hss3468 asked:
How does biodiesel’s viscosity compare to petroleum-based fuels? Also, why is viscosity a factor to consider for fuels?
How does biodiesel’s viscosity compare to petroleum-based fuels? Also, why is viscosity a factor to consider for fuels?
It’s about the same. Viscosity is important because, say if you tried using straight vegetable oil as fuel, which is about 5 times more viscous than diesel, this would clog engine components such as fuel injectors. In this instance, an engine would need modifying to cope with this, either to pre-heat and therefore thin the oil before it enters the injectors, or by installing a 2 tank system whereby the car is run on normal diesel until warm and then switched over to biodiesel. It’s better to use biodiesel, which can be made from vegetable oil. See.