Author : Kailas M. Talkit, D.T. Mahajan

An experimental investigation was performed to find out the fuel properties including kinematic viscosity, acid value and density of convectional diesel fuel, biodiesels (100% methyl ester of soybean oil, 100% methyl ester of groundnut oil) and their blends with acetone having blending ratio 95%, 85%, 75% and 65%. In the present research work, reduces the kinematic viscosity of biodiesels by two approaches. The first approach is heating of the fuel to five elevated temperature 350c, 400c, 450c, 500c and 550c and second approach is adding the one chemical in different proportions and heating it to same temperatures as compared to the base ambient temperature and to diesel fuel too. Acetone used for this purpose which improves the fuels ability to vaporize completely by reducing the surface tension and considered as a renewable and alternative fuel. The kinematic viscosity has been reduced by both methods for close to diesel values. From results obtained, it’s found that the kinematic viscosity of test fuels and its blends decreases linearly with increasing temperature and increasing blending ratio of acetone. The density and acid value of test biodiesels also decreases with increasing blending ratio of acetone.

Keywords: Biodiesels, blends, surface tension, viscosity, temperature.

Article published in International Journal of Current  Engineering  and Technology, Vol.4,No.2 (April- 2014)