A comprehensive approach for estimating thermo-physical properties of biodiesel fuels

Among the various alternative fuels, biodiesel is emerging as a promising choice for compression ignition engines due to its renewable nature and superior emission characteristics. The experimental investigations conducted by various researchers on variety of biodiesel fuels show a wide variation in engine performance and emission characteristics. The lack of correlations predicting various physical properties of biodiesel fuels derived from different feed stocks is posing a serious limitation to the combustion modelers. The present study attempts to evolve a comprehensive methodology for estimating the properties of biodiesel fuels based on their composition and chemical structure. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.