Effect of cerium oxide nanocatalyst on performance emissions and noise of diesel biodiesel blends in a variable compression ratio engine

A recent study investigates the impact of adding biodiesel to petrol-diesel fuel blends and the use of catalysts on engine performance and emissions. This work focuses on cerium oxide nanoparticles incorporated into B10 and B20 fuel blends, where B10 consists of 90% diesel and 10% biodiesel derived from waste frying oil. The effects of these nanoparticles at concentrations of 20, 50, and 80 ppm were evaluated using a single-cylinder Variable Compression Ratio (VCR) engine. Tests were conducted at engine speeds of 1,500, 2,000, and 2,500 rpm to measure torque, power, brake thermal efficiency (BTE), specific fuel consumption (SFC), exhaust gas temperature (EGT), and emissions of CO, CO₂, unburned hydrocarbons (UHC), and NOx. The results revealed improvements of 6.43%, 6.46%, 12.78%, and 6.93% in torque, power, BTE, and EGT, respectively, compared to pure diesel. Fuel economy increased by 12.20%. Emissions of CO and UHC decreased by 1.84% and 18.33%, respectively, while NOx emissions increased by 48.43%. The study also identified a strong correlation between CO, NOx, and oxygen levels, with an inverse relationship observed between CO and NOx emissions.