Injection Pressures of a Bio-Oil Driven Non-Road Diesel Engine: Experiments and Simulations

Author(s):  
Seppo Niemi ◽  
Jukka Kiijärvi ◽  
Mika Laurén ◽  
Erkki Hiltunen

The depletion of global crude oil reserves, increases in fossil fuel prices and environmental issues have encouraged the search for and study of bio-derived fuels. For years, fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) have already been used successfully. High-quality hydrogenated vegetable oil and Fischer-Tropsch biofuels have also been developed. Fuel refining processes, however, consume energy increasing CO2 emissions. For profitability reasons, large-scale industrial production is also required. Several distributed energy producers are instead willing to utilize various local waste materials as fuel feedstock. The target is local fuel production without any complicated manufacturing processes. Crude bio-oils are therefore also interesting fuel options, in particular for medium-speed diesel engines capable of burning such bio-oils without any major problems. Nevertheless, waste-derived crude bio-oils have also been studied in Finland in high-speed non-road diesel engines. One option has been mustard seed oil (MSO). Mustard has been cultivated in fallow fields. Non-food mustard seeds have been used for fuel manufacturing. In the performed studies with MSO, the exhaust smoke and HC emissions decreased, NOx remained approximately constant, and the thermal efficiency was competitive compared with operation on ordinary diesel fuel oil (DFO). The number of exhaust particles tended, however, to increase and deposits were formed in the combustion chamber, particularly if the engine was also run at low loads with MSO. On the whole, the results were so promising that deeper analyses of engine operation with MSO were considered reasonable. The kinematic viscosity of crude bio-oils is much higher than that of FAMEs or DFO. Consequently, the injection pressure tends to increase especially at the injection pump side of an in-line injection pump system. The flow characteristics of crude bio-oil also differ from those of DFO in the high-pressure pipe. With bio-oil, the flow seems to be laminar. The bulk modulus of bio-oils is also different from that of DFO affecting the rate of the injection pressure rise. In the present study, a turbocharged, inter-cooled direct-injection non-road diesel engine was driven with a mixture of MSO (95%) and rape seed methyl ester (RME, 5%), and standard DFO. The engine was equipped with an in-line injection pump. First, the injection pressures at pump and injector ends of the high-pressure injection pipe were measured for both fuels as a function of crank angle. Furthermore, a model was created for the injection system based on the method of characteristics. Free software called Scilab was adopted for numerical simulation of the model. Despite a few limitations in the built model, the results showed clear trends and the model can be used to predict changes in the fuel injection process when the fuel is changed.

Author(s):  
Markus Stumpf ◽  
Sascha Merkel ◽  
Peter Eckert ◽  
Uwe Wagner ◽  
Amin Velji ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was the characterization of the size distribution and the concentration of the particles emitted by diesel engines under various speed and load points, and different injection pressures. Fine and ultrafine particles emitted by modern diesel engines, in particular those with sizes below 100 nm, are of significant importance for the human health, since the latter are respirable and may have therefore negative effects. The investigations described in this paper provide an insight into the formation of soot particles in the combustion chamber and their number concentration and size distribution in the exhaust gas pipe. The experiments were performed on a single cylinder diesel engine. For the purpose of comparability to multi cylinder engines, the crankshaft drive, the liner, the piston and the cylinder head were based on a heavy duty production engine. The engine was operated with a common rail injection system which was controlled by an electronic control device that offered several degrees of freedom regarding number, duration and timing of the single injections. During the investigations the engine was operated at several speed and load points with and without pilot injection. The in-cylinder soot concentration was measured crank angle resolved with the two-color-method. The Filter-Smoke-Number (FSN) and the NOx concentration were determined in the exhaust gas. Furthermore the particle number and the particle size distribution were measured by means of a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS). The main focus of the experiments was on the investigation of the in-cylinder soot concentration and the particle size distribution running the engine at several injection pressures during different engine speed/load configurations. In order to obtain a potential correlation to common exhaust gas quantification methods, the Filter-Smoke-Number was measured simultaneously. The results of the experiments provide knowledge which is of eminent importance with respect to further diesel combustion development with regard to both the soot concentration and the soot particle properties.


Author(s):  
Ke Zhang ◽  
Zhifeng Xie ◽  
Ming Zhou

Single-cylinder diesel engines usually employ mechanically actuated or time-type electrically controlled fuel injection systems. But due to the lack of flexibility to provide high pressure and fully varying injection parameters, fuel efficiency and emissions are poor. Although modern multi-cylinder engines have employed high pressure common rail fuel injection system for a long time, this technology has not been demonstrated in single-cylinder diesel engines. Due to the small installation space and little fuel injection amount of single cylinder diesel engine, high pressure common rail fuel injection system cannot be employed directly. In this study an electrically controlled high pressure fuel injection system of time-pressure-type (PTFS) for single-cylinder diesel engine was demonstrated. PTFS integrated the fuel pump and pressure reservoir (PR) to reduce installation space, which enabled it to match various kinds of single-cylinder diesel engines. However, the volume of the PR of PTFS is still limited, leading to obvious pressure fluctuation induced by periodic fuel pumping and injection. Pressure fluctuation might affect the stability and consistency of fuel injection, deteriorating the combustion and emissions of the engine further. This work established a mathematical model for the system, and studied the effect of the main parameters of the PR to the pressure fluctuations in the PR. The structure and dimensions of the system were optimized and a damping mechanism was proposed to reduce the pressure fluctuation. The optimized pressure fluctuation of PTFS achieved an acceptable level which can support steady and effective fuel injection. As a result, the fuel consumption efficiency and emission level of single cylinder diesel engine were enhanced.


