Experimental investigation into the effect of magnetic fuel reforming on diesel combustion and emissions running on wheat germ and pine oil

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The present study aims to explore the effect of fuel ionisation on engine performance, emission and combustion characteristics of a twin cylinder compression ignition (CI) engine running on biofuel. Wheat germ oil (WGO) and pine oil (PO) have been identified as diesel fuel surrogates with high and low viscosities, respectively. High viscosity biofuels result in incomplete combustion due to poor atomisation and evaporation which ultimately leads to insufficient air-fuel mixing to form a combustible mixture. Consequently, engines running on this type of fuel suffer from lower brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and higher soot emission. In contrast, low viscosity biofuels exhibit superior combustion characteristics however they have a low cetane number which causes longer ignition delay and therefore higher NO emission. To overcome the limitations of both fuels, a fuel ionisation filter (FIF) with a permanent magnet is installed upstream of the fuel pump which electrochemically ionises the fuel molecules and aids in quick dispersion of the ions. The engine used in this investigation is a twin cylinder tractor engine that runs at a constant speed of 1500 rpm. The engine was initially run on diesel to warm-up before switching to WGO and PO, this was mainly due to poor cold start performance characteristics of both fuels. At 100% load, BTE for WGO is reduced by 4% compared to diesel and improved by 7% with FIF. In contrast, BTE for PO is 4% higher compared to diesel, however, FIF has minimal effect on BTE when running on PO. Although, smoke, HC and CO emissions were higher for WGO compared to diesel, they were lower with FIF due to improved combustion. These emissions were consistently lower for PO due to superior combustion performance, mainly attributed to low viscosity of the fuel. However, NO emission for PO (1610 ppm) is higher compared to diesel (1580 ppm) at 100% load and reduced with FIF (1415 ppm). NO emission is reduced by approximately 12% for PO+FIF compared to PO. The results suggest that FIF has the potential to improve diesel combustion performance and reduce NO emission produced by CI engines running on high and low viscosity biofuels, respectively.Peer reviewe

Assessment of liquid fuel (bio-oil) production from waste fish fat and utilization in diesel engine

International audienceIncreased acceptance of climate change induced by human activities and raising oil demand with unsecure deliverance compels the searching for alternative fuels. The problems with environmental degradation due to industrial wastes can be reduced by converting some of them into bio-oil. In the present work, the waste from fish processing industry is converted to bio-oil by catalytic cracking. Experiments were conducted in a direct injection diesel engine of 4.5 kW at 1500 rpm. The different test fuels of diesel, fish oil at 75 C, bio-oil UD (undistilled bio-oil), B20D80 (20% bio-oil in fossil diesel), B80D20 (80% bio-oil in fossil diesel) and neat bio-oil were tested to assess the suitability in diesel engines through combustion, emission and performance characteristics. Experimental results show that the brake thermal efficiency is marginally higher with neat bio-oil over other test fuels. It is lower with preheated fish oil and it is almost same for both bio-oil and bio-oil UD. NOx, HC, CO and PM emissions are higher with bio-oil UD compared to bio-oil. PM, CO and HC emissions are lower with bio-oil over diesel. NOx emissions are lower with bio-oil compared to bio-oil UD but it is still higher than diesel fuel. Addition of diesel with bio-oil reduces the NOx emissions marginally. Intensity of premixed combustion is strong with bio-oil. Ignition delay and combustion duration are reduced with bio-oil due to high cetane number and oxygen concentration. Bio-oil from waste fish fat by catalytic cracking can be used as a fuel for diesel engines and also the waste to energy may reduce the environmental and climate change issues due to industrial wastes. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

NOx-smoke trade-off characteristics of minor vegetable oil blends synergy with oxygenate in a commercial CI engine

