Palm oil methyl esters as lubricant additive in a small diesel engine

Malaysian crude palm oil has been successfully converted to methyl esters, also known as palm oil diesel (POD), which is readily combustible in diesel engines. This paper presents and discusses the results of current studies on the performance and the effects of POD on the wear characteristics of tribological components of a small, four-stroke diesel engine. Adding POD to commercial lubricating oil has enhanced the performance of such oils. Results obtained from this study show that the power output and brake specific fuel consumption of the engine, lubricated with commercial SAE 40 oil blended with POD, are comparable to those of 100% SAE 40 oil. Wear debris analysis shows that blends of POD and SAE 40 commercial lubricating oil increase the anti-wear characteristics of the engine when compared to 100% SAE 40 lubricating oil.