Parametric Optimization of Producer Gas fuelled Spark Ignition Engine through Thermodynamic Modelling

Abstract

Development of alternative fuel has become a necessity to quench the current/rising future energy demands and alarming environmental pollution. Producer gas/syngas has potential to be most favorite alternative fuel substitution whose performance characteristics are lower whereas emission characteristics of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and hydrocarbons are better than petrol/diesel. Looking at these facts, the present work focuses on thermodynamic modelling and parametric studies on a real-life engine using producer gas as fuel to study its performance and emission characteristics. Simulated program is validated with published literature and results are found within ± 9% in terms of power and efficiency. The model is then used to study the effect of Spark advance (10°–30°), valve timing and combustion duration (40°–80°), fuel-air ratio, stroke to bore ratio and connecting rod length to crank radius to study their impact on emission and performance of real-life engine. The optimum engine performance parameters while also considering emission of nitric oxide (NO) and CO operated at stoichiometric fuel-air ratio turns out to be L/D as 1.0, Spark advance as 20° BTDC (before top dead center), combustion duration as 50°, inlet valve closing as 30° ATDC and exhaust valve opening as 10° BBDC (before bottom dead center). The efficiency, specific fuel consumption, power, CO and NO with these optimal parameters are of the order of 19.58%, 1.23 kg/kWh, 67.0 kW, 0.65 ppm and 0.017 ppb, respectively. It is believed that present work offers optimal design and operating parameters through actual thermodynamic cycle analysis which may be used as a reference for design and development of producer gas-fuelled Spark Ignition (SI) engines.