Energetic utilisation of biogases in IC engines

Abstract

Due to increasing energy demand from the human population and in order to keep the development sustainable there is a major need to utilize alternative energy sources. The use of biogases as a source of renewable energy for combined heat and power generation could provide an effective and alternative way to fulfil remarkable part of this energy demand as a possible solution of decentralized power generation. Therefore the role of utilization of biogases grows rapidly in Europe and all around the world. As biogases have a high inert content, their heating value is low. The energetic utilization of these low heating value renewable gaseous fuels is not fully worked out yet because their combustion characteristics differ significantly from those of natural gases, and in this way they are not usable or their utilization in conventional devices is limited. At the Department of Energy Engineering of BME in cooperation with the Szolnok University College Technical and Agricultural Faculty investigation was made to d etermine the energetic usability of biogases. At Szolnok University experiments were made to increase the quantity and quality of biogas produced from different kind of basic materials and mixtures and at the Department of Energy Engineering of Budapest University of Technology and Economics the IC Engine utilization of biogases was investigated. The power, efficiency, consumption and exhaust emission were measured and in-cylinder pressure data acquisition was made to determine the pressure and heat release in the cylinder at various engine working conditions and CO_2 contents.