Investigation of engine performance and emission parameters of a diesel engine fueled with Foeniculum vulgare oil biodiesel – ammonia mixtures

Past studies revealed that Foeniculum vulgare oil biodiesel (FVB) can be used as a good candidate for diesel fuels. Ammonia (NH3) as a fuel additive can be mixed with other fuels to eliminate some disadvantages of the fuels in engine performance and emission. In view of such information, this study aims to investigate the effects of FVB with NH3 additive on engine performance and emission parameters in Diesel-RK Programme. In this study, FVB was mixed with NH3 additive in different proportions (FVB100, FVB95A5, FVB90A10, FVB85A15 and FVB80A20). The exhaust emissions (Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Particulate Matter (PM) and Smoke Opacity) and engine performance (Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC), Power, Torque and Volumetric Efficiency) parameters were evaluated according to the combustion simulations in different RPM values. As a result of this study, some obtained results were revealed that the NH3 additive in FVB significantly decreased the NOx parameter. However, when the NH3 content in FVB was increased, PM and smoke opacity parameters increased. For the engine performance parameters, the NH3 additive in FVB adversely affected the engine power and torque parameters. On the other hand, specific fuel consumption and volumetric efficiency showed an increment trend as the NH3 content in FVB was increased.