| Summary: | The higher emissions are one of the main issues associated with the use of diesel power plants. Therefore, various previous studies have been conducted on the substitution of diesel with renewable base liquid fuels for internal combustion engines, such as Crude Palm Oil (CPO). In this study, a comprehensive evaluation was carried out on the impact of using CPO on a low-speed diesel engine with a large capacity. The objective of this study is to determine the viability of modifying the existing diesel engine to operate on CPO fuel, with the aim of minimizing the requirement for additional capital expenditures. Furthermore, a diesel power plant engine with a rated capacity of 2554 kW and a rated speed of 600 RPM using a modified injector was employed. The testing phase was divided into two stages namely, a performance test for 7 h and a running test for 375 h. During the running test, the level of emission was also tested with different load variations using a portable flue gas analyzer. Following this, the lubrication oil sample was collected both before and after the engine running test. The deposits sample obtained from the engine was analyzed using SEM-EDX. Prior to being introduced into the engine, the fuel pre-treatment plant ensured that the kinematic viscosity and temperature of the CPO were properly maintained. The results show that operating the low-speed diesel engine with the continuous use of 100% CPO is not recommended due to the reducing of the engine gross power, the peak combustion pressure, the engine's IHP (indicated horse power) and the exhaust temperature of each cylinder. Furthermore, deposits were found on the cylinder head, piston, valve, and nozzle. Besides, the lubricating oil quality also degraded. Therefore, necessary to conduct a comprehensive study on the technical and financial aspects of using other biofuels that have a minimal risk impact on engine reliability and performance as an alternative to diesel or biodiesel fuel in low-speed diesel power plants.
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