Experimental Investigation of Biogas Production & Its Utilization in CI Engine-An Environmental Approach

Abstract

Biogas is a renewable, alternative and sustainable form of energy which is also environmental friendly is produced by anaerobic digestion process (decomposition of organic matter) with the help of microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. It has been observed that, in India biogas technology is one of the oldest technologies, which has been used hundred year ago. Biogas consists primarily of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), ammonia, nitrogen and other trace component. The present investigation focuses on blending of cow dung (CD) and waste leaf (WL) at different proportions to identify the best combination of CD and WL which gives a maximum biogas yield. The presence of CO2 and H2S in the composition of biogas is the main drawback of the biogas. By using a packed bed scrubber, the biogas was purified. Further, experiments were carried out in a single cylinder, four stroke, air cooled, direct injection (DI) diesel engine having power output of 4.4 kW operated at 1500 rpm. The engine was modified to operate on the dual fuel mode. In this operation, biogas was inducted at different flow rates varying from 0.3 kg/h to 1.2 kg/h at regular intervals of 0.3 kg/h in the suction of the engine. The results are presented in the thesis.