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

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.