Experimental Investigations on Combustion Characteristics of Jatrophabiodiesel (JME) and its Diesel Blends for Tubular Combustor Application

Abstract

Scarcity of fossil fuels and their negative impact on environment drive the research in the field of alternative fuels. Biodiesel is one such promising alternative fuel that is used in automobile, gas turbine, boiler and other furnace applications. In the present study, combustion characteristics of biodiesel (Jatropha methyl ester) and its diesel blends in gas turbine like combustor have been studied experimentally. An airblast atomizer along with axial swirler (swirler no. 0.76) is employed to investigate the combustion characteristics. During the experiment, heat rate (24 kW), Air to liquid ratio (ALR=2) and air temperature (600K) was kept constant. For different equivalence ratio, spray and flame characterization, flame temperature, combustion efficiency and emission parameters such as carbon dioxide (CO2), Carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen oxide (NOx) and unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) were determined. It is found that the flame temperature increases with increase in JME percentage in diesel whereas and major pollutants such as CO, CO2 and UHC emissions decrease but the NOx emissions increases. The obtained results indicate that the biodiesel can be promising fuel for gas turbine power plants instead of fossil fuels.