Effect of non-edible oil and its biodiesel on wear of fuel injection equipment components of a genset engine

In this study, a fuel injection equipment (FIE) test rig was designed and fabricated to investigate the wear characteristics of FIE components used by a single cylinder diesel engine using Karanja oil (KO100), and Karanja biodiesel (KOME100) vis-a-vis baseline mineral diesel. A 250 h endurance test was performed in the FIE test rig to evaluate the wear, weight loss, dimensional loss and alterations to the surface texture at different locations in various components used in the FIE such as nozzle needle, plunger, valve and valve holder. Cam and follower mechanism was used for developing fuel injection pressure in the fuel pump of the test rig, which was operated at 1500 rpm. Karanja oil showed the lowest wear and mineral diesel showed the highest wear of the FIE components, except for plunger. The same was confirmed by surface texture images obtained by optical microscopy at magnifications of 100, 200 and 500×. Wear of FIE components took place primarily due to mechanical and thermal stresses, and chemical reactivity of test fuels with the FIE components. Overall, the wear of FIE components was relatively lower with biodiesel and SVO usage compared to baseline mineral diesel usage in the test rig.