Performance assessment of an internal combustion engine at varying dead (reference) state temperatures

This study deals with investigating the effect of varying dead state temperatures on exergy efficiency of a high-oleic methyl ester (HOME) fueled internal combustion engine (ICE). This engine is a 4.5L, four-stroke, four-cylinder, turbocharged, 66.5 kW maximum power capacity John Deere 4045T diesel engine run with HOME, which is genetically modified with a high-oleic soybean oil methyl ester. The test speed is 1400 min−1 at a full load. In the analysis, actual operational data obtained from a study conducted by one of the co-authors at Iowa State University, USA are used. Exergy efficiency values at various dead state temperatures are calculated for comparison purposes since these types of engines may be operated under different outdoor air conditions. The results obtained are discussed from the exergetic point of view. It was found that exergetic efficiency increased as dead state temperature decreased. As a result, exergy efficiency values ranged from 29.78% to 34.93% based on dead state temperatures between −5 °C and 30 °C.