Performance, combustion and emission characteristics of a single-cylinder, four-stroke, direct injection diesel engine operated on a dual-fuel mode using Honge oil methyl ester and producer gas derived from biomass feedstock of different origin

Figures & data

Table 1 Properties of liquid fuels and proximate and ultimate analysis of biomass feedstock.

		Liquid fuels				Biomass feedstock
Sl no.	Properties	Diesel	HOME	ASTM test no.	Description	Honge wood	Babul wood	Neem wood
1	Viscosity at 40°C (cst)	4.59 (low)	5.6	D445	Moisture content (%, w/w)	10.9	11.3	13.4
2	Flash point (°C)	56	163	D93	Ash content (%, w/w)	1.9	0.79	0.86
3	Calorific value (kJ/kg)	45000	36,010	–	Volatile matter (%, w/w)	82.3	85.8	84
4	Specific gravity	0.830	0.870	–	Fixed carbon (%, w/w)	14.6	13.4	14.6
5	Density (kg/m^3)	830	890	D4052	Sulphur (%, w/w)	0.24	0.05	0.08
6	Type of oil	Fossil	Non-edible	–	Nitrogen, as N (%, w/w)	0.25	0.30	0.37
7	–	–	–	–	Carbon (%)	47.2	52.4	48.89
8	–	–	–	–	Hydrogen (%)	4.89	6.1	5.8
9	–	–	–	–	Oxygen (%, w/w)	38.1	50.25	48.2
10	–	–	–	–	Calorific value (kJ/kg)	16,463.1	20,575.8	17,678.65
11	–	–	–	–	Density (kg/m^3)	220	290	260

Table 2 Composition of the wood.

Type of wood	Lignin (wt%)	Cellulose (wt%)	Hemicellulose (wt%)
Ordinary or babul	25.1	49.6	18.4
Neem	26.7	47.8	16.1
Honge	25.4	42.24	15.6

Table 3 Composition of the producer gas.

Type of wood	CO (%)	H2 (%)	Methane (%)	HC (%)	N2 (%)	Water vapour (%)	CO2 (%)	Calorific value (MJ/N m^3)	Density (kg/m^3)
Neem	19.0	14.0	3.0	–	–	–	8–14	4.8	345
Babul	18–20	15–19	1–5	0.2–0.4	4.5–5.5	4	8–10	5.6	360
Honge	20–22	12	1–3	0.2–0.3	3–6	5	12–14	3.9	305

Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the experimental set-up. T₁, T₃, inlet water temperature; T₂, outlet engine jacket water temperature; T₄, outlet calorimeter water temperature; T₅, exhaust gas temperature before calorimeter; T₆, exhaust gas temperature after calorimeter; F₁, fuel flow unit; F₂, air intake unit; PT, pressure transducer, N-RPM decoder; EGA, exhaust gas analyser; SM, Hartridge smoke meter; DM, digital manometer; D, dynamometer; IMF, inlet manifold pressure; ΔP₁, pressure drop across the gasifier; ΔP₂, pressure drop across the cooling and cleaning system; V, venturimeter.

Table 4 Specifications of the experimental test rig.

Sl no.	Parameters	Specification
1	Machine supplier	Apex Innovations Pvt Ltd, Sangli, Maharashtra State
2	Engine type	Single-cylinder, four-stroke, water-cooled, direct injection TV1 compression ignition engine with displacement volume 662 cm^3, compression ratio 17:1, developing 5.2 kW at 1500 rpm TV1 (Kirolsker make)
3	Software	Engine-Soft
4	Nozzle opening pressure	200–225 bar
5	Governor type	Mechanical centrifugal type
6	Cylinder diameter (bore)	0.0875 m
7	Stroke length	0.11 m
8	Combustion chamber	Open chamber (direct injection) with a hemispherical cavity
9	Eddy current dynamometer	Model: AG – 10, 7.5 kW at 1500–3000 rpm and water flows through a dynamometer during the operation

Figure 2 Views of the pressure sensor fitted to the engine cylinder.

Table 5 Specifications of the pressure pick-up.

Make	PCB piezotronics
Model	HSM111A22, piezoelectric
Measurement range	0–344 bar
Sensitivity	0.145 mV/kPa
Resolution	0.69 kPa
Non-linearity	≤ 2.0% FS
Temperature range	− 73 to+135°C

Table 6 Specifications of the smoke meter.

Type	Hartridge smoke meter
Object of measurement	Smoke
Range of opacity measurement	0–100%
Accuracy	± 2%
Resolution	0.1%
Smoke length	0.43 m
Ambient temperature range	− 5 to+45°C
Warm-up time	10 min (self-controlled) at 20°C
Speed of the response time	Within 15 s for 90% response
Sampling	Direct sampling from the tail pipe
Power supply	100–240 V AC/50 Hz 10–16 V DC at 15 A
Size	100 mm × 210 mm × 50 mm

Table 7 Specifications of the exhaust gas analyser.

Type	DELTA 1600S
Object of measurement	CO, CO2, HC
Range of measurement	HC = 0–20,000 ppm as C3H8 (propane)
	CO = 0–10%
	CO2 = 0–16%
	O2 = 0–21%
	NOx = 0–5000 ppm (as nitric oxide)
Accuracy	HC = ± 30 ppm HC
	CO = ± 0.2% CO
	CO2 = ± 1% CO2
	O2 = ± 0.2% O2
	NOx = ± 10 ppm NO
Resolution	HC = 1 ppm
	CO = 0.01 vol.%
	CO2 = 0.1 vol.%
	O2 = 0.01 vol.%
	NOx = 1 ppm
Warm-up time	10 min (self-controlled) at 20°C
Speed of the response time	Within 15 s for 90% response
Sampling	Direct sampling from the tail pipe
Power source	100–240 V AC/50 Hz
Weight	800 g
Size	100 mm × 210 mm × 50 mm

Table 8 Specifications of the dynamometer.

Make	SAG, Pune
Model	AG – 10
Type	Eddy current
Power	7.5 kW
Volts	Maximum 75 V (DC)
Amps	2 A (maximum)
Speed	3000 rpm

Figure 3 Parallel gas entry carburettors for producer gas induction fitted to the engine.

Figure 4 Photographic view of a downdraft gasifier.

Figure 5 Flaring for checking the quality of the producer gas.

Table 9 Specifications of the downdraft gasifier.

Type	Downdraft gasifier
Rated capacity	15,000 kcal/h
Rated gas flow	15 N m^3/h
Average gas calorific value	1000 kcal/m^3
Rated woody biomass consumption	5–6 kg/h
Hopper storage capacity	40 kg
Biomass size	10 mm (minimum)
	50 mm (maximum)
Moisture content (DB)	5–20%
Typical conversion efficiency	70–75%

Figure 6 Variations in BTE with brake power.

Figure 7 Variations in EGT with brake power.

Figure 8 Variations in volumetric efficiency with brake power.

Figure 9 Variations in smoke opacity with brake power.

Figure 10 Variations in HC emission with brake power.

Figure 11 Variations in CO emission with brake power.

Figure 12 Variations in NO_x emission with brake power.

Figure 13 Variations in fuel substitution with brake power.

Figure 14 Variations in ignition delay with brake power.

Figure 15 Variations in combustion duration with brake power.

Figure 16 In-cylinder pressure versus CA for different fuel combinations at the 80% load.

Figure 17 Rate of heat release versus CA for different fuel combinations at the 80% load.