University of Coventry researchers look at biodiesel in ethanol/diesel blends

In the UK, researchers from the University of Coventry have been looking at the impact of biodiesel fuel on ethanol/diesel (ED) fuel blends. The soybean methyl ester was used as a representative composition of typical biodiesel fuels. The heating and evaporation of ethanol–biodiesel–diesel (EBD) blends were investigated using the Discrete–Component (DC) model. The Cetane Number (CN) of the EBD blends was predicted based on the individual hydrocarbon contributions in the mixture. The mixture viscosity was predicted using the Universal Quasi-Chemical Functional group Activity Coefficients and Viscosity (UNIFAC–VISCO) method, and the lower heating value of the mixture was predicted based on the volume fractions and density of species and blends. Results revealed that a mixture of up to 15% biodiesel, 5% ethanol, and 80% diesel fuels had led to small variations in droplet lifetime, CN, viscosity, and heating value of pure diesel, with less than 1.2%, 0.2%, 2%, and 2.2% reduction in those values, respectively.