Tag Archives: fuel blends

1207–1215 K. Sirviö, S. Niemi, R. Help, S. Heikkilä and E. Hiltunen
Behavior of B20 fuels in arctic conditions
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Behavior of B20 fuels in arctic conditions

K. Sirviö*, S. Niemi, R. Help, S. Heikkilä and E. Hiltunen

University of Vaasa, School of Technology and Innovations, PL 700, FIN-65101 Vaasa, Finland
*Correspondence: katriina.sirvio@univaasa.fi

Abstract:

Several renewable and sustainable liquid fuel alternatives are needed for different compression-ignition (CI) engine applications to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to ensure proper primary energy sources for the engines. One of the shortcomings of several bio oils and first generation biodiesels has been their cold properties. Still, the need for alternative fuels is also present in arctic areas where the storing of the fuels may become problematic. The main aim of the current study was to determine how the storage related properties of fuel blends change if the fuels first freeze and then melt again. The samples were analyzed three times: as fresh, and after the first and second freezing-melting phase transitions.
The share of renewables within the blends was 20 vol-%. Rapeseed methyl ester (RME) and animal-fat based methyl ester (AFME) were blended with LFO in a ratio of 80 vol-% of LFO and 20-vol% of RME or AFME.
The investigated and compared properties were the FAME content of the neat FAMEs, and kinematic viscosity, density, oxidation stability index, and acid number of the blends. Cold filter plugging point was measured for AFME and its blend. According to the results, the quality of the FAMEs and their blends did not change significantly during the freezing over. The freezing-melting phase transition seems, thus, not to be as big a threat to the fuel quality as the high temperatures are. According to the results of this study, the studied fuels were feasible after the freezing-melting phase transition.

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1247-1256 K. Sirviö, S. Niemi, R. Help, S. Heikkilä and E. Hiltunen
Kinematic viscosity studies for medium-speed CI engine fuel blends
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Kinematic viscosity studies for medium-speed CI engine fuel blends

K. Sirviö*, S. Niemi, R. Help, S. Heikkilä and E. Hiltunen

University of Vaasa, Faculty of Technology, PL 700, FIN-65101 Vaasa, Finland
*Correspondence: katriina.sirvio@uva.fi

Abstract:

Engine-driven power plants, run by diesel fuel or gas, will be needed for peaking power to keep the electricity grids stable when the production of renewable electricity, e.g. utilizing wind or solar power, is increased.
The choice of the alternative, renewable fuels for engine-driven power plants and marine applications is at the moment quite narrow. The amount of renewables of all liquid fuels is at present less than 2%. Biodiesels, FAMEs, have been studied for long time and apparently, despite of the problems they may have, they are still in the great interest. One important increment to the category of alternatives is fuels that are produced from e.g. oil wastes, i.e., recycled fuels. They are not renewable, but recycling of potential energy raw materials is still one step forward in increasing the suitable and more sustainable options.
To utilize the blends in medium-speed engines for power production, accurate knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of fuel blends is very important for the optimization of engine performance. The determination of the fuel kinematic viscosity is needed to create proper fuel atomisation. The injection viscosity affects directly the combustion efficiency and the engine power. Consequently, this study focused on measuring kinematic viscosity curves for seven fuel blends, as well as the neat fuels used for blending. The temperature range was 10–90 °C. The fuels used for blending were rapeseed methyl ester, animal-fat based methyl ester, hydro-treated vegetable oil, light fuel oil and marine gas oil produced from recycled lubricating oils.

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244–250 K. Sirviö, S. Niemi, S. Heikkilä and E. Hiltunen
The effect of sulphur content on B20 fuel stabil
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The effect of sulphur content on B20 fuel stabil

K. Sirviö*, S. Niemi, S. Heikkilä and E. Hiltunen

University of Vaasa, Faculty of Technology, PL 700, FIN-65101 Vaasa, Finland
*Correspondence: katriina.sirvio@uva.fi

Abstract:

The aim of this study was to investigate if a high amount of sulphur is favourable for the fuel blends’ storage stability. The parameters that correlate with the storage stability of the fuel blends were compared with two B20 fuel samples consisting of 20 vol% biodiesel and 80 vol% fossil diesel. The studied parameters were the oxidation stability (OSI), acid number and kinematic viscosity. The measurements were carried out straight after mixing the blends, and again after 4 and 9 weeks. One of the B20 samples was prepared from rapeseed methyl ester (RME) and fossil diesel fuel containing 6.6 mg kg-1 sulphur and the other from the same RME but the fossil diesel fuel contained 186 mg kg-1 of sulphur. According to the results of this study, the fuel containing less sulphur had slightly better quality during the entire study. Though, the OSI of the fuel containing more sulphur decreased less in percentages than it did for the fuel containing less sulphur. As a conclusion, the study gives a reason to assume that the sulphur may be favourable to fuel blends’ storage stability but it should be studied for a longer time to confirm this statement. 

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