2011 ◽  
Vol 328-330 ◽  
pp. 948-952
Author(s):  
Ming Hai Li ◽  
Biao Liu ◽  
You Bo Ning

GT-Suite software is used to establish the simulation model of high-pressure fuel injection system for diesel engine. Simulation parameters are modified based on the comparison with given experimental results. In order to improve diesel engine fuel injection performance, the cam profile was improved to ensure a high injection pressure and smooth operating characteristics. A more reasonable fuel cam profile was designed by analyzing the injection characteristics and dynamics. It improves the fuel mixture formation and combustion, so diesel economy and emissions performance are also guaranteed.


Author(s):  
Andrew L. Carpenter ◽  
Robert E. Mayo ◽  
Jerald G. Wagner ◽  
Paul E. Yelvington

Small-displacement, single-cylinder, diesel engines employ mechanically actuated fuel injection systems. These mechanically governed systems, while robust and low-cost, lack the ability to fully vary injection parameters, such as timing, pulse duration, and injection pressure. The ability of a particular injection system to vary these injection parameters impacts engine efficiency, power, noise, and emissions. Modern, multi-cylinder automotive engines employ some form of electronically controlled injection to take advantage of the benefits of fully variable injection, including advanced strategies such as multi-pulse injections and rate shaping. Modern diesel electronic fuel injection systems also operate at considerably higher injection pressures than mechanical fuel systems used in small-bore industrial engines. As the cost of electronic fuel systems continues to decrease and the demand for high-efficiency engines increases, electronic fuel injection becomes a more viable option for incorporation into small industrial diesel engines. In particular, this technology may be well-suited for demanding and critical applications such as military power generation. In this study, a small-bore, single-cylinder diesel was retrofit with a custom, four-hole, high-pressure electronic fuel system. Compared to the mechanical injector, the electronic, common-rail injector had a 50% smaller orifice diameter and was designed for a 4x higher injection pressure. The mechanical governor was also replaced with an electronic speed controller. The baseline and modified engines were installed on a dynamometer, and measurements of exhaust emissions, fuel consumption, brake torque, and in-cylinder pressure were made. The electronic injector led to lower smoke opacity and NOx emissions, while CO and hydrocarbon emissions were observed to increase slightly, likely due to some wall wetting of fuel with the initial prototype injector. Testing with low ignition quality fuels was also performed, and the electronic fuel system enabled the engine to operate with fuel having a cetane number as low as 30.


Author(s):  
Anirudh Gautam ◽  
Prem Chandra ◽  
Kamlesh Kumar ◽  
Mani Ram Sharma ◽  
Sanjeet Kumar ◽  
...  

An electronic fuel injection system for a 4-stroke, 16 cylinders, V-configuration, medium speed, large bore locomotive diesel engine has been developed and successfully retrofitted on a rebuilt diesel locomotive. The engine employs a Pump-Line-Nozzle (PLN) system of fuel injection into the cylinder. Original fuel injection system used is a mechanical fuel injection pump connected to a mechanical fuel injector through a high pressure fuel line. The fuel injection pump meters the fuel delivery using a single helix machined on its plunger. The fuel injection timings are however optimized only for the rated speed and load resulting in non-optimised operation at other engine operating points. An electronic fuel injection pump having a solenoid valve for both fuel metering and injection timing along with ECU has been developed for retrofitment on rebuilt diesel locomotives. Interfacing of the ECU to the engine test cell controller has been done by developing suitable hardware and software. ECU calibration has been done and various maps of the engine have been developed. The engine was tested on the engine test bed. High pressure injector, modified fuel headers, fuel connection systems, a new high capacity fuel pump and layout of the wire harness were installed. After thorough testing and debugging, the EFI kit has been retrofitted on a rebuilt diesel locomotive and tested on load box followed by brief field trials. A savings of 4% fuel consumption over the duty cycle has been obtained. In addition there is an appreciable reduction in the smoke emissions during steady-state as well as transient operations.


