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Sensing Method and Fiber Optic Capillary Sensor for Testing the Quality of Biodiesel Fuel

Authors:
Michal Borecki
Piotr Doroz
Jan Szmidt
Michael L. Korwin-Pawlowski
Andrzej Kociubiński
Mariusz Duk

Keywords: biodiesel fuel, fuel quality, useful state of fuel, fiber optic capillaries, fiber optic sensors, capillary sensos

Abstract:
There are many fuel quality standards introduced by national organizations and fuel producers. Usual techniques for measuring the quality of fuel, as for example cetane index, fraction composition and flash point, require relatively complex and expensive laboratory equipment. Therefore, testing of fuel is not rapid and can be costly. On the fuel user side, fast and low cost sensing of useful state biodiesel fuel is important. For this purpose, we have investigated the sensing method and sensor head that could be cheap in instrumentation as well as in fuel examination, and lead itself to automation. The method presented in this paper is based on fiber optic capillaries with local heating. We have investigated the construction of the sensor that imitates the fuel injection process and of he local heating element, the two critical elements for biodiesel fuel testing. We propose a new capillary optrode construction that enables measuring of time of vapor phase creation. We examine fuels that are mixtures of characterized components of petrodiesel fuel and bio-esters as well as edible rapeseed oil. We show that useful state of biodiesel fuel can be determined from the time of local heating that is required for vapor phase creation and the local time of vapor bubble formation.

Pages: 19 to 24

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2013

Publication date: August 25, 2013

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-3514

ISBN: 978-1-61208-297-4

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Dates: from August 25, 2013 to August 31, 2013