Spray Characteristics of Biodiesel Fuels in Diesel Engines
Summary
Biodiesel fuels, derived from vegetable oils or animal fats, exhibit distinct spray behaviours in diesel engines compared with conventional petroleum diesel. Key spray parameters such as spray tip penetration, cone angle and droplet size distribution govern air–fuel mixing, ignition delay and combustion efficiency. Higher kinematic viscosity and density of fatty acid methyl esters tend to shorten penetration and narrow cone angles, while elevated injection pressures and increased ambient temperatures promote finer atomisation and wider dispersion. Temperature of the fuel and ambient pressure within the combustion chamber further modulate vapourisation rates and breakup of liquid jets. Experimental studies often employ constant volume chambers or high-pressure common rail systems coupled with optical diagnostics, whereas computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models integrate breakup and evaporation sub-models to predict spray evolution. An improved understanding of these interactions supports optimisation of injection strategies, reduction of soot and NOx emissions and adaptation of existing engines to alternative fuels without major hardware modifications. Recent advances have explored novel feedstocks, injector geometries and additive packages to tailor spray formation and enhance global prospects for renewable diesel applications.
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Spray Characteristics of Biodiesel Fuels in Diesel Engines publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in spray characteristics of biodiesel fuels in diesel engines across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Spray tip penetration: The axial distance travelled by the leading edge of the fuel jet before significant breakup or evaporation occurs.
Spray cone angle: The angular spread of the fuel jet as it exits the injector, influencing the spatial distribution of droplets.
Sauter mean diameter (SMD): The diameter of a droplet having the same volume-to-surface-area ratio as the entire spray, indicating average atomisation quality.
Atomisation: The process by which the liquid fuel jet disintegrates into fine droplets under aerodynamic and shear forces.
Common rail injection: A high-pressure fuel delivery system that allows precise control of injection timing and pressure independent of engine speed.
Constant volume chamber: A diagnostic vessel used to visualise spray under controlled pressure and temperature without flow disturbances.
References
- Macroscopic spray characteristics of next-generation bio-derived diesel fuels in comparison to mineral diesel. Applied Energy (2017).
- An Experimental Study on the Macroscopic Spray Characteristics of Biodiesel and Diesel in a Constant Volume Chamber. Energies (2015).
- Recent Advances in Fuel Additives and Their Spray Characteristics for Diesel-Based Blends. Energies (2022).
- Effects of Temperature and Ambient Pressure on Spray Characteristics of Biodiesel Combustion. Applied Mechanics and Materials (2015).
- Investigation of spray characteristics from waste cooking oil, bio-hydro fined diesel oil (BHD)and n-tridecane in a constant volume chamber. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering (2020).
- Numerical and Experimental Spray Analysis of Castor and Jatropha Biodiesel under Non-Evaporating Conditions. Energies (2022).
- Experimental and numerical investigations on spray characteristics of fatty acid methyl esters. Royal Society Open Science (2018).
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