Application of Waste Plastic Pyrolysis Oil in a Direct Injection Diesel Engine: For a Small Scale Non-Grid Electrification

Waste plastic can be transformed to oil by the pyrolysis and it may be applicable as a fuel for diesel engines. The pyrolysis oil property varies depending on the raw waste plastic and the pyrolysis condition, which is different from that of diesel and gasoline. Considering the thermal efficiency, the running stability and the reliability, diesel engines are the most promising energy converter to generate electricity by using the pyrolysis oil. In this research, plastics from municipal wastes were converted into oil through the pyrolysis and the catalytic reforming process in a commercial facility. Compared with diesel fuel, the raw pyrolysis oil showed slightly lower kinematic viscosity than the minimum level of diesel fuel and almost the same heating value. Its carbon class differed from diesel, gasoline and kerosene and is mainly composed of naphethenes and olefins which have poor self-ignition quality. A single cylinder direct injection diesel engine was used for the test to show the compatibility of the pyrolysis oil to diesel fuel. The pyrolysis oil was blended with diesel fuel with different mixing ratios. The full load performance, the exhaust emission and the thermal efficiency were investigated from the view point of the compatibility to diesel based on the US EPA regulation mode.