Preparation and Performances of Biodiesel-ethanol-water Micro-emulsion Fuels

With the profoundation of study on biodiesel, it can be found that biodiesel and water may format micro-emulsion fuels only with the existence of ethanol, furthermore, more water and biodiesel can be micro-emulsified with certain surfactants and ethanol. To study the application of biodiesel-ethanol-water micro-emulsion fuels, the paper indicates the preparation of the micro-emulsion fuels, and their performances on a single-cylinder diesel engine. Results indicate that with the raising of ethanol proportion or surfactants, the maximal watering volume for biodiesel microemulsion increases obviously. As for performances, compared with biodiesel, firstly when the brake mean effective pressure (P_me) is 0.531 MPa and speed is 1500 r·min^-1, the maximal combustion pressure and heat release rate of the micro-emulsion fuels increase; secondly power outputs of the micro-emulsion fuels decrease; and at last both NO_X and smoke emission decrease apparently. All the results verify that for biodiesel-ethanol-water micro-emulsion fuels can be used on diesel engines as the alternative energy.