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Fuel Characteristics of Vegetable Oil from Oilseed Crops in the Pacific Northwest¹

In recent years, the agricultural industry has been threatened by the increased costs and limited supplies of petroleum fuels.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate vegetable oil from various oilseed crops adapted to the Pacific Northwest as a potential source of liquid fuel for diesel engines. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), oleic and linoleic safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), and low and high erucic acid rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) oils were evaluated for fatty acid composition, energy content, viscosity, and engine performance in short-term tests. During 20-min engine tests power output, fuel economy, and thermal efficiency were compared to diesel fuel. The long-term effect of using linoleic safflower oil as a fuel was evaluated in a single cylinder diesel engine operated for 830 hours.

Vegetable oils contained 94 to 95% of the energy content (KJ/L) of diesel fuel, but were 11.1 to 17.6 times more viscous. Viscosity of the vegetable oils was related to fatty acid chain length and number of unsaturated bonds (R² = 0.99). During short-term engine tests, all vegetable oils produced power outputs equivalent to diesel, and had thermal efficiencies 1.8 to 2.8% higher than diesel. After 830 hours of operation, linoleic safflower oil formed extensive carbon deposits in the combustion chamber and exhaust port and heavy gum deposits on the injector and compression rings. The development of an additive package to inhibit carbon and gum formation is essential before pure vegetable oils can be used for long-term operation of diesel engines.

Key Words: Vegetable oil • Fatty acid composition • Fuel performance • Thermal efficiency • Energy content • Viscosity • Longterm engine performance • Oilseed crops • Helianthus annuus L. • Carthamus tinctorius L. • Brassica napus L.

² Research associate, professor of agriculture engineering, associate professor of plant breeding and genetics, and former undergraduates, Univ. of Idaho, Moscow.

Received for publication April 6, 1981.