| Identification of the biodiesel blend operating in a vehicle is beneficial in optimizing the performance of the vehicle. Several researchers have shown dielectric sensor to be useful in determining the blend, however, the sensors used were designed for other applications, such as ethanol. In this research a non-invasive dielectric sensor specifically for biodiesel was designed, developed and experimented with various blends of fuels. This thesis explores and demonstrates the use of capaciflector technology and its advantages. The sensor can be used to optimize the electronic controllers on an engine to make a "flexible fuel" vehicle for biodiesel. The R 2 values close to one indicate a strong linear relationship between biodiesel blend level and sensor output. A small difference in the output voltages between the blends 0%, 2% and 5% can be observed with one diesel fuel. The differences in dielectric between No. 1 and No. 2 diesel fuel prevent the sensor from being able to distinguish between 0% and 2% blends with the two different diesel fuels. |
