Saroj Kumar Mohapatra

Bio: Saroj Kumar Mohapatra is an academic researcher from Thapar University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Diesel fuel & Biodiesel. The author has an hindex of 21, co-authored 112 publications receiving 1266 citations.

Brown hemp methyl ester: Transesterification process and evaluation of fuel properties

Abstract: The present study was conducted to standardize the esterification process parameters for the production of methyl ester of raw hemp oil. The effect of process parameters such as molar ratio, catalyst concentration, and reaction time was studied to standardize the esterification process and for estimating the highest recovery of ester with lowest possible viscosity. Based on the observations from the ester recovery and kinematic viscosity, it can be seen that raw hemp oil at 6:1 M ratio may be reacted with methanol at 60 °C reaction temperature for 45 min in the presence of 2 g of KOH and then allowed to settle for 24 h in order to get lowest kinematic viscosity with ester recovery of 90.62%. The yield of hemp methyl ester was found to be 90.62% with oil methanol ratio of 0.37 w/w and 0.01 w/w alkali catalyst. Different fuel properties such as density, kinematic viscosity, flash point, fire point, cloud point, pour point, free fatty acid content and calorific value of the hemp methyl ester and hemp oil were measured. From the properties and engine test results it has been established that methyl ester of hemp oil can be substituted for diesel oil. Methyl ester of above non-edible oil has several advantages among other new renewable and engine fuel alternatives along with its environmental benefits.

Optimization of biodiesel production from grape seed oil using Taguchi's orthogonal array

Abstract: The physicochemical properties of biodiesel are very similar to those of petroleum diesel fuel. The main focus of this study is the production of the biodiesel from grape seed oil. This study shows...

Erosion wear performance of Ni-Cr-O and NiCrBSiFe-WC(Co) composite coatings deposited by HVOF technique

Abstract: Purpose This study/paper aims to investigate the erosion wear performance of Ni-based coatings [Ni-Cr-O and NiCrBSiFe-WC(Co)] under sand-water slurry conditions. Design/methodology/approach A high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) process was used to deposit the Ni-based coatings [Ni-Cr-O and NiCrBSiFe-WC(Co)] on the surface of stainless steel (SS 316L) substrate. A Ducom TR-41 erosion tester was used to conduct the tribological experiments on bare/HVOF coated SS 316L. The erosion wear experiments were carried out for different time durations (1.30-3.00 h) at different impact angles (0-60°) by running the pot tester at different rotational speeds (600-1,500 rev/min). The solid concentration of sand slurry was taken in the range of 30-60 Wt.%. The surface roughness of Ni-based coated surfaces was also measured along the transverse length of the specimens. Findings Results show the arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) values of Ni-Cr-O and NiCrBSiFe-WC coated SS-316L were 7.04 and 6.67 µm, respectively. The erosion wear SS-316L was almost 3.5 ± 1.5 times greater than that of the NiCrBSiFe-WC coatings. NiBCrSi-WC(Co) sprayed SS-316L showed lower erosion wear than Ni-Cr-O sprayed SS-316L. Microscopically, the eroded Ni-Cr-O coating underwent plowing, microcutting and craters. Ni-Cr-O coating have shown the ductile nature of erosion wear mechanism. NiBCrSi-WC(Co) surface underwent craters, plowing, carbide/boride pullout, fractures and intact. Erosion wear mechanisms on the eroded surface of NiBCrSi-WC(Co) were neither purely ductile nor brittle. Practical implications It is a useful technique to estimate the erosion wear of hydraulic machinery coated with Ni-based coatings imposed under mining conditions. Originality/value The erosion wear performance of HVOF-sprayed Ni-Cr-O and NiCrBSiFe-WC(Co) powders was investigated through extensive experimentation, and the results are well supported by scanning electron micrographs and 3D topology.

A comprehensive review on biodiesel as an alternative energy resource and its characteristics

