Diesel Power Generator Research Articles

Risk Assessment Analysis of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems in Remote Areas: Case Study of Domadgee, Australia

This study comprehensively analyses the energy requirements and options for Doomadgee, a remote indigenous community in Australia. Currently, the electricity provider relies on a 2.44 MW diesel power generator, resulting in high operational costs and carbon emissions. This study explores transition options to renewable energy sources to address these challenges while ensuring reliable and cost-effective power supply. This study suggests utilising a 2.4 MW wind energy source, a 1.2 MW solar energy source, and a 4 MW battery storage system that can last 8 hours. This configuration aims to reduce diesel consumption, optimise the internal rate of return (IRR), and establish a sustainable energy mix with low capital expenditure. The wind and solar capacities recommended for Doomadgee also consider seasonal fluctuations, such as wet and dry seasons in energy demand, ensuring efficient power production all year round. The study commences with the development of a risk matrix to determine the hurdle rate. The next step involves conducting ten distinct scenarios to evaluate the investment's financial feasibility, considering various variables such as wind, solar, equipment, and battery storage capacities. Sensitivity analysis also determines the most significant factors impacting financial valuation. This analysis provides valuable insights that can aid in the decision-making process.

Performance Enhancement of an Islanded Microgrid with the Support of Electrical Vehicle and STATCOM Systems

Modern electrical power systems now require the spread of microgrids (MG), where they would be operating in either islanded mode or grid-connected mode. An inherent mismatch between loads and sources is introduced by changeable high renewable share in an islanded MG system with stochastic load demands. The system frequency is directly impacted by this mismatch, which can be alleviated by incorporating cutting-edge energy storage technologies and FACTS tools. The investigated islanded MG system components are wind farm, solar PV, Electric vehicles (EVs), loads, DSTATCOM, and diesel power generator. An aggregated EVs model is connected to the MG during uncertain periods of the generation of renewable energy (PV and wind) to support the performance of MGs. The ability to support ancillary services from the EVs is checked. DSTATCOM is used to provide voltage stability for the MG during congestion situations. The MG is studied in three scenarios: the first scenario MG without EVs and DSTATCOM, the second scenario MG without DSTATCOM, and the third scenario MG with all components. These scenarios are addressed to show the role of EVs and DSTATCOM, and the results in the third scenario are the best. The system voltage and frequency profile is the best in the last scenario and is entirely satisfactory and under the range of the IEEE standard. The obtained results show that both EVs and DSTATCOM are important units for improving the stability of modern power grids. The Matlab/Simulink program is considered for checking and validating the dynamic performance of the proposed configuration.

Improving Traction Characteristics of a Diesel Locomotive with a Hybrid Power Plant

The expediency of using a hybrid power system with the use of traction batteries on a diesel locomotive is substantiated since the relevance of the problem being solved lies in the possibility of increasing the weight norm of the train without reducing the performance of the main power equipment of the diesel locomotive, which is of great importance for improving the efficiency of railways.To predict the effectiveness of introduction of autonomous locomotives with a combined power source, traction properties of a diesel locomotive equipped with a set of traction batteries are estimated by mathematical modelling. The basis of the method is a dynamic model of train movement, in which the locomotive is represented as an electromechanical system with a direct current electric drive, where a diesel power generator and a lithium-ion battery are used as the primary energy source. It is shown that the use of a hybrid power source with a storage device with capacity of 1300 ampere-hours on a diesel locomotive makes it possible to increase the weight rate of a train by 18 % when moving along a typical profile. Particular attention is paid to the requirements for operation of traction electric machines to prevent their premature failure. It was found that during movement of a locomotive with a hybrid power plant with a train of the calculated weight and under normal environmental conditions (20°C and normal barometric pressure), an increase in the load current of traction motors does not lead to overheating of their windings at the calculated upward slope.The model suggested is universal and allows calculating the efficiency of a diesel locomotive with a hybrid power plant under any driving conditions.

