SCI TECH Publication Pvt Ltd, 2000.

4. RAMASWAMY M.C, Proceeding 15th National Conference on IC Engines and

Combustions, Volumes2, Allied Publishers Ltd, December, 1997.