Experimental study of vegetal oil spray formation in a diesel injector
Solimar Carra Perera1; Thamy Cristina Hayashi2
1 Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Mecânica; 2 Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica
doi:10.20906/CPS/COB-2015-2267
Resumo
Brazil's great potential for growing of oleaginous plants has improved the interest in the usage of vegetal oils in substitution for diesel oil in internal combustion engines. In a scenario that brings about the need for the study of alternative, renewable energy sources, the combustible properties of vegetable oil in natura have supported the research of its combustion in internal combustion engines in spite of its main use as raw material in the production of biofuels. However, besides the before mentioned advantages of the use of vegetable oils, its physico-chemical properties result in low atomization inside the cylinders of internal combustion engines, which contributes to incomplete combustion, low efficiency, carbon products deposition and increased consumption of fuel. Characteristics of the spray formed through injection depend on the fuel properties as well as on injection condition and aerodynamic effects. Because of that, non intrusive measurement techniques are preferred for the study of the atomization process. This work presents an experimental study of the characteristics of the spray formed through injection of vegetable oil in natura inside a pressurized chamber by means of high speed photographs of laser-illuminated sprays. Results of drop distribution and spray length and angle for a range of operation pressure are compared to those obtained for the injection of diesel.
Palavras-chave: Vegetable oil combustion; Spray formation