An investigation of optimal power system designs for a net zero energy house: A case study of Kahramanmaras

This paper aims to optimize the power system design of a vineyard house in Pazarcık, Kahramanmaras. In this process, the electrical energy demand is met by the hybrid Photovoltaic-Wind-Diesel-Battery system because the vineyard house is remote from the electric network. The vineyard house is located in Karagol, southern of Pazarcık. During the summer in Karagol, many people stay in and visit the vineyard houses. However, the vineyard houses are generally unoccupied in winter. Therefore, an economical energy source is required in this process without compromising life quality. Capital costs are high and the running costs are low for stand-alone renewable sources. On the other hand, it is the opposite for stand-alone diesel power generators. This study is designed to take these circumstances into consideration. The optimal design is investigated for a hybrid system of renewable energy sources and a diesel power generator. The Homer software is used during this process. The realized design is evaluated in terms of its technical and environmental aspects. As a result of the study, 6 kW photovoltaic panels, a 1 kW wind turbine, a 1 kW diesel generator, a 2 kW converter, and an optimally sized 8-unit battery system are used to meet the electricity needs of the vineyard house. The renewable energy factor is 99.8% for a vineyard house. This value is an acceptable rate for a net zero energy house. This study shows that the hybrid system meets the house's electric energy demands and has a positive impact on the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Optimization based on modified swarm intelligence techniques for a stand-alone hybrid photovoltaic/diesel/battery system

Stand-alone hybrid energy system (SHES) based on photovoltaic/diesel/battery, as one of the main energy resources in remote areas, is widely used for power generation. The optimal sizing and configuration of SHES is essential for achieving a cost-effective and reliable power supply. This article presents five improved particle swarm intelligence algorithms to solve the optimal configuration problem of stand-alone hybrid photovoltaic/ diesel/battery systems. The techniques include five improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms based on the modified particle velocity and particle position to improve of the local and global searches in all iterations. The objective of the optimization is to determine the optimal sizing of the SHES components (photovoltaic (PV) panels, the diesel power generator, and batteries) to compose a cost-effective and reliable scheme. The improved algorithms are compared by original PSO algorithm. The effects of reliability index, loss of load supply probability, on the optimization of the SHES have been investigated by each algorithm over 30 independent runs. The effect of the maximum number of iteration on the optimization of the hybrid system by the best algorithm for different reliability values is examined. The results show the superiority of the PSO-III in terms of fast convergence, simulation time, and accuracy in comparison to other approachs. Finally, a sensitivity analysis of the SHES shows that the value of total net annual cost (TNAC) is increased around 18% due to the decrease of reliability indexes from 10% to 2%. Also, the mean value of TNAC is decreased around 11.9% due to the increase of the number of iteration from 25 to 175.

Studying the effect of diesel Power Generator noise on the publicity in Ramadi city

The current study including investigating the effect of noise pollution produced by the diesel power generators on the public health, in one of Al-Ramadi districts. The measurements were taken using decibel meters within different distances and directions from the power station. The study showed that the noise levels are too high for the residential buildings, especially for the regions in which buildings are stacked together or distributed in a way that the sound wave is improved through the eco caused by this distribution.

Numerical and Experimental Study on the Impact of Mild Cold Exhaust Gas Recirculation on Exhaust Emissions in a Biodiesel-Fueled Diesel Engine

Abstract This work evaluated the effect of cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) on fuel consumption and pollutant emissions from a diesel engine fueled with B8 (a blend of biodiesel and no. diesel 8:92% by volume), experimentally and numerically. Experiments were carried out on a diesel power generator with varying loads from 5 kW to 35 kW and 10% of cold EGR ratio. Exhaust emissions (e.g., total hydrocarbons (THCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), etc.) were measured and evaluated. The results showed mild EGR and low biodiesel content have minor impact of engine-specific fuel consumption, fuel conversion efficiency, and in-cylinder pressure. Meanwhile, the combination of EGR and biodiesel reduced THC and NOx up to 52% and 59%, which shows promising effect on overcoming the particulate matter–NOx tradeoff from diesel engine. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics engine model incorporated with detailed biodiesel combustion kinetics and NOx formation kinetics was validated against measured in-cylinder pressure, temperature, and engine-out nitric oxide emission from diesel engine. This valid model was then employed to investigate the in-cylinder temperature and equivalence ratio distribution that predominate NOx formation. The critical results showed that the reduction of NOx emission by EGR and biodiesel is obtained by a little reduction of the local in-cylinder temperature and, mainly, by creating comparatively rich combusting mixture, which makes the combustion path pass through lower NOx zone in the ϕ–T diagram.

Effect of using bioethanol as fuel on start-up and warm-up exhaust emissions from a diesel power generator

The present work investigates the effects of bioethanol as fuel additive on a diesel power generator’s exhaust emission (especially under transient conditions) characteristics, during the start-up followed by idling and warm-up periods, from no load to loaded cases up to 50% at ambient conditions. Experiments with diesel/bioethanol blends in 10% and 15% proportions (denoted as BE10 and BE15, respectively) were achieved in a diesel power generator following the practical operating conditions of the gen-sets. Regarding emissions, CO increased first when bioethanol is used during start-up at no load, then it starts to decrease by increasing bioethanol fraction in diesel and load applied. Unburnt HC emissions were also measured as highest for all fuels tested during start-up, while they were slightly higher for BE15 than others in the rest of the test. NOx was highest with petroleum diesel, while it was lowest with BE15 at start-up. Despite higher NOx was measured with BE10, those of petroleum diesel and BE15 were similar during warm-up together with applying load. Smoke opacity was lowest in BE15; however, BE10 was highest. By applying load, it increased and the highest NOx was measured with BE10, while the lowest was with BE15.

