Abstract
We examined the use of rapeseed oil as diesel fuel to assess the rapidly increasing use of larger rapeseed crops and widening cultivated areas in Japan. A diesel generator was modified for this study using a commercial conversion kit. Then the generator was run for 1 250 h using straight rapeseed oil and 250 h with kerosene for comparison. Quality analysis of the engine oil showed no severe damage to the engine and no severe accident during the test run. The engine stopped several times, apparently because of plugging of the fuel filter as a result of insufficient maintenance. Homemade rapeseed oil can be contaminated, rather more than kerosene, with dust or moisture. Therefore, filter maintenance plays a more important role for an engine fuelled by rapeseed oil than that fuelled by kerosene. For practical use of a generator supplied with rapeseed oil, a backup system and a technician should be prepared for an unexpected engine stoppage. The diesel generator was found to consume more rapeseed oil hourly than kerosene by 6–13 % for a constant load and by 8 % for an alternating load, probably because kerosene has more calories than rapeseed oil. Engine oil analysis revealed that less soot was produced by the supplied rapeseed oil than by kerosene. The duration of 1 250 h for a generator is almost equal to 7 years of operation, which is the useful lifetime for agricultural equipment based on depreciation (Japanese Ministry of Finance) of this power source, which can be used for grain-drying to oil-cleaning processes for 2 ha rapeseed cultivation.
