A PROJECT REPORT ON

CNG ENGINES

Project by 1. VINAY W.BAWANE 2. PAYAL V. DHAKNE 3. SHIREESH M. DIVEKAR

Under the guidance of PROF. SWATI KULKARNI

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING VEERMATA JIJABAI TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE MATUNGA MUMBAI 400019. 2010-2011

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CONTENTS:
1. INTRODUCTION 2. OBJECTIVE 3. BASICS OF NATURAL GAS 4. HISTORY 5. REASONS FOR SWITCHING TO CNG 6. ENGINE TYPES 7. ENGINE OPERATION 8. CNG KIT 9. ENGINE TECHNOLOGY 10. BENEFITS OF CNG FUEL 11. SHORTCOMINGS 12. REFERENCES

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INTRODUCTION

Compressed Natural Gas Engine

It is well known that fossil fuel reserves all over the world are diminishing at an alarming rate and a shortage of crude oil is expected at the early decades of this century. Probably in this century, it is believed that crude oil and petroleum products will become very scare and costly to find and produce. Gasoline and diesel will become scarce and most costly. Alternative fuel technology, availability and use will become more common in the coming decades. Any researchers did the several research to substitute fossil fuel oil to another alternative fuels and one of it is used natural gas. [1.8]

Most of the concerns are driven by two factors: environmental effects and energy independence from petroleum based fuel. It has been well known that gasoline and diesel, severely affected the environment quality through its exhaust emissions. Besides, this conventional fuel also identified as an un-renewable source of energy. As a result, lots of countries and car manufacturers put priority in the effort to seek a cleaner, affordable and better quality of alternative fuels.

CNG (compressed natural gas), a gaseous form of natural gas, has been recognized as one of the promising alternative fuel due to its substantial benefits compared to gasoline and diesel. These include lower fuel cost, higher octane and, most certainly, cleaner exhaust emissions. Therefore, the numbers of vehicles powered by CNG engine are growing rapidly.

However, the CNG engine, either in dual-fuel, bi-fuel or dedicated forms has lower performance compared to that of gasoline. This low power output is principally due to loss in volumetric efficiency, low flame speed and absence of fuel evaporation. Hence, systematic studies have been carried out to improve techniques and components in producing optimum CNG engine.

This study will concentrate on enhance the intake system to improve the CNG engine performance. This advanced system is proposed to produce fast burn combustion and increasing the volumetric efficiency of the engine that will promote a comparable CNG engine performance compared to gasoline and diesel engine.[1.1]
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OBJECTIVE: 1)To study the basics of CNG engines, its design, operations and modifications. 2)To modify the available diesel engine into CNG engine(8th sem) 3)Fabricate n test the converted engine (8th sem) Natural Gas: Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons, predominantly methane (CH4) along with hydrocarbons such as ethane and propane non carbonaceous gases nitrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, and water vapour.

It can be used in the form of: Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) [1.3]

CNG (Compressed Natural Gas): A natural gas under pressure (3600 psi) which remains clear and non-corrosive, produced by compressing natural gas to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of 200248 bar (2900 3600 psi), usually in cylindrical or spherical shapes It is odorless so NG companies add smell so that it can be detected It can be dispensed from fast or slow fill stations
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Fast fill (3-5 minutes usually in pubic refueling or fleet yards)

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Slow fill ( GGE per hour and greater depending on needs)

Table 1: Typical composition (vol. %) of CNG: [] Component Methane Ethane Propane Butane Carbon Dioxide Nitrogen Others Symbol CH4 C2H6 C3H8 C4H10 CO2 N2 H2O+ Volumetric % 94.42 2.29 0.03 0.25 0.57 0.44 2

Sources: Most natural gas is extracted from gas and oil wells. supplemental sources synthetic gas, landfill gas biogas resources

coal-derived gas. [2.3]

Properties: An inherently clean fuel High octane rating Excellent properties for spark-ignited internal combustion engines Non-toxic to skin and lungs Non-corrosive

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Non-carcinogenic Presents no threat to soil, surface water, or groundwater

CNG as an Alternative Fuel:

Natural gas is a gaseous fossil fuel consisting of methane (CH4) which is a shortest and lightest hydrocarbon molecule. It is lighter than air, and so tend to dissipate. Explosive concerns with CNG used in vehicles are almost nonexistent, due to the escaping nature of the gas, and the need to maintain concentrations between 5% and 15% to trigger explosions. Compressed natural gas, or CNG, is a natural gas under pressure which remains clear, odorless, nonpoisonous and non-corrosive. Natural gas can kill, if it is present in large concentrations reduces the amount of oxygen available in the air, such that amount of oxygen remaining insufficient to sustain life. Although vehicles can use natural gas as either a liquid or a gas, most vehicles use the gaseous form (CNG) compressed to pressures above 200bar.[1.5]

HISTORY: Natural gas has long been considered an alternative fuel for the transportation sector. In fact, the first internal combustion engine vehicle to run on natural gas was created by Etienne Lenoir in 1860

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(The First Natural Gas Vehicle 1860 Source: NGSA)

The history of Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) technology is old and inconsistent. The environmental conditions and fuel consumption issues were focal point in the recent years and natural gas has gained a new position in the arena as a substitute for fossil fuels.