Life Cycle Assessment for Full Chain CCU Demonstration in the Align-CCUS Project –Dimethyl Ether and Polyoxymethylen Dimethyl Ethers Production from CO2 and its Usages in the Mobility and Electricity Sectors

As part of three years of research and development in the European ALIGN-CCUS project, a CCU demonstration plant was erected at the lignite-fired block K of the RWE power plant at Niederaussem, Germany. It was the aim to demonstrate the full chain of CCU - beginning with the capture of CO2 from the power plant flue gas stream, via the one-step synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) through to its usage for electricity generation in a peak power diesel engine generator. A secondary target was the synthesis of polyoxymethylen dimethyl ethers (OMEs) and their use in the mobility sector. A thorough Life Cycle Inventory was collected based on real process data for the first time, supported by process modelling with AspenPlus. This includes the inventory for construction and operation of all elements of the demonstrator chain: the power plant with its monoethanolamine (MEA)-based post-combustion capture facility, the newly developed synthesis unit based on a one-step reactor using a bifunctional catalyst (up to 50 kg DME per day) and the reconversion of the produced DME into electricity by an adapted diesel power generator (60-80 litre per hour DME consumption, output 240 kWel). Additionally to the DME-route, the synthesis and usage of OME3-5 as a fuel in an adapted 2 l diesel motor for mobility application were part of the investigation. The extensive inventory enabled a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) according to ISO standards showing results for both applications. Benchmarking technologies like diesel- and e-mobility and gas turbines for peak power supply enable a comparative analysis identifying advantages and disadvantages of the CCU route. A sensitivity analysis is used to identify weak points along the routes together with future development targets and potentials. To investigate a broad array of results, several varying scenarios, especially regarding energy supply were considered. The use of renewable electricity sources for electrolytic hydrogen production, but also for other processes of the CCU chain was investigated. A range of different impact categories were considered: Global Warming Potential (GWP), Particulate Matter Formation Potential (PM), Fossil Depletion Potential (FDP), Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential (POCP) and Terrestrial Acidification Potential (AP). The results show that the investigated CCU technology routes are highly emission-intensive when using the current German electricity mix: the reuse of CO2 and the reduction of fossil fuel consumption that goes along with it, is outweighed by the energy-intensive nature of the synthesis processes. Using renewable energy sources can drastically reduce GHG emissions, especially to a point where the implementation of a mostly renewable energy supply for the process chain offers a viable mitigation option compared to the investigated benchmark technologies. Findings regarding sensitive LCI data, development targets and technological potentials are discussed in the results.

Experimental investigation of the use of waste engine oil improved with manganese additive as fuel in a diesel power generator

AbstractToday, there is an effort to obtain energy from every possible source and waste to meet the oil demand. Waste engine oil is one of them. Although waste lubricating oils have an important economic potential, the environmental effect of these oils is much more important than their economic effect. In this study, various waste engine oil‐diesel mixture (0:100, 10:90, 20:80, and 30:70) and various fuel pressure conditions (195–255 bar) experiments were performed for various engine loads (3–12 Nm) in a DI diesel power generator. It was aimed to increase the potential of using waste engine oil as fuel by adding 16 μmol/L Mn additive to the waste engine oil. For the design of the experiment, 1/8 fractional factorial Taguchi method was applied and the relationship between engine load, waste engine oil, fuel injection pressure and Mn additive with experimental factors has been successfully determined with variance analysis. Using regression analysis, regression equations were obtained for exhaust temperature, specific fuel consumption, light absorption coefficient, and nitrogen oxides. Finally, although waste engine oil causes deterioration on engine performance and emissions, it has been determined that the use of waste engine oil as fuel can be improved thanks to the Mn additive.

