In 2016, the mandatory use of biodiesel as a substitute fuel by up to 20%,
as introduced by the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources,
forced vehicle manufacturers to invent suitable engines that would accept
biodiesel. The use of biodiesel in such a large proportion is highly risky,
particularly due to the formation of deposits in the combustion chamber
engines. The previous method of fuel droplets are placed on a hot plate
approach produces deposits are slightly different from those generated by a
real engine, therefore to obtain realistic deposits it is necessary to modify
this method so temperatures as hot as those in a real engine. In this study,
the potential deposit formation of biodiesel fuel was examined by conducting
the deposition process and the evaporation of fuel on a stainless-steel plate
(SS), which was placed in a closed space. Deposit characterization was carried out
on a hot plate using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The test results showed
differences in the structures of the deposits produced by biodiesel and diesel
fuel; fine structures were seen in the former, while those of the latter were
rougher and more porous. Deposit results that are similar to what is seen in a
real engine will be very helpful for knowing the patterns, structures, and mechanism
of the formation of deposits in such an environment.
