Producer gas fuelling of a 20kW output engine by gasification of solid biomass (ODNRI Bulletin No. 17)

Motive power requirements in the range up to 100 kW shaft power are common in developing country processing operations. Producer gas-fuelled systems based upon a relatively cheap and simple manually operated gasifier or reactor using readily available biomass feedstock can offer in some cases an attractive alternative to fossil-fuelled power units. This bulletin outlines research and development work by the Industrial Development Department of the Overseas Development Natural Resources Institute for 20 kW shaft power output from producer gas derived from solid biomass. Biomass materials such as wood or shells can be carbonized to form charcoal or left in their natural uncarbonized state. In this work both carbonized and uncarbonized biomass fuel has been used to provide producer gas to fuel a Ford 2274E engine, an industrial version of a standard vehicle spark-ignition engine. Crossdraught and down-draught reactor designs were evaluated during trials with this engine. Also different gas cleaning and cooling arrangements were tested. Particular emphasis was placed on practical aspects of reactor/engine operation. This work follows earlier work with a 4 kW shaft power output system using charcoal-derived producer gas

The use of coconut oil/diesel blends as a fuel for compression ignition engines (ODNRI Bulletin No. 31)

This bulletin describes experimental and evaluative work carried out by the Overseas Development Natural Resources Institute (ODNRI) to investigate fuelling of a standard compression ignition engine with blends of coconut oil and diesel. Initial studies were made of fuel-related properties for pure coconut oil and for a full range of blends with diesel. A major upgrading of the standard engine's fuel filtration system was necessary but thereafter it was found that a blend of 80% coconut oil in diesel, when heated to 45°C, provided a technically feasible substitute fuel. A limited duration engine trial was completed with this alternative arrangement to assess maintenance and operational requirements. On the basis of these results a preliminary economic evaluation was made of the potential for wider adoption of this type of substitute fuelling. Whilst this indicated that at prevailing prices of coconut oil relative to diesel this was unattractive, circumstances were identified in which this technology could have potential application

Producer gas fuelling of a 20kW output engine by gasification of solid biomass

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