Performance and Emissions of a Methane Fueled V-Twin Four Stroke Spark Ignited Engine

Daniel John Piekarski; James H. Lee; Robert D. Garrick; Andrew Smith; Kenneth E. Krapf; John Bulzacchelli

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14

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Performance and Emissions of a Methane Fueled V-Twin Four Stroke Spark Ignited Engine

Daniel John Piekarski, James H. Lee, Robert D. Garrick, Andrew Smith, Kenneth E. Krapf, John Bulzacchelli

Published in International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering (Volume 3, Issue 1)

Received: 31 January 2014 Published: 10 March 2014

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Abstract

This paper discusses the on-going study of a modified two-cylinder V-twin engine used to research and analyze natural gas combustion. The purpose of the experimentation is to determine the feasibility of Natural Gas as an alternative fuel for automotive and stationary power generation applications. During testing the engine was operated under various loads and RPMs. The compression ratio (CR) of the engine was increased from 9.0:1 to 13.8:1 with the expectation of improved fuel combustion and improved emissions. The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and air-fuel ratio (AFR) were also varied to determine optimal levels that would improve emissions without compromising excessive power (hp). Lean limit analysis was conducted to understand the effect of increased AFR on combustion and emissions. Results from testing confirmed an emissions benefit of going from low compression to high compression. The Total Hydrocarbons (THC) decreased 25%, Carbon Monoxide levels decrease by 48% and the Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) decreased by 20%. A low percentage of EGR, between 3-6 %, helped reduce Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) emissions from over 830 ppm to less than 450 ppm, an improvement of almost 50%, with less than a 2% increase in THC and CO. Power (hp) actually improved by about 1.5% with 3% EGR. Increasing the AFR proved to decrease emissions but at a cost of power and the lean limit of the engine was found to be between 22 and 23 AFR. At 22 AFR the THC emissions decreased by 40%, CO emission by 90% and NOx emissions by almost 50%, but the power decreased by over 35%.

Published in	International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering (Volume 3, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14
Page(s)	21-27
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Compressed Natural Gas, Combustion, Emissions, Exhaust Gas Recirculation, Air Fuel Ratio, Compression Ratio

References

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[6]	Ha, D., Park, J., Yeom, J., Ha, J. et al., "Study on Combustion and Emission Characteristics of CNG Fueled RI-Engine," SAE Technical Paper 2007-01-3621, 2007, doi:10.4271/2007-01-3621. http://papers.sae.org/2007-01-3621
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[9]	S. Rousseau, B. Lemoult, M. Tazerout. Combustion characteristics of natural gas in a lean burn spark-ignition engine. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D, Journal of Automobile Engineering, 213 (5) (1999), pp. 481–490
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APA Style

Daniel John Piekarski, James H. Lee, Robert D. Garrick, Andrew Smith, Kenneth E. Krapf, et al. (2014). Performance and Emissions of a Methane Fueled V-Twin Four Stroke Spark Ignited Engine. International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering, 3(1), 21-27. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14

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ACS Style

Daniel John Piekarski; James H. Lee; Robert D. Garrick; Andrew Smith; Kenneth E. Krapf, et al. Performance and Emissions of a Methane Fueled V-Twin Four Stroke Spark Ignited Engine. Int. J. Energy Power Eng. 2014, 3(1), 21-27. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14