International audienceThe present study investigates the effect of blending oxygenate namely diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (diglyme) with minor vegetable oil namely rubber seed oil (RSO), babassu oil (BSO), and their blends in various proportions (R75B25, R50B50, and R25B75) on NOx-smoke trade-off and other engine characteristics. The tests were conducted on a commercial twin cylinder compression–ignition (CI) engine commonly used in tractors. The potential of the blends with diglyme is assessed based on performance, emission, and combustion characteristics of the engine at different load conditions. The tests were conducted at a constant speed of 1500 rpm maintaining the original injection timing and pressure. Compared to diesel, RSO, and BSO, and their blends exhibited inferior combustion due to poor physical properties like high viscosity and density. This resulted in a lower brake thermal efficiency with increase in HC, CO, and smoke emissions compared to diesel at all the load conditions. The augmented effect is observed with increase in BSO proportion for the blends and neat BSO. The poor combustion of minor vegetable oil and its blends lead to lower NOx emission as a result of lower in-cylinder temperature. To improve the performance and NOx-smoke trade-off, diglyme (DGM) was added with all the test fuels with the optimum share of 20% (by volume). Addition of DGM, increased brake thermal efficiency by 2–7% for all the test fuels due to improved combustion as a result of additional fuel bound oxygen in DGM and improved fuel blend properties. DGM addition reduced smoke, HC, and CO emission drastically with a slight increase in NOx emission compared to minor vegetable oil blends. The study shows that addition of DGM showed a promising note in NOx-smoke trade-off without affecting the other engine parameters

Single zone combustion modeling of biodiesel from wastes in diesel engine

International audienceIncreasing interest in diesel engine technology and the continuous demand of finding alternate fuels and reducing emissions has motivated over the years for the development of numerical models, to provide qualitatively predictive tools for the designers. Among the alternative fuels, biodiesel is considered suitable and the most promising fuel for diesel engine. The properties of biodiesel from waste oils are found similar to that of diesel. In this present work, a unique single zone combustion model for diesel fuel and biodiesel was implemented to predict the cylinder pressure for the better understanding of combustion characteristics of different fuels tested in a diesel engine and also to predict the combustion and performance characteristics of the same engine running on different fuels. The single zone model coupled with a triple-Wiebe function was performed to simulate heat release between the period of IVC (inlet valve close) and EVO (exhaust valve open). This model also includes the submodels of intake and exhaust gases through the valves, ignition delay, burned fuel during the cycle and heat losses through walls to simulate all phases of combustion. The model calibration was performed using data from experiments on diesel fuel and biodiesel from waste cooking oil. Later the same model was used to simulate the combustion and the cylinder pressure of engine running on biodiesel derived from animal fat residues. Finally, cylinder pressure traces predicted by using single-zone model are compared to experimental pressure traces obtained from a diesel engine fuelled with diesel fuel and biodiesel. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Experimental analysis of biofuel as an alternative fuel for diesel engines

International audienceThe growth of energy demand and limited fossil fuel resources lead to renewable energy development such as vegetable oils and animal fats or their derivatives. In the present work, the valuation of waste fish fat by the pyrolysis technique with the presence of catalyst to produce biofuel for diesel engines. As a result, fuel undergoes good combustion and hence there is a significant improvement in performance and reduction in emissions. The brake thermal efficiency of neat biofuel is 32.4% at 80% load which is very high compared to neat diesel (29.98%). The combustion duration and ignition delay are decreased with neat biofuel due to high oxygen content and high cetane number of biofuel. The main problem with the use of neat biofuel in diesel engine is high NOx emissions at all loads. Addition of diesel with biofuel reduces the NOx emissions significantly from 917 ppm to 889 ppm at 80% load with an optimum blend of B80D20. There is a slight decrease in brake thermal efficiency and increase in particulate emission with this blend. The overall results show that by adding small quantity of diesel with biofuel decreases the NOx emissions significantly and approaches the performance of neat biofuel

Effects of biofuel from fish oil industrial residue - Diesel blends in diesel engine

