Effects of Non-Standard Refined Diesel Fuel Oil on the Combustion Characteristics of a Diesel Engine and on the Environment

Abstract

The Niger Delta Region of Nigeria is presently inundated with non-standard refined diesel fuel oils, available in major towns and communities. To investigate the impact of burning these fuels, where no scientific evidence of their impacts is available, an experimental study was conducted to examine the effects of the non-standard refined diesel on engine performance and emission characteristics in comparison with standard refined diesel. The experiments were performed in a naturally aspirated, air-cooled, single-cylinder Cussons Engine Testbed, P8252, with a 3.5kW Lombardini engine. In this study, the engine was run at a constant speed of 2500 rpm with varying loads to replicate the typical usage of non-standard refined diesel fuels in generator engines in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. The exhaust emissions were analysed using a Testo 350 exhaust gas analyzer, and cylinder pressure was determined using a piezoelectric transducer. An Agilent Cary 630 FTIR spectrometer with an absorbance range of 4000 cm-1 to 650 cm-1 was used to identify functional groups within the fuel samples and the band equivalent to various radiations. Three nonstandard refined diesel fuel oil samples obtained from the creeks of the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria, were tested along with a fourth sample of standard diesel obtained from a government retail outlet in Nigeria which was designated as the control sample. Results from the FTIR analysis indicated the presence of aromatic stretch around 1600 cm-1 for the non-standard refined fuel samples and the performance and emission analysis revealed low levels of brake thermal efficiency (BTE) with high levels of NOx, CO, and CO2 emissions for some of the locally refined samples.

Keywords — Compression ignition engine, non-standard diesel, NOx emissions, Carbon monoxide, Environment,

Niger Delta Region