Diesel Engine Running on Plant Oil - Research Paper Example

Diesel Engine Running on Plant Oil Introduction Diesel engines can be designed to run on a wide range of fuel sources including petroleum oil, plant oil and coal dust. Although the initial diesel engines were originally designed to run on coal dust and plant oils, the discovery of petroleum oil led to the decrease in popularity of such engines as more designers were attracted by petroleum oil diesel engines due to the low cost and plenty of supply of petroleum diesel. Designing diesel engines that run on plant oil has however increasingly become relevant particularly with the recent petroleum shortages and more importantly due to numerous environmental benefits of such engines (Heywood, 1998, p.98). The plant oils used in the modified diesel engines are often obtained from plant sources such as vegetables, soy beans, peanuts as well as numerous other grains that are usually domestically abundant. The plant oils can either be used directly into the engines although sometimes they may be subjected to a number of processes and chemical modifications to ensure that they meet the standards required for their use in diesel engines. Additionally such modifications are also necessary to ensure that the plant oil used in the diesel engine does not solidify during the cold temperatures. One major advantage of designing diesel engines which run on plant oils is that as opposed to petroleum and chemical fuels, plant oils produce comparatively fewer emissions and are therefore environmentally friendly. This paper focuses on the design of a diesel engine, its market research, product specifications as well as the other issues such as patent and property rights. Design process The design process of a diesel engine than runs on plant oil must take into account the design challenges of using plant oils as fuels. For example, vegetable and other plant oils are generally more vicious (thick) as compared to the conventional petro-diesel fuels. Another challenge with regard to the use of plant oils as fuels in diesel engines is that the plant oils are usually different with the conventional fuels in terms of their combustion characteristics and chemical properties. Consequently without proper design modifications, the diesel engines may not work best with the plant oils since their high viscosity do not allow them to atomize properly during combustion and therefore lowers their combustion efficiency. The highly viscous plant fuels may also coke up the fuel injectors of the engine leading to high emissions as well as deduced life of the engine. There are a number of ways through which the diesel engines can be designed and modified to enable overcome the challenges related to the use of plant oil fuels such as oils obtained vegetables, rape seed, soy beans, peanuts, coconuts and other plant sources. The design challenge is particularly dealt by carrying out the necessary structural modifications particularly on the engine parts such as the fuel injector to ensure that it is able to run on more vicious fuel such as plant oils. To ensure to the engine designed to run on plant oil is able to get rid of the particulate matter and residues common in such oils, a diesel particulate filter (DPF) is incorporated in the exhaust system just like the catalytic converters that are currently common in most petrol engines. The main function of DPF in a diesel engine designed for plant oil is therefore to capture all the tiny particles from the plant oil fuel and help clean the engine. This is particularly important since the plant oils do not usually vaporize easily and some of the fuels may consequently end up as residues on the walls of the engine cylinders. Alternatively the fuel injection systems of the conventional diesel engine can be redesigned or modified in such a way that they eject very high pressure fuel injections from multiple points. According to many engineers, this kind of modification also enables the engine to maintain cleaner combustion particularly when plant oils are used as the primary fuel source. Another important design element that can be incorporated into the conventional diesel engines to make them more compatible with the plant oil fuels is placing the fuel injector in the exhaust system rather than in the cylinder. This design is particularly important for use in the large Lorries and trucks. The main problem with this system design however that is it requires an additional compartment for urea in the cylinder. Market research In the past few decades, many engine designers and automakers around the globe have filled the market with new design diesel engines that are able to effectively run on plant oil fuels. Most of the contemporary diesel engines are designed to overcome the challenges of using plant oil fuels by using smaller fuel injection nozzles, modifying combustion specifications and using additional emission control gadgets to minimize the production of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Generally diesel engine products that run on plant oil such as passenger vehicles, trains and cargo trucks are increasingly becoming common in both the European and American markets. Most of the European and American buyers of the biodiesel engines are obsessed with cleanliness and efficiency of these engines. With the rise of consumer demand for the new age biodiesel engines, some manufactures recently began using advanced emission control such as oxidation catalysts on some of these engine designs. Pugh and Hollins (1990, p.74) concur that the demand for environmentally friendly engines as well as renewable energy sources is likely to result in more research and production of diesel engines that primarily run on plant oils. As the demand for light duty biodiesel engines continue to rise, the future engine designs are likely to emit less carbon while at the same time consuming less fuel. A number of biodiesel engine models have existed in the market and as older models are being phased out, new modern age biodiesel engines continue to emerge in the engine market. For example the common models in the market were mainly the direct injection Volkswagen Vanton engines but were later replaced with turbo charged models such as Jetta, Bettle and Golf. In 2008, Audi car maker also developed a 3 liter diesel engine that is able to run on plant oils as alternative fuels. Finally, the Japanese auto makers such Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Nissan are also developing hybrid diesel engines that will be able to meet the growing consumer demand for lower emissions. Product design specifications The primary purpose of our designed diesel engine that runs on plant oils is to minimize over reliance on fossil fuels and greater efficiency. This is particularly with regard to the recent petroleum shortages as well as the numerous environmental challenges caused by overdependence on conventional diesel engines. Consequently some of the features of the new engine design will include low carbon emissions, improved miles coverage per unit gallon of plant oils used as well as greater engine efficiency among other benefits. According to Pugh, (1991, p.497), product design specifications is should be in line with the customer needs. With regard to the design specifications, our engine will be quite similar to the conventional diesel engines with the exception of a few modifications. One of the most important modifications will be carried out on the fuel injection nozzles by redesigning them in such a way that they eject very high pressure fuel injections from multiple points. Diesel particulate filter is incorporated in the exhaust system to help minimize fuel residues on the walls of the engine cylinders and make such engines cleaner. Finally an additional tank for the plant oil fuel will be required and modifications will be performed to make it easy to switch