International audienceThe present work aims to produce biofuel from fish oil industrial residue and to test the biofuel in diesel engine. A 4.5 kW at 1500 rpm single cylinder air cooled direct injection diesel engine was used for the present experimental work. The experimental results show that the brake thermal efficiency marginally increases with biofuel from 29.98% (neat diesel) to the maximum of 32.4% with biofuel at 80% of maximum load. Also experiments were conducted with different blends of biofuel and diesel (B20 and 840). Though the NO emissions are high with neat biofuel and blends, the other emissions like CO, HC and particulate matter (PM) are decreased. The PM emissions decrease when the percentage biofuel increases in the blend. It reduces from 8271 ng/s with neat diesel to 8137 ng/s with B40. It further reduces to the minimum of 7842 ng/s with neat biofuel. The cylinder peak pressure increases as the biofuel quantity increases in the blend. The rate of premixed combustion increases with neat biofuel and its blends than neat diesel. Addition of biofuel with diesel decreases the combustion duration and ignition delay due to higher cetane number of biofuel

Experimental analysis of fuel from fish processing industry waste in a diesel engine

International audienceIn the present work, biofuel derived from industrial fish processing industry waste is used in diesel engines to study its suitability . Biofuel from industry fish waste is produced through catalytic cracking, and its quality has been improved through distillation. A single cylinder 4.5 kW at 1500 rpm was used to find the suitability of biofuel and undistilled biofuel in diesel engine. Experimental results show that the brake thermal efficiency of biofuel and undistilled biofuel is similar. Brake thermal efficiency for diesel, undistilled biofuel and biofuel is 29.98, 32.12 and 32.4%, respectively, at 80% load. Carbon monoxide, unburnt hydrocarbons, particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen emissions increase with undistilled biofuel compared to biofuel. There is a small reduction in carbon dioxide emission with undistilled biofuel compared to biofuel. Even though the cylinder pressure is high with undistilled biofuel, the intensity of premixed combustion is lower than distilled biofuel. The ignition delay and combustion duration increase with undistilled biofuel. Finally, it is concluded that the fuel derived from fish processing industry waste can be used as a fuel for diesel engine after distillation

Optimization of biodiesel production from animal fat residue in wastewater using response surface methodology

International audienceAnimal fat residues (AFR) from waste water were used as feedstock to produce biodiesel by a two-step acid-catalyzed process. Treatment of the AFRs with 5.4% (w/w) of 17 M H2SO4 at a methanol/AFR ratio of 13:1 (50% w/w) at 60 degrees C converted more than 95% of the triglycerides into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) with an acid value (AV) of 1.3 mg(KOH)/g(biodiesel). Response surface methodology indicated that a lower AV cannot be reached using a one-step acid catalyzed process. Thus a two-step acid catalyzed process was employed using 3.6% catalyst and 30% methanol for 5 h for the first step and 1.8% catalyst and 10% methanol for I h in the second step, resulting in a yield higher than 98% and an AV of 0.3 mg(KOH)/g(biodiesel). The product thus conforms to the European norm EN14214 concerning biodiesel. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Effect of Port Premixed Liquefied Petroleum Gas on the Engine Characteristics

International audienceIn the present work, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is premixed with air for combustion in a compression ignition engine, along with neat rubber seed oil as the direct injected fuel. The LPG is injected directly into the intake manifold using an electronic gas injector. The variation in the LPG flow rate is from zero to the maximum tolerable value. The engine load was varied from no load to full load at regular intervals of 25% of full load. Experimental results indicate a reduction in thermal efficiency at low loads, followed by a small improvement in the thermal efficiency at 75% and 100% loads. Premixing of LPG prolongs the delay in the ignition with a simultaneous decrease in the duration of combustion. With an increase in the LPG flow rate, the maximum in-cylinder pressure increased at high outputs, whereas it decreased at low outputs. The heat release rate shows that the combustion rate increases with LPG induction. Carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) levels reduced at high outputs, whereas at all loads, the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) levels increased. The NOx level at full load increased from 6.9 g/kWh at no LPG induction to 10.36 g/kWh at 47.63% LPG induction. At all loads, the smoke level decreased drastically. The smoke level at full load decreased from 6.1BSU at no LPG induction to 3.9BSU at 47.63% LPG induction