In 1930, the U. S. was the first country to use NGVs. Subsequently, NGV was prevalent in the Europe during the world war, and the interest to use NGV raised in the early 1950s.

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In 1982, during the Canada Energy Exhibition held in Vancouver, July 1986, the International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles (IANGV) was formed by a body of 35 NGV supporters. In the early 1990s, NGV supporters set up guidelines for international commercialization of NGV. Regional and national NGV associations such as Japan NGV Association (1991), Europe Natural Gas Vehicle Association (1994), Asia Pacific Natural Gas Vehicles Association (2002) and so many similar associations in England, France, Australia, and Russia were formed. As it can be seen in the following diagram, European plans to use CNG are formed in a way it is expected that more than 27 million vehicles will be using CNG as their main fuel by 2020.

Today there are over 5 million NGVs on the road worldwide. Argentina (1650000 NGVs), Pakistan (1550000 NGVs), and Brazil (1425000 NGVs) have the largest number of NGVs in the world.

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CNG is a fuel choice for drivers in Argentine, Italy, Brazil, Pakistan, India, U. S. , China, Venezuela, New Zealand, Egypt, Canada, Colombia and Germany. The samples of advanced NGVs are shown in the following pictures. The CNG History in I. R. Iran:

CNG projects were started in 1977 with the conversion of 1200 vehicles in Shiraz as a pilot project and two refueling stations were constructed there.

After a pause, the CNG program started in Mashhad in 1985 and over 1200 NGVs and 22 refueling stations were existed there.
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Subsequently, in 1990, The United Bus Company of Tehran & suburbs researched on conversion of buses in urban trips that were operated in 1994. Today, this company has 2400 CNG buses and 7 refueling stations. In 2001, Iranian Fuel Conservation Organization (IFCO), a subsidiary of Iranian Ministry of Petroleum, was established and a comprehensive project for creating infrastructure and developing CNG in I. R. Iran was started by IFCO aiming to manage fuel consumption, decrease air pollution, contract with CNG vehicles manufacturing companies and private sector to construct CNG stations, and promote natural gas vehicles. Private sector participation has led to constructing more than 160 conversion workshops in countrywide. In 2000, 3 stations, Oil Ministry Parking, Shahid Rajaee Taxi Management, Iran Khodro Engine Research were constructed with the operating capacity of 19000 cubic meters per hour and in 2001 construction of 180 stations has started. Today about 400 CNG stations have been constructed in over 170 cities, 22 stations among them were constructed by private sector. The stipulation of No 11, article of country's budget (2004) and No 13, article of country's budget (2005-2006) caused the CNG national Project to run perfectly fine In 2007, the national CNG project continued by National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC). Iran is the fourth country in the world with over 700000 NGVs. [2.7] Actual development in CNG engines started after 1990 globally while India started using CNG engines in mid-nineties. Comparing to India other countries are far developed in case of CNG engine. Currently Pakistan is a country having more number of CNG refilling stations. Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Egypt, USA are the other countries which are using the CNG gas as a fuel to greater extent. In India Maruti, TATA, Volkesvagon are the companies which are producing CNG vehicles from 2009-2010 [2.1]

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REASONS FOR SWITCHING OVER TO THIS FUEL ARE MAINLY: Economic benefit: The cost of CNG is almost a third of the cost of Petrol in terms of calorific value resulting in substantial saving in fuel cost, and investment on the CNG kit is paid back in a short period.

Environment friendly: The use of CNG as a fuel reduces vehicular exhaust emissions significantly. Carbon Monoxide emissions are reduced by 70 to 90% and Hydrocarbon emissions by 40 to 60% as compared significantly by 10%.

Flexibility and ease of use: The basic engine characteristics of a vehicle are retained while converting it to run on CNG. The vehicle therefore is capable of running either on Petrol or CNG at the flick of a switch on its dashboard. 100% Income Tax Depreciation: Corporate Organisations, firms, etc. can claim 100% depreciation on a CNG Conversion Kit as this is a pollution controlling equipment. Organisations that buy CNG Conversion Kits should consult their Income Tax Consultants and avail of the depreciation benefits to vehicles that use the conventional fuel - Petrol.

