ABSTRACT
Energy demands have increased substantially as a result of the increase in industrialization, suburbanization and living standards. Therefore, sustainable energy sources are necessary for all nations. Biodiesel is a potential alternative to fossil fuels that can cater to energy demands and improve energy security. The choice of suitable supply and the right blend of biodiesel are important parameters for energy production. This chapter aims to identify suitable biodiesel combinations by varying fish oil concentrations in diesel using a hybrid multicriteria decision making (MCDM) technique. A direct-injection engine with a single cylinder of 4.4 kW that runs at 1,800 rpm and variable load was used for the experiment. Five alternatives containing 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of fish oil in diesel were tested in an engine to analyze the performance characteristics. Ten performance parameters, that is, the rate of pressure rise, brake thermal efficiency, NOx, smoke, CO, CO2, exhaust gas temperature, hydrocarbon, ignition delay and combustion delay, were considered in this study. Four hybrid decision-making techniques, that is, fuzzy TOPSIS (F-TOPSIS), fuzzy VIKOR (F-VIKOR), fuzzy MOORA (F-MOORA) and COPRAS-G, were applied to find the right blend. The ranking of the blends for F-TOPSIS and F-VIKOR was B100<B80<B60<Diesel<B20<B40, whereas for F-MOORA was B100<B60<B80<Diesel<B40<B20. Therefore, it was observed that the B40 blend was the first for TOPSIS and VIKOR and second for MOORA. On comparing the performance, blending diesel with 40% biodiesel was found to be a suitable substitute for diesel. The selection of optimum blend using MCDM helps engine scientists and researchers to meet both the fuel needs and emission standards.
