Analysis of the Characteristic and Performance Development of Coconut Biodiesel

Biodiesel was developed in Indonesia as a key to energy security and reduced fossil fuel utilization. Coconut oil is an example of biodiesel development, which is used to make biodiesel because contains 50% fatty acids and 7% capric acid. The biodiesel standard will be shown the characteristics of biodiesel, such as density, viscosity, flash point, flame temperature, cone flame height, flame color, and performance. This research examined the temperature of biodiesel mixed by Pertamina dex (B0, B5, and B10) with air–fuel ratio 1 used thermocouple type K at 3 points namely TC1, TC2, and TC3. Then, the performance of biodiesel B0, B5, and B10 was also examined by diesel machine 4 cylinder. The result shows that the highest temperature of B0 at TC1 which is placed near the inner flame by 1142 °C and the lowest temperature is B10 at TC3 which is placed above TC1 and TC2 by 1067 °C. The highest flame cone height is B10 by 16.33 mm neither the lowest flame cone height is B0 by 13.91 mm. The increase of the biodiesel percentage will reduce the flame color, flame temperature, and flame cone height of coconut biodiesel. The biodiesel performance shows that B5 at 2500 rpm reached the highest power by 30.56 kW, following the lowest power by B0 at 1600 rpm about 19.70 kW. The specific fuel consumption of B0 in 2500 rpm reached the highest fuel consumption by 0.341 kg/kWh and the lowest fuel consumption by B10 about 0.275 kg/kWH in 1600 rpm.