Influence of FAME Blends in Diesel Fuel on Driveability Performance of Diesel Vehicles at Low Temperatures

In this study influence of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) blends in petroleum based diesel fuel on cold performance was investigated. First, influences on pour point (PP), cold filter plugging point (CFPP) and cloud point (CP) were evaluated for palm oil methyl ester (PME) and rape-seed oil methyl ester (RME) blends. RME-blended fuels showed similar properties to those of the base fuel. Thus, for vehicle tests, low temperature performance was examined with PME-blended fuels only. Startability and driveability were evaluated at varying temperatures using two vehicles (one old model and one new model). The results indicated that at low temperatures PME blends would deteriorate driveability performance.