Abstract:

With the depletion of fossil fuels and the ever-growing environmental concerns, biogas as an alternative fuel is gaining popularity. Biogas has the potential simultaneously to solve the crisis of energy shortage and waste management. As a fuel, it is carbon dioxide (CO2) neutral and can withstand engine knock. Several researches have reported the biogas application in internal combustion (IC) engine. It reveals that existing IC engine may be effortlessly reformed to run on biogas with minor modifications. The study aims to present a comprehensive analysis of the investigations conducted on the characteristics of emission, combustion and performance; of biogas fuelled IC engines. Various aspects of enhancing the emission and performance of biogas fuelled IC engines, viz. optimization of compression ratio, ignition/ injection timing, fuel flow rate, hydrogen supplementation etc. have also been discussed in detail. Comparative evaluation of the emission and performance of biogas powered engine along with other gaseous fuels using exergy analysis is also presented. Experimental finding suggests the use of biogas in dual fuel compression ignition (CI) mode powered by biodiesel or diesel as pilot fuel; as a superior way to realize the resourceful employment of biogas.<

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