Investigation of the usability of hemp seed oil as lubricating oil in a single cylinder diesel engine

Engine lubricating oil is used in moving parts to reduce the heat resulting from mechanical wear, power loss, and friction by forming a layer of oil between the surfaces in contact with each other. Various additives are used to increase the service life and quality of engine lubricating oil. Mineral oil consumption, which increases day by day in parallel with the developments in technology, brings along environmental concerns, as well. Therefore, the addition of vegetable oils to engine lubricating oils will decrease the amount of petroleum-based lubricating oils used, and thus, it will be possible to reduce environmental pollution. In this study, the effects of the addition of 2.5%, 5%, and 10% hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) seed oil (HSO) to the engine oil by volume on the engine performance, exhaust emissions, and wear elements occurring in the lubricating oil of single cylinder, four-stroke, direct-injection diesel engine were evaluated during the 100 hours operating period of the engine. In conclusion, at the end of 100 hours, it was determined that the addition of HSO at different ratios into the engine oil increased the amount of Fe between the range of 18.53-32.65%, the amount of Al between the range of 2.44-25.90%, the amount of Cr between the range of 5.64-37.92%, the amount of Cu between the range 5.70-40.02%, the amount of Pb between the range of 12.89-58.34%, and the amount of Ni between the range of 2.24-22.00% in comparison with EO100. Besides, it was concluded that the use of alternative lubricating oil in the test engine slightly improved the engine performance but negatively affected the exhaust emission characteristics.