Physicnut oil good for hybrid engines

Its report said a low-speed engine usually lasts 10 years on average. However, when fuelled by pure physic-nut oil, it will be operable for two years only.

If farmers want to use pure physic-nut oil, the research recommends they modify their low-speed engines into a hybrid system first.

The estimates are based on research that tested the performance of 12 low-speed engines over at least 2,000 working hours.

"If the physic-nut oil is mixed with diesel oil at the ratio of 50 to 50, the engine will last about six or seven years," the university's vice-president Kittichai Trirattanasirichai said at an academic seminar yesterday -

referring to the research, which started late last year.

Twelve low-speed engines for agricultural use were put to test in labs to determine physic-nut oil's performance.

"Although the consumption rate of the physic-nut oil is equal to that of diesel oil, the physic-nut oil caused damage to nozzles and shortened the useful life of the engines," Kittichai said.

Pichit Taweesri, an engineer, said an engine powered by pure physic-nut oil usually stopped working after 400 or 500 service hours.

"If farmers want to use pure physic-nut oil, they should modify the engine to extend its useful life. For example, the engine should heat the oil at over 100 Celsius degrees before passing it to the combustion chamber," he explained, "Or, the modification should provide a hybrid system. The engine should rely on diesel oil at its ignition and after the engine warms up, it can use the pure physic-nut oil".

Pichit said modification for a hybrid system would cost no more than Bt1,000.

"Economically speaking, it's worth spending the money on the modification because this will extend the useful life of engines relying on pure physic-nut oil," he added.