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Amplifying performance, combustion, and emission characteristics of a CRDI engine using diesel-WCO methyl ester-dyglyme ternary fuel blends with carbon nanotubes
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  • Published: 07 March 2026

Amplifying performance, combustion, and emission characteristics of a CRDI engine using diesel-WCO methyl ester-dyglyme ternary fuel blends with carbon nanotubes

  • Sarojini Jajimoggala1,
  • Malathi Narra9,
  • Shabana Shabana1,
  • P. Uma Maheswara Rao2,
  • Debabrata Barik3,4,
  • Milon Selvam Dennison5,
  • R. Srinivasan6,
  • Ayyar Dinesh7 &
  • …
  • Saravanan Rajendran8 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

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Subjects

  • Chemistry
  • Energy science and technology
  • Engineering
  • Environmental sciences
  • Nanoscience and technology

Abstract

The present study investigates the performance, combustion, and emission characteristics of various fuel formulations, including neat diesel (D100), a biodiesel blend (WCO20: 20% waste cooking oil methyl ester and 80% diesel), a Ternary Fuel (TF) blend composed of 20% WCOME, 70% diesel, and 10% diglyme (DGM), and TF blends doped with Carbon Nanotube (CNT) nanoparticles at concentrations of 25, 50, and 75 mg/L. All fuel samples were evaluated using a twin-cylinder, four-stroke, Common Rail Direct Injection (CRDI) compression-ignition engine. Biodiesel is prepared from WCO using the well-known transesterification process. The NPs included in TF samples are found to be stable and confirmed by characterization (FESEM, HRTEM, FTIR, and UV Spectroscopy). The performance parameters, such as Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE), are increased by 15.15%, and Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) is decreased by 16.5%. Moreover, the combustion parameters, including Cylinder Pressure (CP), Net Heat Release Rate (NHRR), Mass Fraction Burning (MFB), and Cumulative Heat Release Rate (CHRR), are improved due to catalytic activity, higher evaporation capacity of DGM, improved rate of reaction, and oxygen content in the fuel blend. The emission characteristics, including Carbon monoxide (CO), Carbon dioxide (CO2), Hydrocarbons (HC), and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), are reduced by 17.5, 22.27, 22.09, and 25.8% at higher load for the TF+CNT50 mix, respectively. The outcomes show the feasibility of DGM and CNT NPs as suitable additives in the WCO20 sample for lower emission parameters without compromising performance and combustion characteristics.

Data availability

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Abbreviations

ASTM:

American Society for Testing and Materials

B20:

20% Vol. of Biodiesel mixed in 80% Vol. of Diesel

BSFC:

Brake Specific Fuel Consumption

BTE:

Brake Thermal Efficiency

CHRR:

Cumulative Heat Release Rate

CI:

Compression Ignition

CO:

Carbon monoxide

CO2 :

Carbondioxide

CP:

Cylinder Pressure

CRDI:

Common Rail Direct Injection

D100:

Diesel

DGM:

Diglyme

FESEM:

Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope

FTIR:

Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

GNPs:

Graphene Nanoplatelets

GO:

Graphene Oxide

HC:

Hydrocarbon

HRTEM:

High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy

IP:

Injection Pressure

IT:

Injection Timing

MFB:

Mass Fraction Burning

MGT:

Mean Gas Temperature

NHRR:

Net Heat Release Rate

NOX :

Ntirogen Oxide

NPs:

Nanoparticles

PM:

Particle Matter

TF:

Ternary Fuel

TF+CNT25:

CNTs at a dosage of 25 mg/l is dispersed in TF sample

TF+CNT50:

CNTs at a dosage of 50 mg/l is dispersed in TF sample

TF+CNT75:

CNTs at a dosage of 75 mg/l is dispersed in TF sample

WCO20:

20% Vol. of WCO is blended in 80% Vol. of diesel

WCOME:

Waste Cooking Oil Methyl Ester

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Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely thank Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, India, and Kampala International University, Western Campus, Kampala, Uganda, for providing the facilities that enabled this research to be carried out.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Technology, GITAM (Deemed to Be University, Visakhapatnam, 530045, India

    Sarojini Jajimoggala & Shabana Shabana

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aditya University, Surampalem, 533437, India

    P. Uma Maheswara Rao

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, 641021, India

    Debabrata Barik

  4. Centre for Energy and Environment, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, 641021, India

    Debabrata Barik

  5. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kampala International University, Western Campus, Ishaka-Bushenyi, 20000, Uganda

    Milon Selvam Dennison

  6. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, SIMATS, Chennai, 602105, Tamil Nadu, India

    R. Srinivasan

  7. Department of Chemistry, K. Ramakrishnan College of Engineering (Autonomous), Affiliated to Anna University, Samayapuram, Trichy, 621112, Tamil Nadu, India

    Ayyar Dinesh

  8. Instituto de Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, 1000000, Chile

    Saravanan Rajendran

  9. Department of Civil Engineering, Siddhartha Academy of Higher Education, Deemed to be University , Vijaywada, 520007, India

    Malathi Narra

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Contributions

**Sarojini Jajimoggala** – Conceptualization of the study, experimental design, and data acquisition. **Malathi Narra** – Fuel preparation and analysis of fuel properties. **Shabana Shabana** – Literature review, methodology refinement, and data validation. **Uma Maheswara Rao P** – Engine testing supervision, performance analysis, and interpretation of results. **Debabrata Barik** – Drafting, critical revision of the manuscript, and highlighting innovation and application aspects. **Milon Selvam Dennison** – Overall supervision, coordination among authors, and final approval of the manuscript. **R. Srinivasan -** Writing, review, and editing of the manuscript. **Ayyar Dinesh** – Support in characterization and preparation of visual illustrations. **Saravanan Rajendran** – Statistical analysis, interpretation of emission trends, and strengthening of discussion.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Malathi Narra, Debabrata Barik or Milon Selvam Dennison.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Not applicable. The study did not involve humans or animals.

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Jajimoggala, S., Narra, M., Shabana, S. et al. Amplifying performance, combustion, and emission characteristics of a CRDI engine using diesel-WCO methyl ester-dyglyme ternary fuel blends with carbon nanotubes. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43211-6

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  • Received: 13 October 2025

  • Accepted: 02 March 2026

  • Published: 07 March 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43211-6

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Keywords

  • Diglyme
  • Carbon Nanotubes
  • Ternary Fuel
  • Compression Ignition
  • Performance
  • Emission
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