The Financial Incentive Advantage Some States offers a 50% investment tax credit for each vehicle converted to natural gas. This 50% credit on state income tax features a three-year, carry-forward option. A federal tax deduction is also available for the cost of conversion

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Engine Types: Natural Gas engines suit a wide range of applications - forklifts, sedans, light commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, marine, even rail locomotives and electricity generators. The clean properties of natural gas, and the absence of particulates often reduce engine wear and tear. Engines are available in a variety of formats but generally fall within the following categories: Dedicated, Mono-Fuel or Monovalent A dedicated engine uses natural gas as its only fuel source. A dedicated engine has the advantage of being 'optimised' to operate on natural gas. Sometimes referred to as spark ignited. The main advantage of Dedicated type of engine is that it ensures maximum efficiency and optimum emissions results. Some dedicated vehicles are also fitted with a gasoline reserve tank to be used if the vehicle runs out of natural gas. But these should only be used for short trips and not be used on a regular basis as the vehicle has been optimized for natural gas.

Bi-fuel or Bivalent Bi-fuel engines operate on either natural gas or gasoline (or another spark ignited fuel such as ethanol). Bi-fuels generally rely on gasoline for ignition when the engine is initially turned on, thus a small amount of gasoline is always required for successful operation)

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Dual-fuel A dual-fuel engine utilizes a mixture of natural gas and diesel, with the natural gas/air mixture ignited by a diesel pilot. The diesel is injected directly into the combustion chamber, while gas is introduced into the air intake by carburetion or by gas injection. The mixture of natural gas and diesel varies according to the load and the duty cycle of the engine, ranging anywhere from 80% gas down to 0% gas. At lower engine loads, diesel use tends to be higher whereas at higher engine loads it is possible to use a higher proportion of gas. Dual-fuel engines are usually the result of a conversion of a diesel engine and have the advantage of not being totally dependent on natural gas for fuel supply. Thus, if a vehicle runs out of natural gas or is away from an available NGV fuel source, it is able to operate solely on diesel.

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Tri-fuel A relatively recent technology development, a tri-fuel vehicle combines a 'flex-fuel' vehicle and a natural gas vehicle. A flex-fuel vehicle uses gasoline and ethanol, either exclusively or blended together. Thus,it can operate on gasoline, ethanol (or both) or natural gas. Tri-fuel vehicles first entered the market in 2005 in Brazil, where ethanol and natural gas are both widely used for transport.

High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI) A proprietary technology being developed by Westport Innovations (Canada). HPDI technology involves the injection of both diesel and gas directly at high pressure into the combustion chamber. Like a dual-fuel engine, HPDI relies on diesel for combustion to occur. The system differs from the dual-fuel system in the manner in which the fuels are mixed and is reported to deliver performance equal to a diesel engine. The system has undergone extensive trials in a range of applications in North America.

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CNG engine operation CNG gas is stored under high pressure in cylinders tanks at a pressure of 205-275 bar. The gas first passes through a regulator valve where the pressure is reduced, and then injected into the intake manifold through a spray bar in a quantity electronically controlled to match the engine load. In the manifold, the gas is mixed with air to form the mixture. The air-fuel mixture is drawn into the engine cylinder, ignited by the spark plug and burnt. The exhaust gas driven out of the engine cylinder passes through a 3-way catalytic converter in the muffler where it is purified before being discharged into the air.

OPERATION OF CNG ENGINE

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The kit comprises of

1. The Cylinder The cylinder is used to store CNG at a working pressure of 200 bar. It is fitted with a shut-off valve and a safety burst disc. The cylinders are type approved by the Chief Controller of Explosives, Government of India

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2. The Vapor Bag Fitted onto the cylinder, the Vapour Bag is used to enclose the cylinder valve and the pipes connecting it and is vented out of the car 3. The High Pressure Pipe This High Pressure Pipe connects the refueling valve to the CNG Cylinder and Pressure Regulator 4. The Refueling Valve The refueling Valve is used to refuel the CNG cylinder 5. The Pressure Regulator The Pressure Regulator has a Solenoid Valve to shut-off gas supply to the engine. The CNG stored at a high pressure in the cylinder is reduced to just below atmospheric pressure by this unit. This negative pressure is also a safety feature that will not allow gas to pass through when the engine is not running. 6. The Gas-Air Mixer The Gas-Air Mixer is a unique component, specially designed to suit each engine model. It precisely meters gas fed into the engine. 7. The Petrol-Solenoid Valve The Petrol-Solenoid Valve is used to cut off petrol supply to the engine when it is run on CNG 8. The Selector Switch It is fitted at the dashboard, enabling the driver to choose either the CNG mode or the petrol mode of operation. The electronics built into this unit also ensures safety by switching off the gas solenoid whenever the engine is switched off. It also serves as a fuel indicator for the quantity of CNG available in the cylinder [2.6]

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Engine technology:
Because Natural Gas is a 'simple' yet high octane fuel it produces far fewer emissions than other fuels and combusts efficiently. The efficiency and emissions of the engine vary depending on the combustion and injection methods used.

