Performance of Dual-fuel (DF) Engine Powered with the Producer Gas Derived From Sugar Cane Bagasse and Diesel Injection

Abstract

Renewable and sustainable fuel usage in diesel engines ensures energy security and overseas exchange savings besides conveying both socioeconomic and environmental concerns. This research presents experimental work that has been done on single-cylinder, 4-stroke, diesel engine of direct injection run in DF mode using PG derived from sugar cane bagasse renewable and sustainable fuels. A 45° gas venture is designed and developed to provide a stoichiometric mixture of gas and air entry into the intake manifold of the DF engine during suction stroke. A compressed mixture of air and gas is ignited by injecting diesel into the engine cylinder at 205 bar pressure and at different timings of injection. The effect of timing of injection on the DF engine performance is studied by varying it from 23 to 31obtdc in steps of 4obtdc. Experimental investigation showed that 27oBTC resulted in improved BTE with reduced emissions of hydrocarbon, smoke, and CO while NOx, peak pressure increased. It is noticed that the operation of producer gas lowers the power derating by 20% and the DF engine could run up to 80% load with increased nitric oxide (NOx) emissions. The developed DF engine worked satisfactorily with acceptable performance and emission norms and assisted in partially substituting the fossil diesel fuel with a substitution of 60-70% by the PG operation.