Environmental-Oriented Enhancement of B40 Biodiesel Combustion Efficiency Using Hybrid PtO₂–CeO₂ Catalyst and Neodymium N45 Magnetic System in Diesel Engines

Abstract

The mandatory B40 biodiesel policy in Indonesia has introduced significant technical challenges for diesel engine operation, including increased fuel viscosity, reduced atomization quality, and elevated specific fuel consumption (SFC). This study presents the design, CFD simulation, and experimental validation of a novel hybrid fuel treatment device combining 20 pieces of bipolar neodymium N45 permanent magnets (magnetization zone, peak field 2800 Gauss) with a packed-bed of 6 PtO₂–CeO₂ bimetallic donut-shaped (toroid) catalysts (catalytic zone). CFD simulations using ANSYS Fluent 2024 R1 were conducted to characterize the magnetic field distribution, velocity profile, pressure drop (ΔP = 2.30 bar), catalytic reaction rate (max. 2.00 × 10⁻⁴ mol/m²·s), and temperature distribution (max. 348.2 K, within the 353 K safety limit) of the hybrid device. Experimental tests on a Yanmar TF 85 MR diesel engine at 1800 RPM and 1 kW load demonstrated that the hybrid catalyst reduced B40 fuel consumption from 10.00 mL/min (baseline) to an average of 9.21 mL/min, achieving a mean fuel saving efficiency of 7.90%. The results confirm the technical feasibility and effectiveness of the PtO₂–CeO₂/Nd-N45 hybrid catalyst system for improving B40 combustion efficiency and supporting environmentally oriented fuel utilization in diesel engines.