Stoichiometric: Stoichiometric combustion is when the chemically exact amount of fuel is added to the air (A:F=1:1) so that when the combustion is completed the chemical formula for the fuel is completed: CH4 + 2O2 = CO2 + 2 H20 i.e. methane + 2 oxygen = carbon dioxide + 2 water This offers exceptionally clean combustion and exhaust gases. The downside is that the power output of the engine may be lower and its fuel consumption slightly higher when compared with a diesel engine. Due to the reduced efficiency of low sulfur diesels, this is becoming less of an issue.

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Lean Burn The lean burn system employs an air/gas mixture that has more air than the stoichiometric ratio in the combustion cylinder. Looked at the other way, it requires less fuel in the cylinder. This can result in lower fuel consumption compared to stoichiometric combustion with the power output usually maintained by turbocharging.

Carburettor The carburettor is generally used in stoichiometric engines as it can deliver the right balance of fuel for the air entering the engine. Provided the carburettor is located in reasonably close proximity to the intake of the engine and there are not highly variable load demands, the system works very well.

Single Point Injection Single point injection is, in essence, an electronically controlled carburettor. The advantage is that the gas is delivered more accurately in accordance with engine demand. Again the injector is still some distance from the inlet (like the carburettor) and so its response to quickly changing conditions is not ideal. Multi Point Injection Multi point injection has an injector for each cylinder, so the injectors can be placed in close proximity to the cylinder's intake port. It also enables fuel to be delivered precisely as required to each individual cylinder (called sequential) and enables more sophisticated technologies such as skip-firing to be used. Skip-firing is when only some of the cylinders are operating (the other cylinders are being skipped). This enables even more efficient use of the fuel at low loads, further lowering fuel consumption and unburnt hydrocarbon emissions. [1.2]

Carburettors v Injectors As a point of comparison we can look at the fuel delivery systems used by cars to get
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an idea of the relative sophistication of the various delivery systems. It should be noted that no system is inappropriate; they each have the benefits and costs. Carburettors are no longer used on new cars today. Single point injection is currently only used by low cost cars. Multi point injection is the system used by most cars today and is the most sophisticated system generally available.

Benefits of using CNG fuel in vehicles

Higher Octane Number: Higher octane number in the range of 120 to 130, which is considerably higher than 93 to 99 octanes for gasoline. This made the CNG fuel possible to run at high compression ratio engine without any knocking phenomena.

Higher Flammability: Higher flammability compared to gasoline that make it appropriate to run on lean burn technology.

Environmentally Clean Advantage Compressed natural gas is the cleanest burning fuel operating today. This means less vehicle maintenance and longer engine life. CNG vehicles produce the fewest emissions of any motor fuel. Engine-out emissions of HC and NOx can be reduced below the corresponding levels for gasoline engines. Dedicated Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV) has little or no emissions during fuelling. In gasoline vehicles, fueling emissions account for at least 50% of a vehicles total hydrocarbon emissions. CNG produces significantly less pollutants than gasoline. Tailpipe emissions from gasoline operated cars release carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming. This is greatly reduced with natural gas.

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Smooth Operation: It is Safer; it is lighter and dissipates quickly. CNG ignites quickly, it ignites only when the gas to air ratio is between 515% by volume.

The Maintenance Advantage Some fleet operators have reduced maintenance costs by as much as 40% by converting their vehicles to CNG. Intervals between tune-ups for natural gas vehicles are extended 30,000 to 50,000 miles. Intervals between oil changes for natural gas vehicles are dramatically extended anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000 additional miles depending on how the vehicle is used. Natural gas does not react to metals the way gasoline does, so pipes and mufflers last much longer.

The Performance Advantage Natural gas gives the same mileage as gasoline in a converted vehicle. Dedicated CNG engines are superior in performance to gasoline engines. CNG has an octane rating of 130 and has a slight efficiency advantage over gasoline. Because CNG is already in a gaseous state, NGVs have superior starting and drivability, even under severe hot and cold weather conditions. NGVs experience less knocking and no vapor locking.

