Experimental Evaluation of a Diesel Cogeneration System for Producing Power and Drying Aromatic Herbs

Luis Olmos-Villalba,Anderson Gallego,Bernardo Herrera,Karen Cacua

doi:10.3390/su11185121

Luis Olmos-Villalba, Anderson Gallego + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su11185121

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Abstract

The focus of this work was to evaluate the thermal performance of a cogeneration system used to produce power and dry aromatic herbs. The waste heat from the exhaust gases of the diesel engine was recovered to heat air using a thermosyphon heat exchanger. The heated air was employed in a convective tray dryer in order to dry Origanum vulgare, Mentha spicata, and Ocimum basilicum. The experiments were carried out at full load in a stationary compression ignition engine coupled to a generator. The maximum global energy efficiency of the cogeneration system was 40.14%, and the effectiveness of the heat exchanger achieved 39%.

Highlights

Energy is considered the basis of the productive, domestic, and commercial activities of rural communities
This paper presents a novel experimental study into a cogeneration system where the waste heat from the diesel engine is recovered
When the cogeneration system was included and the heat recovered from the exhaust gases of the compression ignition engine was used to heat air for drying, the thermal efficiency was increased up to 40.14% This is an important difference; further efficiency improvements could only be achieved using refrigeration systems which work with waste heat

Summary

Introduction

Energy is considered the basis of the productive, domestic, and commercial activities of rural communities. In Colombia, the Non-Interconnected Zones (NIZs) outside the national electrical grid cover 52% of the national population [4,5]. In those areas, the main source of electricity is diesel generation, which represents 92% of the installed capacity; the remaining 8% corresponds to renewable sources [6]. NIZs are mostly located in agricultural areas, where there is a high demand for drying processes because they have been implemented for a long time in order to extend the useful life of agricultural products such as aromatic plants [7]

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