Author
Submitted to: Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 5/14/1997 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: The relatively poor cold flow properties of mono-alkyl esters of vegetable oils have been well documented. These properties currently represent a major obstacle to the development of biofuels and extenders for combustion in direct injection compression-ignition (diesel) engines. This work examines nucleation and crystalline growth and how these phenomena affect the low temperature flow properties of methyl soyate and distillate/ester blends. Effects of cold flow improvers, blending with No. 1 and No. 2 diesel fuel and winterization of methyl soyate are examined. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves show that onset temperatures and peak heights associated with high melting (beta-form) peaks correlate well with respect to cold flow properties. This work also compares effects of several approaches for improving cold flow of methyl soyate and distillate/ester blends on oxidative stability. |