Study on the Effect of Manifold Induction of Acetylene in a Dual-Fuelled CI Engine

The utilization of gaseous fuels in internal combustion (IC) engines is receiving more significant greater interest in recent years because of their better fuel mixing characteristics. Apart from potential gaseous fuels such as liquefied natural gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG), and hydrogen, other alternatives are being explored for their utilization in IC engines. The reason for this exploration is mainly because of the durability and robust nature of compression ignition (CI) engines, and more research focuses on the utilization of a variety of gaseous fuels in CI engines. However, gaseous fuels need to be used in CI engines on dual fuel mode only. In this investigation, a single-cylinder, four-stroke, air-cooled diesel engine was converted into Acetylene run dual-fuel CI engine by changing the intake manifold of the test engine. Acetylene at three flow rates viz., 2lpm, 4lpm, and 6lpm were introduced into the intake port by manifold induction technique while Jatropha biodiesel/diesel was injected directly into the cylinder. In this paper, the effect of manifold induction of Acetylene on the performance and emission characteristics of the test engine was assessed and compared with those of conventional diesel operation of the test engine.