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AMA Style

Daniel John Piekarski, James H. Lee, Robert D. Garrick, Andrew Smith, Kenneth E. Krapf, et al. Performance and Emissions of a Methane Fueled V-Twin Four Stroke Spark Ignited Engine. Int J Energy Power Eng. 2014;3(1):21-27. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14,
  author = {Daniel John Piekarski and James H. Lee and Robert D. Garrick and Andrew Smith and Kenneth E. Krapf and John Bulzacchelli},
  title = {Performance and Emissions of a Methane Fueled V-Twin Four Stroke Spark Ignited Engine},
  journal = {International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering},
  volume = {3},
  number = {1},
  pages = {21-27},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijepe.20140301.14},
  abstract = {This paper discusses the on-going study of a modified two-cylinder V-twin engine used to research and analyze natural gas combustion. The purpose of the experimentation is to determine the feasibility of Natural Gas as an alternative fuel for automotive and stationary power generation applications. During testing the engine was operated under various loads and RPMs. The compression ratio (CR) of the engine was increased from 9.0:1 to 13.8:1 with the expectation of improved fuel combustion and improved emissions. The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and air-fuel ratio (AFR) were also varied to determine optimal levels that would improve emissions without compromising excessive power (hp). Lean limit analysis was conducted to understand the effect of increased AFR on combustion and emissions. Results from testing confirmed an emissions benefit of going from low compression to high compression. The Total Hydrocarbons (THC) decreased 25%, Carbon Monoxide levels decrease by 48% and the Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) decreased by 20%. A low percentage of EGR, between 3-6 %, helped reduce Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) emissions from over 830 ppm to less than 450 ppm, an improvement of almost 50%, with less than a 2% increase in THC and CO. Power (hp) actually improved by about 1.5% with 3% EGR.  Increasing the AFR proved to decrease emissions but at a cost of power and the lean limit of the engine was found to be between 22 and 23 AFR. At 22 AFR the THC emissions decreased by 40%, CO emission by 90% and NOx emissions by almost 50%, but the power decreased by over 35%.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Performance and Emissions of a Methane Fueled V-Twin Four Stroke Spark Ignited Engine
AU - Daniel John Piekarski
AU - James H. Lee
AU - Robert D. Garrick
AU - Andrew Smith
AU - Kenneth E. Krapf
AU - John Bulzacchelli
Y1 - 2014/03/10
PY - 2014
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14
DO - 10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14
T2 - International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering
JF - International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering
JO - International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering
SP - 21
EP - 27
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2326-960X
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14
AB - This paper discusses the on-going study of a modified two-cylinder V-twin engine used to research and analyze natural gas combustion. The purpose of the experimentation is to determine the feasibility of Natural Gas as an alternative fuel for automotive and stationary power generation applications. During testing the engine was operated under various loads and RPMs. The compression ratio (CR) of the engine was increased from 9.0:1 to 13.8:1 with the expectation of improved fuel combustion and improved emissions. The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and air-fuel ratio (AFR) were also varied to determine optimal levels that would improve emissions without compromising excessive power (hp). Lean limit analysis was conducted to understand the effect of increased AFR on combustion and emissions. Results from testing confirmed an emissions benefit of going from low compression to high compression. The Total Hydrocarbons (THC) decreased 25%, Carbon Monoxide levels decrease by 48% and the Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) decreased by 20%. A low percentage of EGR, between 3-6 %, helped reduce Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) emissions from over 830 ppm to less than 450 ppm, an improvement of almost 50%, with less than a 2% increase in THC and CO. Power (hp) actually improved by about 1.5% with 3% EGR. Increasing the AFR proved to decrease emissions but at a cost of power and the lean limit of the engine was found to be between 22 and 23 AFR. At 22 AFR the THC emissions decreased by 40%, CO emission by 90% and NOx emissions by almost 50%, but the power decreased by over 35%.
VL - 3
IS - 1
ER -

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Author Information

Daniel John Piekarski

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, USA
James H. Lee

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, USA
Robert D. Garrick

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, USA
Andrew Smith

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, USA
Kenneth E. Krapf

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, USA
John Bulzacchelli

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, USA

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APA Style

Daniel John Piekarski, James H. Lee, Robert D. Garrick, Andrew Smith, Kenneth E. Krapf, et al. (2014). Performance and Emissions of a Methane Fueled V-Twin Four Stroke Spark Ignited Engine. International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering, 3(1), 21-27. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14

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ACS Style

Daniel John Piekarski; James H. Lee; Robert D. Garrick; Andrew Smith; Kenneth E. Krapf, et al. Performance and Emissions of a Methane Fueled V-Twin Four Stroke Spark Ignited Engine. Int. J. Energy Power Eng. 2014, 3(1), 21-27. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14

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AMA Style

Daniel John Piekarski, James H. Lee, Robert D. Garrick, Andrew Smith, Kenneth E. Krapf, et al. Performance and Emissions of a Methane Fueled V-Twin Four Stroke Spark Ignited Engine. Int J Energy Power Eng. 2014;3(1):21-27. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14,
  author = {Daniel John Piekarski and James H. Lee and Robert D. Garrick and Andrew Smith and Kenneth E. Krapf and John Bulzacchelli},
  title = {Performance and Emissions of a Methane Fueled V-Twin Four Stroke Spark Ignited Engine},
  journal = {International Journal of Energy and Power Engineering},
  volume = {3},
  number = {1},
  pages = {21-27},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepe.20140301.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijepe.20140301.14},
  abstract = {This paper discusses the on-going study of a modified two-cylinder V-twin engine used to research and analyze natural gas combustion. The purpose of the experimentation is to determine the feasibility of Natural Gas as an alternative fuel for automotive and stationary power generation applications. During testing the engine was operated under various loads and RPMs. The compression ratio (CR) of the engine was increased from 9.0:1 to 13.8:1 with the expectation of improved fuel combustion and improved emissions. The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and air-fuel ratio (AFR) were also varied to determine optimal levels that would improve emissions without compromising excessive power (hp). Lean limit analysis was conducted to understand the effect of increased AFR on combustion and emissions. Results from testing confirmed an emissions benefit of going from low compression to high compression. The Total Hydrocarbons (THC) decreased 25%, Carbon Monoxide levels decrease by 48% and the Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) decreased by 20%. A low percentage of EGR, between 3-6 %, helped reduce Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) emissions from over 830 ppm to less than 450 ppm, an improvement of almost 50%, with less than a 2% increase in THC and CO. Power (hp) actually improved by about 1.5% with 3% EGR.  Increasing the AFR proved to decrease emissions but at a cost of power and the lean limit of the engine was found to be between 22 and 23 AFR. At 22 AFR the THC emissions decreased by 40%, CO emission by 90% and NOx emissions by almost 50%, but the power decreased by over 35%.},
 year = {2014}
}

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