Introduction to Dual Fuel Engine

In our country diesel is primarily used for transportation, agriculture and electrical power generation.
Diesel is becoming scare and costlier and hence there is a need to preserve diesel for only locomotive
and agriculture uses. For power generation, alternate fuels should be used wherever possible so that
diesel is conserved and made available for it primary uses. This will also save sizable for an exchange, as
we import considerable amount of crude oil to meet our needs of diesel and petroleum products.
What is DUAL FUEL ENGINE?
Internal combustion engines operating on gaseous fuel have for long been known. Many large stationary
engines use two fuels. Normally of these two fuels, one is gaseous and other is a liquid fuels. The two
fuels can be taken widely varying proportion to run engine; such as engine is usually called Duel fuel
engine.
Why Dual fuel engine required?
The shortage of liquid fuel and the realization that gaseous fuels are far cheaper than liquid fuels have
led to attention on dual-fuel engine.
Natural gas available to most of part of the world at rates cheaper than liquid fuels
The dual-fuel engine works on diesel cycle. The gaseous fuel (the primary fuel) is added to the air
inducted by the engine or supplied by the supercharger at a pressure slightly above the atmospheric
pressure. This mixture of air and gaseous fuel is compressed in the cylinder just like air in normal diesel
operation. At some point in the compression stroke, near top dead center, a small charge of liquid fuel
called pilot fuel (or the secondary fuel) is injected through a conventional diesel fuel system. This pilot
acts as a source of ignition the gas-air mixture in the vicinity of the injected spray ignites at a number of
flame-fronts. Thus combustion stars smoothly and rapidly.
Dual-Fuel Operation
Dual-fuel operation is achieved by the burning of both a gaseous fuel and diesel at the same time in a
CI engine
Injection of small amount of diesel fuel can be used as an ignition source
FACTORS AFFECTING COMBUSTION IN A DUAL-FUEL ENGINE
1. Pilot fuel quantity
2. Injection Timing.
3. Cetane Number of Pilot Fuel.
4. Inlet Temperature.
5. Gaseous Fuels.
6. Effect of Throttling.
7. Mixture Strength
PERFORMACE OF DUAL-FUEL ENGINE
Dual-fuel engines are capable of producing as much power when running with a gaseous fuel as a
primary fuel as when operating on liquid fuels only
The efficiency of the dual-fuel engine at part load is poor because of increased delay periods at low
mixture strength. This can be increased by increasing the excess air or injecting more pilot fuel at part
loads
KNOCK AND ITS CONTROL IN DUAL-FUEL ENGINE
NATURE OF KNOCK: - The phenomenon of knock in a dual-fuel engine is of the nature of auto ignition of
gaseous mixture in the neighborhood of injected spray.
KNOCK IN DUAL-FUEL ENGINE CONTROLLED BY ANY OF THE FOOLOWING METHODS:-
Excess supply of air.
Use of cold combustion air.
Increased cooling of piston.
Reducing the pressure of the gaseous fuel.