Power Generation from Karanj Bio-diesel

摘要

Bio-diesel fuel derived by the trans-esterification of any vegetable oil meets the requirements of a diesel fuel. The bio-diesel processor was developed for the production of bio-diesel from non-edible oil of Karanj(Pongamia pinnata L) The developed bio-diesel processor is suitable for farmer for village level bio-diesel production. The bio-diesel processor was capable of producing 15 kg bio-diesel per batch in 1.5 h at reaction temperature of 60°C. The bio-diesel was produced from raw Karanj oil and its blends with diesel were tested for power generation in 7.5 KVA diesel engine generator set. The fuel properties namely kinematic viscosity and specific gravity were found within the limits of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications. The overall efficiency of the generator for 4500 W and 6000 W loading condition for Karanj bio-diesel blended fuel was recorded in the range of 25-27 and 35-38, respectively. Bio-diesel blends with petro-diesel B20, B40 and pure bio-diesel(B100) of Karanj produced more power and gave higher overall efficiency as compared with diesel fueled generator. The bio-diesel processor developed on alkali catalyzed trans-esterification process can be used for quality bio-diesel production from vegetable oil.