This work examines the effect of butanol as an oxygenated additive to lower carbon monoxide, smoke, nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbon emissions and to improve the performance aspects of Calophyllum inophyllum (Punnai) biodiesel. Singlecylinder, oil-cooled compression ignition engines are employed in this work. Neat Punnai biodiesel (P100) is blended with butanol at 10% and 20% by volume and labelled as B10P90 and B20P80, respectively. Methanol and alkaline catalyst (KOH) were used for the transesterification process for biodiesel production. The transesterification technique yielded 88% biodiesel from raw Punnai oil. Engine tests resulted in lower CO, smoke, NO x and HC emissions when fuelled with both butanol blends when compared to P100. In addition, BSFC (brake-specific fuel consumption) reduced and BTE (brake thermal efficiency) increased with the inclusion of butanol blends (B10 and B20) to neat Punnai biodiesel.

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This study examines the impact of the oxygenated additives namely DTBP (Di-Tetra-Butyl-Phenol) and 1-Pentadecanol (1-DEC) on emissions, combustion and performance patterns of Karanja biodiesel/diesel blends. Two additives were selected as ignition improver owing to their improved physicochemical properties. The additives were mixed at 10% volume with the equal blends of diesel and biodiesel. Experimental results revealed that by adding additives and biodiesel to diesel found no phase separation. HRR and peak pressure were highest for diesel and least for KBD/D blends. However, blending the additives enhanced its HRR and peak pressure. Addition of additives lowered the harmful emissions significantly with a slight increase in NO emissions to the KBD/D blends. In addition, a noteworthy increase in performance aspects was observed for KBD/D blends by adding DTBP and 1-Pentadecanol.

A flat plate solar water heater is investigated for its efficiency when water and the copper oxide (CuO) of 20 nm size nanoparticles of varying volume fractions and their performance are studied. A solar water heater with a flat plate collector of dimensions 1 × 0.45 m2 with 25 liter per day storage tank capacity, which works on the thermo‐syphon principle, is fabricated. The collector is run with a base working fluid of deionized water and then with CuO nanoparticles for different volume fractions of 0.2% and 0.4% with a surfactant to study the collector's efficiency. The surfactant used in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide of 1% in working fluid. The rise in temperature and the collector efficiency is compared for different volume fractions of CuO nanoparticles in the collector. The mixing of nanoparticles thus improves the efficiency of the collector. The experimental result shows that the collector with a 0.4% volume fraction of CuO with water as a working fluid has the maximum rise in temperature and efficiency compared with that of 0.2% and water. During the test, CuO without surfactant showed a slight decrement in heat transfer due to the agglomeration. The collector efficiency for 0.4% volume fraction achieves 63.28%, for 0.2% is 61.58%, and for water 54.15%. The overall efficiency was increased by up to 9.1% compared with base conventional fluid water for lower volume fractions of CuO nanoparticles for a smaller collector area.