Premixed Homogenous Charge Combustion of n-Butanol Ignited by a Carinata Biodiesel Pilot

Carinata is a plant that has no use other than oil production and it has the potential to be mass cultivated for biodiesel production. My upcoming research will implement Carinata biodiesel for the first time in the world as an ignition pilot in a Premixed Homogenous Charge Compression Engine. Normal butanol (n-butanol) will be Port Fueled Injected (PFI) into the intake manifold of a diesel engine to form a homogenous charge that will be ignited by a pilot injection of Carinata biodiesel. This injection process, known as Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI), is a newly discovered injection technique that will substantially reduce harmful emissions created from the combustion process by lowering combustion temperature. Carinata biodiesel needs to undergo research using this injection technique to determine its potential of becoming a viable fuel source. The goal of this research stage was to calibrate and install all the necessary sensors and hardware on the diesel engine. An Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system was implemented on a compression ignition engine in the Renewable Energy and Engines Lab. An EGR system reduces harmful emissions produced by a diesel engine by lowering the air to fuel ratio in the combustion process. The supercharger was also installed to the intake line of this engine to increase and control the air flow rate during engine operation. In order to measure to the flow rate of the EGR system’s return path, a pressure transducer was installed to the EGR piping so the EGR flow rate can be measured. A pressure transducer determines flow rate by measuring a pressure difference in two points of a flowing fluid and transmits this difference to an oscilloscope by creating a voltage difference that is read by an oscilloscope. A calibration curve was generated to graph the flow rate vs. voltage output coming from the pressure transducer so the flow rate can be determined in the research. The amount of return gas allowed through the EGR pipe is controlled through a gate valve which was also installed to the EGR system. The engine setup includes a remote-controlled electric motor to regulate the speed of the supercharger and also a flow meter to record air flow rate into the engine’s intake. A calibration curve was developed to determine how much air flow is being created from the supercharger when a chosen amount of power is applied to its electric motor. With both the pressure transducer and flow meter in place, the air to exhaust gas ratio can be calculated and monitored. The pressure transducer can only function accurately if it does not vibrate while outputting voltage. Because the diesel engine used in this experiment vibrates while running, a mount had to be installed on a wall next to the engine to hold the pressure transducer still. The vibrations on the mount while the diesel engine was running was measured using an accelerometer. The results are below: The Renewable Energy and Engines Laboratory at Georgia Southern University is one of the three labs in the United States that is capable of performing RCCI experiments on diesel engines. The EGR and Supercharger system will help support the research on Carinata biodiesel. Carinata is a newly developed bio-diesel that has yet to undergo combustion through an RCCI process anywhere in the world, and it will be first performed at Georgia Southern University. Note: My graphs would not upload into this text box