Experimental Investigations on the Effects of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticle Fuel Additives on Biodiesel

Abstract

This paper reports the results of experimental investigations on the influence of the addition of cerium oxide in the nanoparticle form on the major physicochemical properties and the performance of biodiesel. The physicochemical properties of the base fuel and the modified fuel formed by dispersing the catalyst nanoparticles by ultrasonic agitation are measured using ASTM standard test methods. The effects of the additive nanoparticles on the individual fuel properties, the engine performance, and emissions are studied, and the dosing level of the additive is optimized. Comparisons of the performance of the fuel with and without the additive are also presented. The flash point and the viscosity of biodiesel were found to increase with the inclusion of the cerium oxide nanoparticles. The emission levels of hydrocarbon and NOx are appreciably reduced with the addition of cerium oxide nanoparticles.

Evaluation of colloidal stability, kinematic viscosity and flash point of B10 Diesel/Biodiesel blends using nanostructured additives based on Al2O3 and oleic acid

“…This response is similar to the one that was reported by Sajith, Sobhan, & Peterson, (2010) when using a nanoparticle concentration of 20 ppm cerium oxide (Sajith et al, 2010). These variations can be attributed to the use of surfactant agents during modification stage.…”

“…This functional group can be coordinated on the nanoparticles surface during the modification stage. The concentrations of the nano-additives in the fuel blend were fixed at 10 and 20 ppm according to literature related to applications of nano-additives in biodiesel (Sajith, V., Sobhan, C., & Peterson, G., 2010;Prabu & Anand, 2015). For a typical preparation, the alumina nanoparticles (8 mg or 16 mg) were mixed with 20 mL of oleic acid.…”

“…Such molecules (like oleic acid) are capable of modifying the medium properties and promoting phase contact (nanoparticles-oleic acid-biodiesel), thus increasing the attraction forces between the particles and reducing the flow from liquid to gas phase. It should be noted that fuels with high enough flash point are easy to handle when it comes to transportation and storage (Sajith et al, 2010).…”

Effect of Aluminum Oxide Nano-Particle in Jatropha Biodiesel on Performance, Emissions and Combustion Characteristics of D I Diesel Engine

“…Lower CO and HC emissions were observed for jatropha biodiesel (B20) when compared with neat diesel, due to its rich oxygen content that helps to burn the charge completely. Moreover, addition of nanoparticle to biodiesel acts as an oxidation catalyst and enhances the hydrocarbon oxidation in addition to the improved ignition characteristics of alumina nanoparticles and short ignition delay that lead to minimizing unburned HC and CO emission [18,20,26,35,36]. Variation of cylinder pressure and heat release rate with respect to crank angle for all test fuels at full load is shown in Fig.7.…”

Experimental Investigation of Bio-Diesel Production Using Pungamia Oil and Process Parameter Optimization Using Taguchi Technique.

“…Addition of nanoparticles increases the fluid layer resistance and results in the increase of viscosity of the fuel blend. The cerium oxide nanoparticles present in the fuel blend promotes complete combustion compared to the 594 base fuel and increases the fuel efficiency 12 . The zinc oxide nano additive added to diesel shows the ignition delay reduced, peak pressure and heat release rate increased due the presence of particles.…”