Modification in combustion chamber geometry of CI engines for suitability of biodiesel: A review

Biodiesel is one of the most rapidly emerging fuels that promise to replace diesel in the near future. However, there are a number of challenges that lay ahead, both in terms of technical aspects as well as economic and replacement policies. If it is used in a regular engine, biodiesel does not give the same performance as diesel. This follows the fact that some alterations are to be incorporated into the engine. Combustion chamber (CC) geometry is one of the most important factors that affect the performance of the engine. Variations in these geometries, even by a slight amount have shown an enormous change in the performance and emission parameters. In this article, different combustion chamber geometries have been considered and results obtained from experimental and numerical analysis was discussed. The results include performance parameters (brake thermal efficiency, brake specific fuel consumption), combustion parameters (heat release rate, cylinder pressure, ignition delay, peak pressure) and emission parameters (Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides, smoke, unburnt hydrocarbons and sulfur dioxide). The result shows that slight modification in combustion chamber leads to the suitability of biodiesel in CI engine.