Energy balance comparison of small unmanned vehicle equipped with electric and hybrid propulsion system

Article presents comparison of the energetic balance of vehicle powertrain – pure electric vehicle and vehicle equipped with electric hybrid power transmission. Society is more and more often persuaded to buy electric cars as an environmentally friendly solution because they have opinion of ecological vehicles. Electrification in military applications is also widely considered, especially in case of small to medium UGV’s such as wide range of robotic systems introduced to the milatary operations. The article presents the problems of comparing the efficiency and others parameters such as the range of a two presented powertrains. The research was carried out on an small unmanned land platform equipped with a hybrid propulsion system supplied as standard with Diesel power generator and electrically only powered. Energy used for charging of the battery, from tank-to-wheel, was calculated. This also enables to calculate total efficiency of electric and hybrid power transmission. By calculating different capacity of battery and power of generator, it is possible to determine the vehicle range.

The performance, emissions, and combustion characteristics of an unmodified diesel engine running on the ternary blends of pentanol/safflower oil biodiesel/diesel fuel

The objective of the present study is to scrutinize the influence of a binary blend of diesel–safflower oil biodiesel and ternary blends of diesel–biodiesel–pentanol on performance, emission and combustion characteristics of a diesel power generator. The test fuels were prepared on volume basis by splash blending and named as follows: B20, B20P5, B20P10, B20P15, and B20P20. The tests were carried out on a single-cylinder, four-stroke, naturally aspirated, and direct-injection diesel engine at four engine loads with a constant engine speed of 3000 rpm. According to the results, ternary blends vaguely reduced BTE while increased BSFC up to 13.90% as compared to diesel. In addition, an increase in pentanol concentration has a considerable effect on the decrease in NOX emissions. It is noted that the addition of pentanol to diesel–biodiesel blend caused to lower emissions (CO, HC, and smoke), whereas CO2 emission increased noticeably thanks to the more complete combustion due to the excess oxygen content. Reviewing combustion analysis results, pentanol addition led to decrease heat release rate and lower ignition delay up to 15% blend ratio compared to diesel. Based on the present study, pentanol can be evaluated as a promising type of higher alcohol for the compression ignition engines in the near future.

Energy Balance of a Vehicle Equipped with Hybrid Propulsion System Fuelled with Alternative Fuels

Abstract Article presents the energetic balance of small-unmanned vehicle hybrid power transmission. The vehicle equipped with serial hybrid transmission consisted of electric engines connected to the battery pack and small Diesel power generator. In mentioned construction, battery is used as energy buffer and combustion engine is used more as emergency power supply, and is turned on when battery is depleted. In other condition, power generator can be turned off, without reducing power of transmission parameters, except its range. Vehicles with hybrid drive are very common chosen vehicles by users. More and more often, we also talk about searching for replacement fuels for internal combustion engines, so also for those with hybrid drive. The research was carried out on an unmanned land platform equipped with a hybrid propulsion system supplied as standard with Diesel oil. The article presents the problems of comparing the efficiency of a hybrid vehicle fuelled with Diesel oil, but also with alternative fuels based on kerosene and other components. For test, three types of fuels were used, standard Diesel oil, F-34 and with experimental mixture of Jet A-1 fuel with 10% of 2-ethylhexanol. Energy used for charging of the battery, from tank-to-wheel, was calculated. This also enables to calculate total efficiency of such hybrid power transmission, powered with different fuels.

The use of waste transformer oil as alternative fuel in a diesel power generator

In this study, waste transformer oil (WTO) was investigated as a fuel candidate for a diesel power generator set in terms of its fuel and combustion characteristics. Kinematic viscosity, which is the most restrictive property of WTO (9.6 mm2/s at 40 oC), was measured on different blends with a conventional diesel fuel (in 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100% by volume) in order to detect the suitable blending ratio to be used in engine without any modification, and to propose some blending strategies to optimize engine performance and emissions. The blended fuels containing WTO up to 50% with diesel by volume were found to have a viscosity which is within standard value specified for conventional diesel fuels, i.e., 2.0-4.5 mm2/s in EN590, and in case 60% WTO, it agrees with EN14214 (3.5-5.0 mm2/s) alternative diesel fuel standards. It is also found that a fuel blend containing 20% WTO and 80% diesel have a kinematic viscosity and density which are very close to conventional diesel’ values. Therefore, WTO was blended with diesel at the rate of 20% by volume and then tested in a 4-stroke and 4-cylinder diesel engine powered generator set under constant speed-variable load conditions. Measured and calculated results were compared with the results of conventional diesel tested under the same conditions. Experimental results showed that specific fuel consumption, NOx and unburned HC emissions reduced when using blended fuel instead of conventional diesel. Cylinder gas pressure was higher for blended fuels than that of conventional diesel while the start of combustion was later in the case of blended fuels.