Abstract: As the fossil fuels are depleting day by day, there is a need to find out an alternative fuel to fulfill the energy demand of the world. Biodiesel is one of the best available resources that have come to the forefront recently. In this paper, a detailed review has been conducted to highlight different related aspects to biodiesel industry. These aspects include, biodiesel feedstocks, extraction and production methods, properties and qualities of biodiesel, problems and potential solutions of using vegetable oil, advantages and disadvantages of biodiesel, the economical viability and finally the future of biodiesel. The literature reviewed was selective and critical. Highly rated journals in scientific indexes were the preferred choice, although other non-indexed publications, such as Scientific Research and Essays or some internal reports from highly reputed organizations such as International Energy Agency (IEA), Energy Information Administration (EIA) and British Petroleum (BP) have also been cited. Based on the overview presented, it is clear that the search for beneficial biodiesel sources should focus on feedstocks that do not compete with food crops, do not lead to land-clearing and provide greenhouse-gas reductions. These feedstocks include non-edible oils such as Jatropha curcas and Calophyllum inophyllum , and more recently microalgae and genetically engineered plants such as poplar and switchgrass have emerged to be very promising feedstocks for biodiesel production. It has been found that feedstock alone represents more than 75% of the overall biodiesel production cost. Therefore, selecting the best feedstock is vital to ensure low production cost. It has also been found that the continuity in transesterification process is another choice to minimize the production cost. Biodiesel is currently not economically feasible, and more research and technological development are needed. Thus supporting policies are important to promote biodiesel research and make their prices competitive with other conventional sources of energy. Currently, biodiesel can be more effective if used as a complement to other energy sources.

Non-edible vegetable oils: A critical evaluation of oil extraction, fatty acid compositions, biodiesel production, characteristics, engine performance and emissions production

Abstract: World energy demand is expected to increase due to the expanding urbanization, better living standards and increasing population. At a time when society is becoming increasingly aware of the declining reserves of fossil fuels beside the environmental concerns, it has become apparent that biodiesel is destined to make a substantial contribution to the future energy demands of the domestic and industrial economies. There are different potential feedstocks for biodiesel production. Non-edible vegetable oils which are known as the second generation feedstocks can be considered as promising substitutions for traditional edible food crops for the production of biodiesel. The use of non-edible plant oils is very significant because of the tremendous demand for edible oils as food source. Moreover, edible oils’ feedstock costs are far expensive to be used as fuel. Therefore, production of biodiesel from non-edible oils is an effective way to overcome all the associated problems with edible oils. However, the potential of converting non-edible oil into biodiesel must be well examined. This is because physical and chemical properties of biodiesel produced from any feedstock must comply with the limits of ASTM and DIN EN specifications for biodiesel fuels. This paper introduces non-edible vegetable oils to be used as biodiesel feedstocks. Several aspects related to these feedstocks have been reviewed from various recent publications. These aspects include overview of non-edible oil resources, advantages of non-edible oils, problems in exploitation of non-edible oils, fatty acid composition profiles (FAC) of various non-edible oils, oil extraction techniques, technologies of biodiesel production from non-edible oils, biodiesel standards and characterization, properties and characteristic of non-edible biodiesel and engine performance and emission production. As a conclusion, it has been found that there is a huge chance to produce biodiesel from non-edible oil sources and therefore it can boost the future production of biodiesel.

Recent advances in the development of biomass gasification technology: A comprehensive review

Abstract: Due to fast climate change and foreseen damage through global warming, access to clean and green energy has become very much essential for the sustainable development of the society, globally. Biomass based energy is one of the important renewable energy resources to meet the day to day energy requirements and is as old as the human civilization. Biomass gasification is among few important aspects of bioenergy for producing heat, power and biofuels for useful applications. Despite, the availability of vast literature, technological and material advancements, the dissemination of gasification technology could not overcome the critical barriers for the widespread acceptability over the conventional energy resources. This article presents a comprehensive review on the technical advancements, developments of biomass gasification technology and the barriers being faced by different stakeholders in the wide dissemination of the technology for day to day requirements of the society, followed by recommendations for policy makers to make this technology popular while serving the society.

Biomass and bioenergy

Abstract: Plant biomass are woody and non-wood materials (e.g., oil palm, bamboo, rattan, bagasse, and kenaf) and are abundant and renewable resource. Unfortunately, the heavy reliance on this resource is a threat to forest ecosystems and a recipe for accelerated land resource degradation. Due to the increasing scarcity of wood resources, many rural communities have shifted to utilization of crop residues for many different applications. The non-wood biomass is readily available, environmental friendly, and technologically suitable, and therefore, an excellent raw material for the future. The non-wood materials like bamboo, rattan, oil palm, and bagasse have superior properties and durability, which can be further prolonged by the modifi cation treatment. The modifi cation treatments increase the performance of the non-wood and could make it suitable for applications in many fi elds ranging from construction industry to automotive industry. This chapter deals with the properties improvement techniques of the selected non-wood biomasses and evaluates its applications for various purposes. The new developments dealing with the improvement of non-wood properties have also been presented in the chapter. The performance of non-wood biomass materials has been compared to the wood-based materials. Recent studies pertaining to the above topics have also been cited. Finally, the advanced applications of the improved non-wood biomasses have been highlighted.