Author(s):  
Andrew L. Carpenter ◽  
Robert E. Mayo ◽  
Jerald G. Wagner ◽  
Paul E. Yelvington

Small-displacement single-cylinder diesel engines employ mechanically actuated fuel injection systems. These mechanically governed systems, while robust and low cost, lack the ability to fully vary injection parameters, such as timing, pulse duration, and injection pressure. The ability of a particular injection system to vary these injection parameters impacts engine efficiency, power, noise, and emissions. Modern, multicylinder automotive engines employ some form of electronically controlled injection to take advantage of the benefits of fully variable injection, including advanced strategies such as multipulse injections and rate shaping. Modern diesel electronic fuel injection (EFI) systems also operate at considerably higher injection pressures than mechanical fuel systems used in small-bore industrial engines. As the cost of electronic fuel systems continues to decrease and the demand for high-efficiency engines increases, EFI becomes a more viable option for incorporation into small industrial diesel engines. In particular, this technology may be well-suited for demanding and critical applications, such as military power generation. In this study, a small-bore single-cylinder diesel was retrofit with a custom high-pressure EFI system. Compared to the mechanical injector, the electronic, common-rail injector had a 50% smaller orifice diameter and was designed for a fourfold higher injection pressure. The mechanical governor was also replaced with an electronic speed controller. The baseline and modified engines were installed on a dynamometer, and measurements of exhaust emissions, fuel consumption, brake torque, and in-cylinder pressure were made. The electronic injector leads to lower smoke opacity and NOx emissions, while CO and hydrocarbon emissions were observed to increase slightly, likely due to some wall wetting of fuel with the initial prototype injector. Testing with low ignition quality fuels was also performed, and the electronic fuel system enabled the engine to operate with fuel having a cetane number as low as 30.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.N. Basavarajappa ◽  
N. R. Banapurmath ◽  
S.V. Khandal ◽  
G. Manavendra

For economic and social development of any country energy is one of the most essential requirements. Continuously increasing price of crude petroleum fuels in the present days coupled with alarming emissions and stringent emission regulations has led to growing attention towards use of alternative fuels like vegetable oils, alcoholic and gaseous fuels for diesel engine applications. Use of such fuels can ease the burden on the economy by curtailing the fuel imports. Diesel engines are highly efficient and the main problems associated with them is their high smoke and NOx emissions.  Hence there is an urgent need to promote the use of alternative fuels in place of high speed diesel (HSD) as substitute. India has a large agriculture base that can be used as a feed stock to obtain newer fuel which is renewable and sustainable. Accordingly Uppage oil methyl ester (UOME) biodiesel was selected as an alternative fuel. Use of biodiesels in diesel engines fitted with mechanical fuel injection systems has limitation on the injector opening pressure (300 bar). CRDI system can overcome this drawback by injecting fuel at very high pressures (1500-2500 bar) and is most suitable for biodiesel fuels which are high viscous. This paper presents the performance and emission characteristics of a CRDI diesel engine fuelled with UOME biodiesel at different injection timings and injection pressures. From the experimental evidence it was revealed that UOME biodiesel yielded overall better performance with reduced emissions at retarded injection timing of -10° BTDC in CRDI mode of engine operation.


Author(s):  
M P Ashok ◽  
C G Saravanan

Diesel engines are employed as the major propulsion power sources because of their simple, robust structure and high fuel economy. It is expected that diesel engines will be widely used in the foreseeable future. However, an increase in the use of diesel engines causes a shortage of fossil fuel and results in a greater degree of pollution. To regulate the above, identifying an alternative fuel to the diesel engine with less pollution is essential. Ethanol–diesel emulsion is one such method, used for the preparation of an alternative fuel for the diesel engine. Experimental investigations were carried out to compare the performance of diesel fuel with different ratios 50D: 50E (50 per cent diesel No: 2: 50 per cent ethanol –100 per cent proof) and 60D: 40E emulsified fuels. In the next phase, experiments were conducted for the selected emulsified fuel ratio 50D: 50E for different high injection pressures and the results are compared. The results show that for the emulsified fuel ratios, there is a marginal increase in torque, power, NO x, emissions, and decreasing values of carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions at the maximum speed conditions, compared with diesel fuel. Also, it is found that an increase in injection pressure of the engine running with emulsified fuel decreases CO and smoke emissions especially between 1500 to 2000 r/min with respect to the diesel fuel.


Author(s):  
Vinay Nagaraju ◽  
Mufaddel Dahodwala ◽  
Kaushik Acharya ◽  
Walter Bryzik ◽  
Naeim A. Henein

Biodiesel has different physical and chemical properties than ultra low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD). The low volatility of biodiesel is expected to affect the physical processes, mainly fuel evaporation and combustible mixture formation. The higher cetane number of biodiesel is expected to affect the rates of the chemical reactions. The combination of these two fuel properties has an impact on the auto ignition process, subsequently combustion and engine out emissions. Applying different swirl ratios and injection pressures affect both the physical and chemical processes. The focus of this paper is to investigate the effect of varying the swirl ratio and injection pressure in a single-cylinder research diesel engine using a blend of biodiesel and ULSD fuel. The engine is a High Speed Direct Injection (HSDI) equipped with a common rail injection system, EGR system and a swirl control mechanism. The engine is operated under simulated turbocharged conditions with 3 bar Indicated Mean Effective Pressure (IMEP) at 1500 rpm, using 100% ULSD and a blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% ULSD fuel. The biodiesel is developed from soy bean oil. A detailed analysis of the apparent rate of heat release (ARHR) is made to determine the role of the biodiesel component of B-20 in the combustible mixture formation, autoignition process, premixed, mixing controlled and diffusion controlled combustion fractions. The results explain the factors that cause an increase or a drop in NOx emissions reported in the literature when using biodiesel.


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