Abstract

Application of Taguchi Approach to Optimize Performance and Emission Parameters of Single Cylinder Direct Injection Diesel Engine Using Karanja Methyl Ester

Author(s): Venkatanarayana B and Ratnam CH

The present study deals with the use of Taguchi approach to optimize the engine performance and emission characteristics of single cylinder DI engine which operates with Karanja oil methyl ester called KOME of 10% blend, 20% blend, 30% blend and 40% blend. As per the DOE, Taguchi L16 orthogonal array was considered. The signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) were exploited to establish the optimal factor levels and to analyze the effect of the significant conditions on performance and emission characteristics. Among all the key engine operating parameters, 5 critical factors were selected which are namely load (L), the percentage of KOME, compression ratio (CR), injection pressure (IP) and injection timing (IT). The confirmative experiment was conducted and tested at the confidence level. Analysis of brake thermal efficiency (BTHE), HC and NOx presented and discussed. The results of this study revealed that BTHE was highly influenced by the percentage of the blend; NOx was influenced by the CR.a