This study was carried out on a diesel engine operated in dual fuel mode by introducing biogas in the intake air stream. Cerium oxide (CeO 2 ) nanoparticles in varying concentrations were used as diesel additive. Performance and emission tests were carried out to evaluate the effects of five input parameters, namely, CeO 2 concentration, torque, biogas flow rate, methane fraction of biogas, and intake temperature. Taguchi’s method was adopted to reduce the number of experimental trials. Signal-to-noise ratio variations were studied and analysis of variance was carried out to obtain the optimum combination of operating parameters and their contributions towards the performance and emission indices. Results showed that low biogas flow rates ensure better thermal and volumetric efficiency and low HC and CO emissions. High biogas flow rates provide significant reduction in diesel consumption and NO x emissions. Increasing the methane content of biogas lowers diesel consumption and emissions of HC and CO. Adding 25 mg/L of CeO 2 to diesel improves brake thermal efficiency and lowers all emissions. While manifold heating improves brake thermal efficiency, low intake temperature is preferred from the standpoint of volumetric efficiency and emissions. © IMechE 2018.

Feroskhan M

Mechanical

School of Mechanical Engineering

Chennai Campus

Ismail S

Gosavi S

Tankhiwale P

Khan Y.

Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a private university located in&nbsp;Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 1984, as Vellore Engineering College, the institution offers 20 undergraduate, 34 postgraduate, four integrated and four research programs. It has campuses in Vellore, Amravati, Bhopal and Chennai.

VIT is one of the top ranked private universities in India according to NIRF, THE and QS Rankings.&nbsp;Govt. of India has recognized&nbsp;VIT, Vellore as an&nbsp;Institution of Eminence. This has allowed VIT to take independent quality initiatives and move up in world ranking.

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VIT University

Optimization of performance and emissions in a biogas–diesel dual fuel engine with cerium oxide nanoparticle addition:

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering

A Compression Ignition (CI) engine was operated in dual-fuel mode with simulated biogas as primary fuel and diesel as pilot fuel. The effects of four intake parameters, viz. biogas flow rate, methane fraction of biogas, applied torque and charge temperature, on engine performance were investigated under constant speed operation. The number of experimental trials was reduced to 16 using Taguchi's approach. Higher-the-better (HTB) or lower-the-better (LTB) criteria for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were used to optimise five performance indices. Lower biogas flow rates and methane fractions provide better performance in general. However, increasing the biogas flow rate and methane fraction enhances diesel substitution. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that engine torque was the main contributing factor for most of the performance indices. Charge temperature and biogas flow rate made significant contributions towards volumetric efficiency. Volumetric efficiency and overall equivalence ratio are also affected by the methane fraction of biogas. © 2017, © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor &amp; Francis Group.

Biofuels

Evaluating the effect of intake parameters on the performance of a biogas–diesel dual-fuel engine using the Taguchi method

In this study, a conventional compression ignition (CI) engine is modified to operate in dual fuel mode with biogas and diesel as the main and pilot fuels respectively. The effect of biogas flow rate on engine performance was studied. The viability of using cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles as a diesel additive was also investigated. Compared to diesel-only mode, dual fuel mode with biogas flow rates up to 8 L/min was observed to improve the brake thermal efficiency at high loads. Higher biogas flow rates provided significant diesel substitution. Biogas was observed to contribute up to 80% of the total energy release. Volumetric efficiency deteriorated with increase in biogas flow rate, while overall equivalence ratio and exhaust gas temperature increased. After addition of CeO2nanoparticles, various properties of modified diesel were measured and tabulated. Performance tests revealed that modified diesel containing 25 mg/L CeO2marginally improves brake thermal efficiency. In general, the addition of CeO2increases the overall equivalence ratio and exhaust gas temperature. Tests were carried out for all combinations of biogas flow rate and CeO2concentrations. Dual fuel operation with 4 L/min biogas flow rate and 25 mg/L CeO2concentration was found to provide the highest brake thermal efficiency. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor &amp; Francis Group.

Investigation of the effects of biogas flow rate and cerium oxide addition on the performance of a dual fuel CI engine

In this study, biogas is used in a CI engine in dual fuel mode with diesel as pilot fuel. Biogas has been replicated using a mixture of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), whose flow rates can be independently varied. This helps in evaluating the effect of biogas composition on engine performance. Apart from the conventional diesel-only mode, the engine is operated in dual fuel mode with induction of (a) pure CH4 and (b) CH4 + CO2 mixtures with variable CH4:CO2 ratios, representing biogas. Dual fuel operation is observed to have better brake thermal efficiencies compared to diesel-only mode at high loads. Though volumetric efficiency is almost identical in diesel-only and diesel–CH4 dual modes, induction of biogas causes it to drop. Exhaust gas temperatures were higher in diesel–biogas mode, followed by diesel–methane and diesel-only modes. Dual fuel mode, especially with biogas, results in higher overall equivalence ratios. Compared to diesel-only mode, dual fuel mode has relatively high unaccounted losses at low loads, while exhaust and coolant losses are greater at high loads. Biogas composition does not significantly affect any of the above parameters except the exhaust gas temperature and air–fuel ratio, which show a slight increase with methane enrichment. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor &amp; Francis Group.

Investigation of the effects of biogas composition on the performance of a biogas–diesel dual fuel CI engine

Experimental investigation of the combustion characteristics and the emission characteristics of biogas–diesel dual fuel in a common-rail diesel engine

Journal	Data powered by TypesetProceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering
Publisher	Data powered by TypesetSAGE Publications
ISSN	0954-4070
Open Access	0