Experimental and numerical analysis of a reactor for plastic waste conversion and performance evaluation of pyrolytic fuel blend with diesel in a 1.6 HDi engine

Abstract

This study examines the potential of fuel obtained through pyrolysis of plastic waste as a substitute for traditional diesel in powering diesel engines. For this purpose, reactor optimization was conducted through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) using ANSYS software, minimizing thermal stresses and deformations, thus ensuring the resistance and stability of the pyrolysis unit materials at high temperatures. A maximum yield of 74.3 % by weight of Crude Pyrolytic Oil (CPO) was achieved at temperatures of 380 °C and 390 °C. FT-IR and GC–MS analyses revealed that CPO oil primarily consists of aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds, with carbon chains ranging from C₈ to C₂₈. After filtration and purification of the CPO oil, the PPFO10 blend, consisting of 10 % pyrolytic oil and 90 % diesel, was tested on a 1.6HDi diesel engine installed in a vehicle. The performance and emissions of this blend were contrasted with those of pure diesel. The findings indicated that the PPFO10 blend exhibited performance almost equivalent to that of pure diesel. Full-load tests indicated slightly reduced CO₂ emissions, while CO, UHC, and NO_x emissions were slightly increased with the PPFO10 blend. However, the study concludes that the utilization of pyrolytic oil as a substitute for diesel holds promising potential for reducing fossil resource depletion.