The Safety Advantage Surveys indicate that NGVs are as safe or safer than those powered by other fuels. A 1992 AGA survey of more than 8,000 vehicles found that with more than 278 million miles traveled, NGV injury rates per vehicle mile traveled were 34% lower than the rate for gasoline vehicles. There were no fatalities reportedeven though these vehicles were involved in over 1,800 collisions.

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Plenty Of Reserve: There is an estimated 65-70 year supply of natural gas. Besides made from fossil, natural gas can also be made from agricultural waste, human waste and garbage.

The Cost Advantage: It is cheaper per litre equivalent than gasoline, in Europe 14-17 less than gasoline and 12-74% less expensive than diesel. [1.6]

Disadvantages of using CNG fuel in vehicles:

Low density Since CNG is in gaseous form, it has a low density. CNG in the mixture drawn into the cylinder displaces approximately 8 to 10% of oxygen. This reduces the volumetric efficiency due to larger space occupied in the combustion chamber available for combustion.

Low flame speed CNG has a low flame speed. Its burns slower than conventional fuels, such as gasoline and diesel (Andrew and Bradley, 1975). Values as much as 60% decrease in lower burning velocity for natural gas has been measured (Duan, 1996). These effects the total combustion duration prolonged compared with diesel and gasoline. This can cause a further reduction in the engine output of 5 to 10%.

Absence of fuel evaporation. When gasoline evaporates (required before combustion), the energy required for the phase change decrease intake charge temperature and air partial pressure. The decrease in temperature offsets the decrease in air partial pressure and results in a positive increase to volumetric efficiency of about 2%. CNG does not evaporate
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before combustion, losing any potential gain from the heat vaporization

Infrastructure insufficiency Every alternative fuel which tries to compete with traditional sources of energy suffers from a lack of infrastructure necessary for widespread use. In the case of natural gas, the main problem is the lower number of fuel stations

Transport The major difficulty in the use of natural gas is transportation. Natural gas pipelines are economical and common on land and across medium-length stretches of water, but are impractical across large oceans. Liquefied natural gas, railway tankers, and tank trucks are also used.

Storage CNG is stored in steel or composite containers at high pressure (205 to 275 bar). These containers are not temperature controlled, but are allowed to stay at local ambient temperature.

Higher cost of a vehicle:

a. The conversion of a vehicle to natural gas increases the price by the cost of installation and certification of an additional fuel system.

b. The cost of fuel stations is higher, and fuel system components are more expensive.

Because vehicles powered by natural gas are not widespread and are manufactured in a limited range, the cost is higher. However, as the use of natural gas in

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transportation becomes more widespread, the cost should go down.[1.4] Exhaust gas temperature: The exhaust gas temperature of the CNG was always higher than that of the gasoline throughout the speed range due to the higher heating value and ignition temperature of the CNG than that of the gasoline. [2.4]

REFERENCES:
1.1). DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW CNG (COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS) ENGINE. -M.I. Jahirul a,*, H.H. Masjuki b, R. Saidur b, M.A. Kalam b, M.H. Jayed b. 1.2). CNG-diesel engine performance and exhaust emission analysis with the aid of artificial neural network -Talal F. Yusaf a,*, D.R. Buttsworth a, Khalid H. Saleh a, B.F. Yousif b 1.3).Engine Cylinder Fluid Characteristics of Diesel Engine Converted to CNG Engine -Semin, Awang Idris, Rosli Abu Bakar, Abdul Rahim Ismail

1.4). Diesel Engine Convert to Port Injection CNG Engine Using Gaseous Injector Nozzle Multi Holes Geometries Improvement -1Semin, 2Abdul Rahim Ismail and 2Rosli Abu Bakar

1.5).An Overview of Compressed Natural Gas as an Alternative Fuel and Malaysian Scenario -1Semin, 2Abdul Rahim Ismail and 2Rosli Abu Bakar

1.6). Report on Economic Pakistan Automobile Industry Mirza Rohail B (10 FEBRUARY, 2008).

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1.7)."Natural-gas powered cars: Who even knows they exist?" - USA Today.
.

1.8).An Overview of Compressed Natural Gas as an Alternative -Society of Automotive Engineers SAE Paper
1.9).Natural Gas Engines, -Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Paper No. 970221.

WEBSITES: 2.1).www.google.com 2.2).www.wikipedia.com 2.3).www.eurojournals.com 2.4).www.sciencedirect.com 2.5) www.ebooks.com 2.6).www.indiacar.com 2.7).www.cngnow.com

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