DefinePK

Abstract

Biogas is one of the fuels that can be used for generating small-scale electricity. This small-scale electricity generator technology, known as genset or generator-set, generally uses gasoline as fuel. The use of biogas as fuel in gensets has been examined making it now possible to produce electricity from a dual fuel system (gasoline and biogas). This study proposes the use of only biogas as single fuel to fully operate a small-scale electric generator by modifying the shape of the venturi nozzle. The venturi functions as a biogas feeder into the carburetor mixing chamber where the air is present. The consumption of air into the carburetor chamber is regulated by a valve system. The results show that the biogas single fuel system is capable of producing 473.00 to 807.40 watts of power with an efficiency of 4.02% to 5.46% indicating an improvement in power efficiency compared to the dual fuel system. To validate the experiment and comprehend the physics behind this, a scientific study was carried out using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. Fluid dynamics simulations in two-dimensional (2D) space for turbulent flow with flat and truncated-shaped venturi nozzles were carried out to simulate the conditions related to original and modified venturi pipes. The simulation succeeded to describe the conditions required by the biogas to flow effectively from the venturi nozzle in the carburetor chamber directly into the combustion cylinder. The simulation also revealed the related quantities of biogas dynamics such as velocity, pressure, and turbulent entities characterizing the biogas flow in the system.