Investigation of Various Parameters of Dual Fuel Engine Using Biomass Waste – Producer Gas as an Induced Fuel

Abstract

Due to various shortcomings of the transmission of electricity in rural areas, the concept of rural electrification is gaining popularity these days. Many small-scale biomass-based gasifier-engine systems are installed in the villages in order to provide an uninterrupted and cheap supply of electricity for various kinds of everyday requirements. In the present work, an optimized downdraft biomass gasifier is used to produce the producer gas from three different biomass materials viz. Sugarcane bagasse, cotton stalks and wood chips. These biomass materials are used in two different combinations viz. 1:1 ratio of sugarcane bagasse & wood chips; 1:1 ratio of cotton stalks and wood chips. The composition of gas produced from both the samples shows that the cotton stalks and wood chips generate a gas with higher calorific value as compared to the one produced using sugarcane bagasse and wood chips. These gases are used to run a dual fuel CI engine. The comparative investigation of various parameters, i.e. performance, emission and noise characteristics of a modified dual fuel engine is done, by running the engine on pilot fuel mode as well as on dual fuel mode using two different samples of producer gas. The maximum diesel replacement of ∼54% is observed with a ∼5% loss in brake thermal efficiency in the case when cotton stalks and wood chips are used as raw materials. The NOx emissions were reduced by ∼70% with a slight increase of ∼3 dB in the noise levels of the engine.