Comparison of Small Engine Performance Using Commercial Diesel Fuel and Coconut Oil

 Delfin C. Suministrado¹, Romulo E. Eusebio¹ and Darwin C. Aranguren¹

 

ABSTRACT

An evaluation of the performance of a small diesel engine using diesel fuel and coconut oil was conducted in the laboratory. Commercial diesel fuel and homemade coconut oil extracted by the wet process were used to run the engine. The tests were conducted following the Philippine Agricultural Engineering Standards (PAES) on Testing of Small Engines. The performance characteristics were evaluated through torque, power, specific fuel consumption, noise and temperatures of exhaust gas and cooling water. The data showed no difference in the performance of the engines using the two fuels. The paper also discusses the viability of using coconut oil as a possible diesel fuel substitute for rural areas.

Keywords: coconut oil, diesel engine, biofuel

¹ Director, Engineer III and Engineer IV, respectively, Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center, College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology,University of the Philippines Los Baños, 4031 College, Laguna, Philippines.