Design and fabrication of a low-cost research facility for the study of combustion characteristics of a dual producer gas-diesel engine

摘要

A combustion pressure measurement system is a major unit used to study combustion characteristics of an alternative fuel compared to a baseline fossil fuel. Many previous studies have used a Kistler make transducer connected to a Kistler charge ampli?er to detect the combustion pressure inside the cylinder, but the prices are very high, more than 5,000 US$. Consequently, this technical paper provides some tips to properly assemble a combustion pressure measurement system with a much lower price and apply theoretical functions to convert raw data into combustion output variables. An AutoPSI pressure sensor connected with a charge amplifier and a PicoLog 1012 data logger was chosen, and the total cost was 2,250 US$. The pressure measurement unit was used to detect the combustion pressure of producer gas in a diesel engine operated in dual fuel mode. A venturi and a U-tube manometer were designed and fabricated to read producer gas flow rates based on the Bernoulli principle. Three different engine loads (i.e., 35%, 53%, and 70%) with gas flow rates (i.e., no gas, 10 kg/h, and 20 kg/h) were controlled to test the combustion pressure measurement system and the gas flow reader. The results highlighted that the combustion characteristics of the present study are in the same trends as those of existing studies. The combustion peak occurs lower and later with a higher gas flow rate, but an increase in engine load raises the peak pressure. This study contributes to offering technical tips to design a low-cost research facility.