Optimizing the performance and emissions of diesel engines fueled with neem biodiesel blend and Al2O3 nanoparticles using an integrated approach of ANN-MOPSO

Purpose The impact of nanoparticle additives on the performance and emission parameters of a four-cylinder diesel engine fueled with biodiesel-diesel blends has been studied. Design/methodology/approach This study examined three independent parameters: the concentration of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) nanoparticles (expressed in ppm), engine load (measured in kW) and engine speed (measured in rpm). These factors are analyzed for their effects on diesel engine performance and emissions, using a 20:80 blend of neem oil biodiesel and diesel. The evaluation encompasses performance metrics such as brake-specific fuel consumption and brake thermal efficiency, alongside emissions measurements for nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO). Each experiment has been assessed and optimized using an artificial neural network with multi-objective particle swarm optimization (ANN-MOPSO). Findings The results indicated that an Al2O3 concentration of 97.72 ppm significantly improves performance and emissions compared to other concentrations. Based on this analysis, the optimal parameters have been found to be a brake specific fuel consumption of 223.24 g/kWh, a brake thermal efficiency of 38.48%, and emissions of 288.72 ppm for NOx, 2.5 ppm for HC, and 0.016% volume for CO. These optimal results have been achieved at an Al2O3 concentration of 95.72 ppm, an engine load of 31.72 kW and an engine speed of 1768 rpm. A confirmation test has been conducted to validate the predicted results Originality/value The results showed that, compared to diesel, there is a significant reduction in CO and HC emissions for biodiesel-Al2O3 blend fuels, accompanied by a slight increase in NOx emissions, as well as improved performance parameters.