Your Fries Give Me Gas! The Viscosity of Various Bio-diesel Blends in Cold Temperatures

Overview

Objectives/Goals The purpose of my project is to find out whether or not temperature affects the viscosity of bio-diesel fuel blended with different bio-fuel/diesel fuel ratios. Methods/Materials Eleven samples were prepared using pure B100 bio-diesel fuel and pure Diesel #2 fuel. A graduated cylinder was used to prepare various blends with the ratio of bio-diesel to diesel varied in ten percent increments. The blended samples were poured into test tubes and placed in a temperature-controlled chamber. Viscosity of each blend was measured at various temperatures ranging from +25 to -20 degrees Celsius using a viscosimeter with a 2.0 millimeter orifice and a stopwatch. Temperatures were measured with a thermocouple. Results The results show that temperature affects the viscosity of the mixtures, depending on the blend ratios. Pure bio-diesel (B100) gelled at -4 degrees Celsius, while pure Diesel #2 gelled at -19 degrees Celsius. Significantly, the viscosity of all blends remained relatively constant until the gel-point was reached. *Note: Gel point is the temperature at which the fuels did not flow. Conclusions/Discussion All of the bio-diesel blends tested would be suitable for the Southern California marketplace. However, higher bio-diesel ratios could be problematic in colder climates such as in the Upper Midwest during the winter season. Bio-diesel appears to be a very viable alternative fuel to reduce dependence on imported oil and air pollution.

Competition history

• CSEF 2007 Product Science (Junior Division Only) · Entry J1812

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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