Murray State University
Three-phase Mass Transfer Fuel System
Institution
Murray State University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Ted Thiede
Abstract
Issues on our current fossil fuel consumption are common place, with petroleum as one of the most debated. Vehicles are the main users of petroleum. One alternative to petroleum for vehicular fuel is natural oils. Bio-diesel fuel is produced from renewable sources such as soy or canola oils. Trans-esterfication of oils is performed to produce properties that enable atomization and burning in diesel engines. Diesel engines can also run on pure vegetable oil (PVO); however, pre-heating is necessary for proper combustion. Systems that use only natural oils are being studied. One proposed solution is the three-phase mass transfer system. Three-phase mass transfer systems use solids, liquids, gases and a series of chambers to create combustible vapor/mist from the oil. Durable solid particles transport oil from a tank to a chamber where pressurized air enters. Gas then comes in contact with the saturated, oil containing solid, causing evaporation, thus creating a liquid-vapor mixture which is delivered to pistons for combustion. Our objective is to produce a system that allows an internal combustion engine to run solely and reliably on PVO at room temperature. The PVO fuel being used is canola oil. Canola oil properties will be used to perform calculations to determine flow rate properties, system dimensions, and ideal particle properties.
Three-phase Mass Transfer Fuel System
Issues on our current fossil fuel consumption are common place, with petroleum as one of the most debated. Vehicles are the main users of petroleum. One alternative to petroleum for vehicular fuel is natural oils. Bio-diesel fuel is produced from renewable sources such as soy or canola oils. Trans-esterfication of oils is performed to produce properties that enable atomization and burning in diesel engines. Diesel engines can also run on pure vegetable oil (PVO); however, pre-heating is necessary for proper combustion. Systems that use only natural oils are being studied. One proposed solution is the three-phase mass transfer system. Three-phase mass transfer systems use solids, liquids, gases and a series of chambers to create combustible vapor/mist from the oil. Durable solid particles transport oil from a tank to a chamber where pressurized air enters. Gas then comes in contact with the saturated, oil containing solid, causing evaporation, thus creating a liquid-vapor mixture which is delivered to pistons for combustion. Our objective is to produce a system that allows an internal combustion engine to run solely and reliably on PVO at room temperature. The PVO fuel being used is canola oil. Canola oil properties will be used to perform calculations to determine flow rate properties, system dimensions, and ideal particle properties.