Statistical analysis of Mesua Ferrea seed oil biodiesel fueled diesel engine at variable injection timings using response surface methodology

The twin problems, fossil fuel crisis and the rise in pollution, have activated research in different sources of renewable energy. In this regard, Mesua Ferrea seed oil biodiesel can be a solution which can be employed in diesel engines for power generation and transportation. Keeping this in view, Mesua Ferrea seed oil biodiesel is used in a diesel engine in this investigation. The potential for improvement in performance with varying engine load settings and injection timings is presented in this paper. The statistical investigation was carried out using analysis of variance [ANOVA], response surface methodology [RSM], and desirability-based optimization. A research test engine with a maximum load capacity of 3.5 kW was used for experimentation. Five load settings of engine [20 %, 40 %, 60 %, 80 %, 100 %] and four injection timings [20° BTDC, 23° BTDC, 25° BTDC, 28° BTDC] were employed for the study. Observation of results exhibited that the retarded injection timing of 20° BTDC lowers the emissions and improves the conversion efficiency of fuel for diesel engines powered with Mesua Ferrea seed oil biodiesel. The RSM-based modeling and optimization contributed to the identification of 23.45 % BTE, 49.75 PCP, 25.62 ppm CO, 1.38 % CO₂, and 23.38 ppm HC at 20° BTDC FIT and 72.87 % engine load. The RSM-based model forecasted results were examined using a validation test, and the findings were well within 5 % of the model-predicted outcomes, suggesting a robust model.