Proceedings of the Second International Energy 2030 Conference,
November 4-5, 2008, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Effect of Advanced Injection Timing on the Performance Improvement of a Dual-Fuel Diesel Engine with Producer Gas from a Down-Draft Gasifier for Power Generation

S. Kerdsuwan
King Mongkut’s University of Technology, Thailand

T. Lekpradit
The Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering, Thailand

S. Tongorn
The Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering, Thailand

N. Nipattummakul
King Mongkut’s University of Technology, Thailand

Abstract
Alternative fuels are of interest due to fuel crisis. There are many alternative fuels in Thailand, for example natural gas for vehicle (NGV), bio-diesel, gasohol, etc. On the other hand, producer gas acquired from bio-mass, such as wastes from agricultural products which is generated from a gasifier, can be used as an alternative fuel for power generation. A dual-fuel diesel engine is employed, in which the diesel is the main fuel and the producer gas is a substitute fuel. By using the dual fuel system, the injection timing of the engine has to be considered because of the slow combustion speed of the air and gas mixture. Therefore, the effect of the injection timing on the performance and emissions of a dual-fuel diesel engine is investigated. In this experiment, a 15 kg/hr downdraft gasifier is used to generate the producer gas which is wood as biomass feedstock. The engine has a standard timing injection of 12° before top dead centre (BTDC). The injection was advanced by 5°, yielding an injection timing of 17° BTDC. Dual fuel mode with advanced injection timing is found to improve engine performance (in terms of system efficiency, fuel substitution, specific fuel consumption and emissions) compared with dual fuel mode with standard injection timing, except in terms of NOx emissions.