Comparative study of electric generator drive engine performance by various types of fuel

Abstract

This paper discusses the performance of gasoline generator set (genset) by using gasoline, LPG, and biogas as the fuel. Combustion engine of the gasoline genset was modified in order to be able to operate using LPG and biogas fuels. A 850 W, 220 V, 50 Hz, single phase generator drive engine has been used in the experiment using 100-W and 200-W bulbs as the electrical loads. Five variables were compared based on the types of fuel and variations of load: fuel consumption (FC), specific fuel consumption (SFC), input energy (thermal energy), output energy (electrical energy), and thermal efficiency. As the results, SFC of the biogas was lower than gasoline and LPG. For 100-W bulb as the load, SFC of the gasoline, LPG, and biogas were 4.5294 kg/kWh, 2 kg/kWh, and 0.68 kg/kWh respectively. While 200-W bulb, SFC of the gasoline, LPG, and biogas were 2.2883 kg/kWh, 1.0742 kg/kWh, and 0.6476 kg/kWh respectively. In addition, the thermal efficiency of biogas was higher than gasoline and LPG. For 100-W bulb as the load, thermal efficiency by using gasoline, LPG, and biogas were 1.6741 %, 3.5884 %, and 10.5710 % respectively. For 200-W bulb, the thermal efficiency by using gasoline, LPG, and biogas were 3.3137 %, 6.6811 %, and 11.0996 % respectively.