Yukitsugu Ishii

Transesterified Curcas Oil Blends for Farm Diesel Engines

ABSTRACT PERFORMANCE, 50-h continuous, and starting tests were conducted using transesterified curcas oil. No. 2 diesel fuel, and their blends in two small precombustion chamber type diesel engines. Compatibility of engine parts to curcas oil was examined by submerging the parts in engine oil for 130 days. Blended oil produced superior thermal efficiency and fuel consumption equivalent to No. 2 diesel. There was a slight reduction in black smoke concentration when operating on transesterified curcas oil and its blended oils. The CO and HC concentrations from transesterified curcas oil increased at light loads and was equivalent to No. 2 diesel at full load. The HC concentrations of No. 2 diesel increased greatly at overload, while those of transesterified curcas oil decreased..

Thermal Performance of a Greenhouse Covered with Shading Material against Infrared Radiation. Effect on Leaf Temperature and Growth of Leaf Vegetables.

The exclusion of infrared radiation contained in the solar radiation by greenhouse covering materials is expected to be an effective method to promote greenhouse culture during a high temperature period and cut down the cooling load of green-houses in the daytime. So, authors are investigating on the thermal characteristics in a greenhouse covered with a new selective absorber of infrared radiation which has been commercialized.In the previous paper, the effect of the covering material on inside air and soil surface temperatures was mainly reported. In this report, the experimental results on the effect of the covering material on leaf temperature and growth of leaf vegetable are shown in comparison with a normal clear glasshouse.The main results are as follows : 1) The effect on suppression of temperature rise in lettuce leaf under hydroponic was relatively large and increased with increasing solar radiation2) Due to the suppression of an excessive rise in leaf temperature by using the covering material, the effect on the growth of leaf vegetables was also large except a low temperature period of December.