An assessment of fuel consumption and emissions from a diesel power generator converted to operate with ethanol

This work presents an analysis of a diesel power generator converted to operate in Otto cycle using ethanol as fuel. This conversion was done without changing the compression ratio of 17:1, with the build-up of adequate control for intake air mass flow rate, fuel injection, and ignition timing when operating with ethanol. The new conversion approach allows for simplicity of reversion to the original configuration. In Diesel cycle, the engine was fuelled with diesel oil containing 7% biodiesel injected directly into the combustion chamber. The in-cylinder pressure, emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOX), unburned hydrocarbons (THC), as well as fuel conversion efficiency, when operating with pure hydrous ethanol, were evaluated. The results showed no significant changes on THC emissions in Otto cycle configuration, in comparison with engine operation in Diesel cycle configuration. The emissions of CO2, CO, and NOX were increased when operating in Otto cycle with ethanol.

Evaluation of an enhanced ultrasonic-assisted biodiesel synthesized using safflower oil in a diesel power generator

Given the energy crisis, fossil fuel reserves crisis, climate mitigation, and energy efficiency increase, scientists have embarked on producing alternative fuels such as the biodiesel. This study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of biodiesel production from safflower oil using the ultrasonic system, and to evaluate the produced fuel using a diesel power generator. In this study, the effects of alcohol-to-oil molar ratio, ultrasound power (W), catalyst concentration (w/w %), and the reaction time (min) on methyl ester yield were investigated. By increasing the molar ratio to a point between the ratios 4:1 and 6:1, the conversion rate first increases 11.42%, and then it remains unchanged from the point 6 to 8. As the ultrasonic power increases, the rate of conversion increases incrementally. The optimization was obtained at 7.02 molar ratio, 160 W ultrasound power, 0.95 (w/w%) catalyst concentration, and 8.47 min reaction time. The results showed that the brake torque and broke power increased when the amount of biodiesel in fuel increased from B0 to B50. The results showed that CO emissions decreased and NOx increased when there was an increase of amount of biodiesel.

A comparative approach between different optimize result in hybrid energy system using HOMER

<p>To compare the different result of optimization of a hybrid energy system. A hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) is the combination of renewable and non-renewable sources which is playing a very important role for rural area electrification when grid extension is not possible or excessively expensive. Non renewable sources like diesel power generator (optional) are used in a HRES for backup when renewable energy supply is not sufficient. While the HRES is very important due to the smallest natural and physical contact compared to non renewable sources, this work proposed a comparison outcome with the help of different component by using HOMER software and get best optimize result for the model. This paper presents a wide-ranging review of various aspects of HRES. This paper discusses study, best sizing, and model, organize aspect and reliability issue.</p>

Investigation of exhaust gas heat recovery unit for diesel power generator

The aim of this paper is to find a proper heat recovery unit that recovers lost energy from a diesel power generator exhaust. This process is performed by inserting the exhaust gas of a 20 kVA power generator into a specifically configured shell & tube exchanger, and transferring its energy into circulating water. The carried energy is then stored in a thermal storage tank so that it would be used for a selected residential energy demand. This method is called “cogeneration”. Different configurations of heat exchanger and tank volumes are considered and flow simulations are performed in order to select a suitable recovery unit for the given design conditions.

The Effect of Fuel Additives on Pyrorated Biodiesel Blends on the Performance of a Diesel Power Generator

The Effect of Fuel Additives on Pyrorated Biodiesel Blends on the Performance of a Diesel Power Generator

The effect of microalgae biodiesel on combustion, performance and emission characteristics of a diesel power generator

Microalgae oil is expected to be a relevant source of biofuel in the future as it is more favorable to confront the problems of food shortages and greenhouse emission challenges raised by conventional biofuels. Therefore, in this study, a most common kind of microalgae that have a great potential, Chlorella protothecoides, was evaluated as fuel in terms of its combustion and emission characteristics in a Diesel engine-powered generator set at constant engine speed of 1500 rpm under various loads after converting its oil to biodiesel by typical base-catalyzed transesterification process. A biodiesel/diesel blend at the rate of 20% by volume was tested too. According to results obtained, using biodiesel resulted in an increase in fuel consumption, in a slight reduction of efficiency, and in sharp reductions in both unburned hydrocarbon emissions and smoke opacity especially at light loads, despite increasing NOx emissions were observed when compared with conventional petroleum diesel. In addition, premixed combustion ratio was higher for biodiesel than for diesel while total combustion duration took shorter for biodiesel especially at higher loads. The overall results of the study reveals that the combustion parameters of the biodiesel studied here are within the typical ranges of conventional biodiesel fuels.