Modelling of droplet burning for rapeseed oil as liquid fuel

Abstract

The use of vegetable oils as an energetic supply for transportation and heating purposes is becoming a possible and technically feasible option to reduce the energetic dependence on oil of developed countries. A mathematical model is developed in order to study the combustion of the most common rapeseed oil in heating devices. The study is about the simple model of droplet evaporation and burning, trying to highlight the most relevant physical processes occurring in the environment of the droplet during vaporization and subsequent combustion of rapeseed oil. A comparison with results obtained from the same model but applied to diesel fuel is provided, which allows to establish the most critical aspects affecting rapeseed oil use as a fuel in relation to that of conventional diesel.