between the main petro diesel tank and the additional plant oil tank. To start the engines, they will have to be run first on diesel to give time for the plant oil in a separate tank to warm up. As the engine heats up, the operator switches over to the plant oil tank. The plant oils needed to run the engines can be supplied from the waste vegetable oils in hotels and restaurants. There are also a number of design challenges that will be taken into consideration when designing the engine. One of these constraints is how to effectively create an additional fuel tank for the plant oil fuel. This is however achieved through a number of modifications in the engine structure to create sufficient space for the additional tank. The Conceptual Phase During this phase of our project, we will have to complete the necessary ground work for the engine design project as well as determine the general feasibility of the project with regard to technical, legal and financial considerations. The conceptual phase will therefore be used as the foundation for other phases of design. With regard to the technical feasibility of the project, the engine design is highly feasible since previous models working on the same principles have largely been successful with little mechanical limitations. Concerns have however been raised on the environmental impacts of the large scale demand of plant oils for fuel use. Our project will therefore use previous researches to evaluate the ecological and economical costs of the design of diesel engine that runs exclusively on plant oil fuels. Generally the feasibility of the engine design project is best evaluated by undertaking a critical analysis of the costs and the potential benefits of engines that run on plant oils such as vegetable oils, soy beans, peanuts, coconut and other plant fuel sources. Some of the major benefits of using plant oil as alternative fuels compared to petro-diesel fuel include the fact that plant oil fuels produce lower levels of CO2 into the atmosphere. This consequently means that the designed engine will help solve the current problem of global warming by reducing the amount of green house gasses released into through engine carbon emissions. Another benefit of the plant oil fuel is that it is relatively less toxic compared to the other fuels such as petroleum diesel, gasoline and methanol. With a higher flash point, plant oils are also less likely cause the risk of accidental fires. Evaluation of Concepts There are a number of concepts and attributes that regarding the engine design project that have been evaluated and analyzed to determine the feasibility of the designed diesel engine oil running on plant oil. Some of the most important attributes include the ergonomics, functionality and reliability of the designed modified engines. With regard to the ergonomics and functionality of our designed engine, diesel engines that are able to run exclusively on plant oils primarily work on the same principles used by the conventional engines. Generally a few modifications are performed on the ordinary diesel engine to enable it successfully overcome the limitations of using pure plant oil as a fuel. For example an additional tank for the plant oil fuel will be required make to enable switching between the main petroleum diesel tank and the additional plant oil tank. To start the modified engines, they will have to be run first on diesel to give time for the plant oil in a separate tank to warm up. As the engine heats up, the operator switches over to the plant oil tank. The plant oils needed to run the engines can be supplied from the waste vegetable oils as well as from a number of plants such as peanuts, soy beans, coconuts and other oil producing plants. There are also a number of design challenges that will be taken into consideration when designing the engine. One of these constraints is how to effectively create an additional fuel tank for the plant oil fuel. This is however achieved through a number of modifications in the engine structure to create sufficient space for the additional tank. Finally the reliability of the designed engines is concern for the success of this project. Although some researchers argue that the exclusive use of plant oil fuels on diesel engines may result in damage to some engine components, reduced performance or engine failures, a number of researches have cleared up most of such claims. In most cases, the overall reliability and performance of diesel engines running on plant oils depend on the quality of the plant oil fuels used (Nwafor, 2004, p.106). With regard to the fact that plant oil fuels have a lower energy per unit volume as compared to the conventional diesel oil, the designed engine power is likely to be slightly lower than the normal diesel engines. Project management Effective management of our project is critically important for the success of its completion. In this regard each of the phases will be allocated a specific time frame in which it will have to be completed. First and foremost our group will have to agree on the project specifications such as the goals, scope, timescales, budgets and the flexibilities involved in the project of designing a diesel engine running on plant oil. The project leader will have to consult with all the other team members of the project as well as with the relevant authorities to ensure that a measurable accountability is achieved throughout the period the project will be undertaken. Another most important element of success in our engine design project will be planning. Effective planning will be incorporated in all the various stages and phases of our project such as the design process, market research, experiments and surveys as well as during the actual engine design. Careful planning of all the project stages will be achieved through consultations with the members of the project team on a number of ideas and innovations. The next important task is to arrange all the issues identified during the discussions in their order of priority as well as establish the links between each of the issues. This is particularly because some phases of the design project will need other phases to be completed first before they can progress. Additionally some of the stages of our project will demand carrying out feasibility studies to guarantee their success. Generally some of the potential project management tools that will be significantly helpful in the completion of our project include the use of Gantt charts as well as Critical path flow diagrams. These tools are particularly important in the determination of project schedules, budgets, financial needs as well as in the reporting and general project management. Conclusion In conclusion, our project aims to design a diesel engine are that is able to overcome the challenges of plant oil fuels by using smaller fuel injection nozzles, modifying combustion specifications and using additional emission control gadgets to minimize the production of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. With the exceptions of the few modifications, the diesel engine will primarily work on the same principles used by the conventional engines. Finally although the designed engine for plant oil is likely to be slightly less efficient than the normal diesel engines, the project is highly feasible and will help meet some of the customer demands in the current diesel engine market. References Heywood, J.B. 1998. Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals. Singapore: McGraw Hill Book Company. Nwafor, O.M. 2004. Emission Characteristics of Diesel Engine Running on Vegetable Oils with Elevated Fuel Inlet Temperature, Boimass and Bioenergy 27 (2004) 507 – 511, 2004. Pugh, S.1991. Total Design: Integrated Methods for Successful Product Engineering. Addison Wesley. Pugh, S. & Hollins, B.1990. Successful Product Design: What to Do and When. Butterworth Heinemann Read More