Abstract:
With the increasing concern regarding diesel engine emissions, including
Nitrogen Oxides (NOX) and Particulate Matter (PM), and the rising of energy
demand as well, the utilization of alternative fuels in diesel engine has been
found to be an attractive solution. Natural gas is a very promising and highly
attractive fuel because of its low cost and clean-burning qualities. Natural
gas/diesel bi-fuel is an operation mode in which natural gas is introduced into the
intake air upstream of the manifold and then ignited by the direct injected diesel
into the cylinder. The aim of this research is to build a gas delivery system to
supply the natural gas to the diesel engine, and without any modification on
engine design. And to design a control system that ensure proper operating
conditions for both engine and bi fuel system. An electronic control panel based
on ATMega32 microcontroller that monitors and displays critical engine and Bi-
Fuel System parameters is used. Various sensors were involved. Based on input
from the sensors and user programmed limits, the Microcontroller will activate
or deactivate Bi-Fuel mode as required. The (Bascom) software program for
generating the code that programs the microcontroller is used, beside the Proteus
software for simulation. It has been found that the bi fuel mode has a lower fuel
consumption rate of almost one third (1/3) compared to the normal 100% diesel
mode. According to the data collected from the literature, the application of bi
fuel mode significantly decreases the NOX, carbon dioxide (CO2) and PM
emissions. However, the HydroCarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO)
emissions may increase by several times in comparison to normal diesel
combustion. Moreover the life time of the diesel engine parts is increased as well
as the life time of the lubricating oil.
