Transestrification of biofuel, yes but why?

• Autorzy: Sitnik L. J.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

This paper presents a novel way of utilizing alcohols as fuels for a diesel engine. It is proposed to use heavy alcohols as a mix with vegetable oils and conventional diesel fuel. It is presented the another way to use alcohols. Namely, the use of heavy alcohols as a solvent for vegetable oil (named the biomix or BM) and after the obtainment of the thickness, which would be approximate to diesel fuel, mixing the biomix with diesel fuel to obtained biomix diesel (BMD). This solution will be shown for example with butanol as heavy alcohol, rape oil as vegetable oil and conventional diesel fuel. The investigations are carried out with a simple diesel engine on the engine test bed. Main parameters of engine (power output, torque, specifically fuel consumption) and the main exhaust gas component (in this case CO, NOx, PM) will be investigated. There were better results achieved than one expected. Opposed to existing experiences, the maximum of power output and the torque of engine are higher in the whole range of the rotatory speed of the engine crankshaft when the engine biomix diesel (BMD) is reinforced. The addition of the component biomix to fuel influences the specific fuel consumption. Generally with the larger part of the component biomix the specific fuel consumption grows. Because the power of engine also grows up one should expect that in exploitation the specific fuel consumption should not increase. Transestrification process in the proposed solution does not appear. This has large economic meaning. The investment amount (the transestrification plant) is not necessary. The power consumption to get fuel is lower. Vegetable oils are fully used (glycerine is not produced). BMD has stable parameters. The usage of existing infrastructure to this transportation is enough. Very important is that this fuel could be used to reinforce old, existing now and the future diesel engines. The production of butanol is known. It will be interesting to use for the production an electrolysis process, especially in the proposed new plant where the electrolysis process is connected with the process to get the electrical energy from byproducts of electrolysis (i.e. hydrogen and oxygen) in the fuel cell. It seems to be more efficient. The possibility to get butanol from ethanol gives a very good perspective for the use of ethanol from today's overproduction and moreover without the essential change of infrastructure.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

transport; diesel engines; fuels; alternative fuels; biofuel

• Wydawca: Łukasiewicz Research Network - Institute of Aviation ; European Science Society of Powertrain and Transport KONES Poland ; Wydawnictwo Instytutu Technicznego Wojsk Lotniczych
• Czasopismo: Journal of KONES
• Rocznik: 2008
• Tom: Vol. 15, No. 4
• Strony: 537--544
• Opis fizyczny: Bibliogr. 4 poz., rys.

Twórcy

autor

Sitnik L. J.

• Wroclaw University of Technology Faculty of Mechanics Institute of the Construction and Operation of the Machines Łukasiewicza 7/9 Street, 50-371 Wrocław (Poland) tel./fax) [phone],

Bibliografia

• [1] Biofuels in the European Union. A vision for 2030 and beyond. Final report of the Biofuels Research Advisory Council. European Commission. Directorate-General for Research Sustainable Energy Systems, ISBN 92-79-01748-9, 2006.
• [2] Appendix C: Biofuels and bio-based chemicals (background), http://www.dni.gov/nic/PDF_GIF_confreports/disruptivetech/appendix_C.pdf
• [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butanol.
• [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biobutanol.