Abstract
To evaluate the durability of direct injection diesel engine using biodiesel fuel, a small D. I. diesel engine was operated on a blend(BDF 20) of 20% biodiesel fuel and 80% diesel fuel for 200 hours. Engine dynamometer test was performed at a load of 90% and a speed of 1900 rpm to monitor the engine performance and exhaust emissions. Engine performance parameters and exhaust emissions were sampled at 1 hour interval for analysis. The combustion maximum pressure and the crank angle at this maximum pressure as a combustion variation factor were considered to study the combustion characteristics of BDF 20 in diesel engine during durability test. As the results, the standard deviations and errors of combustion variation factors on BDF 20 were very little and combustion characteristics were very stable during the durability test. BDF 20 resulted in lower emissions of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and smoke emissions with special increase of nitrogen oxides compared to diesel fuel. There was no also unusual change in engine oil composition from using BDF 20. Most of engine parts were clean and showed little wear, but soots were detected around the hole of fuel injector when BDF 20 was used in direct injection diesel engine for 200 hours.