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G. Mohankumar ¹, V. Hariram ²

Affiliations
1 Park College of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, IN
2 Department of Automobile Engineering in Hindustan College of Engineering, Chennai, IN

Abstract

In today’s world, renewable fuel for transportation is extremely necessary for our economic sustainability and environmental conditions. Continual usage of carbon derivatives from fossil fuel i.e. petroleum sourced fuel is a unsustainable one because of depleting sources and also leads to increase in the rate of global warming. So to make the environment a suitable place to live for our future generation, it is extremely important to replace the fossil based transport fuel with a high potential, renewable energy source like algae’s which undergoes a photosynthetic reaction using sunlight to produce oil. Such an approach can contribute to a large extent in reducing the environmental pollution and also to the future crisis of shortage in transportation fuel. In this approach we have used the common species of Chlorella, Spirulina and Cynobacteria. The study was undertaken to know the physiochemical properties, transesterification rate and the biodiesel production rate. The algal oil was found higher in Spirulina sp than in BGA sp. The indication shows that Spirulina sp is a better source for algal oil production. The experimental investigation was carried out using biodiesel ester from Spirulina sp. Based on the physical and chemical properties of the biodiesel, the blending was carried out in different proportions. The test was carried out on a single cylinder naturally aspirated direct injection diesel engine and the performance on power, brake thermal efficiency, cylinder peak pressure, HC, CO, NOx, and Smoke are studies. Finally the evaluated results is compared with standard test results of commercial diesel fuel and found to be very much in the acceptable level. There is a significant variation the smoke and particulates but the NOx emission shows minimal variation. The test also shows a moderate increase in power and thermal efficiency.

Keywords

Chlorella, Spirulina, Particulates, Cynobacteria, Thermal Efficiency and Transesterification.

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V. Narendran ¹, Seralathan Sivamani ¹, V. Hariram ¹, M. Gnanaprakash ¹, A. Mohammed Raffiq ², D. Sathish Kumar ³

Affiliations
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Padur - 603103, Tamil Nadu, IN
2 Department of Automobile Engineering, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Padur - 603103, Tamil Nadu, IN
3 Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Padur - 603103, Tamil Nadu, IN

Abstract

Objectives: This paper deals with the theoretical and numerical analysis of a convective recuperator used to recover waste heat from the stack flue gases and use it to pre heat the air before it is fed into the combustion chamber of an oil fired water tube boiler. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Three different tube diameters are considered in the present study. Theoretical analysis is carried out to determine the efficiency and other parameters of the boiler with and without recuperator. To support the theoretically obtained results on improved boiler performance by pre heating the air using recuperator, numerical simulation studies is carried out. Findings: The study showed that 10” inch (0.254 m) pipe diameter arranged in a 3 x 3 array gave a flow velocity of air at around 15 to 25 m/s. The stack flue gas exit temperature decreased from 200oC to 135.50oC whereas the inlet air temperature after pre heating through the recuperator is found to be 85oC with a rise in temperature of around 50oC. After pre heating the air, the efficiency of the boiler improved from 71.90% to 74.60%. The quantity of furnace oil saved per day is 3.76% with respect to its present consumption level. CFD simulations are carried out using ANSYS CFX. A good agreement is found between the data obtained from simulation and theoretical analysis. Payback period by incorporating the recuperator to the existing boiler is estimated to be 60 working days. Application/ Improvements: Optimized performance improvement of existing boiler used in industries is possible without extensive redesign by recovering waste heat leading to energy conservation.

Keywords

Air, Boiler, Convective Recuperator, Flue Gas, Performance, Pre Heat.

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P. Robin Roy ¹, V. Hariram ², M. Subramanian ³

Affiliations
1 Department of Automobile Engineering, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Hindustan University, Chennai – 603103, Tamil Nadu, IN
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Hindustan University, Chennai – 603103, Tamil Nadu, IN
3 Department of Automobile Engineering, BS Abdur Rahman University, Chennai - 600048, Tamil Nadu, IN

Abstract

Objectives: The study is conducted to find the hot spot stresses in the commercial vehicle heavy duty radiator subjected to internal pressure loading and predict the pressure cycle life. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The finite element analysis technique is employed to predict the hot spot stress and pressure cycle life of the radiator. Finite element model of the radiator is built by the including the mass and stiffness of the radiator component. Header tube joint is the critical area which affects the pressure cycle life and needs to be analyzed. The critical joint area is captured with a good mesh pattern and better element quality to avoid stress singularities and spurious stresses. Findings: Deformation and stresses are the studied in detail to evaluate the finite element analysis result. The radiator deformation shows core side to side expansion which correlates well with the pressure cycle test. Then von-mises stresses are measured at various locations, the header tube stress is found to at 75MPa. Since the radiator core material is ductile material, von-mises stress criterion is employed. To calculate the pressure cycle life, three components such as geometry, loading and material are required. The geometry component is represented by the stress concentration factor (kt) at the header tube joint. The Kt value can be measured based on test failure history. The loading is represented by the internal pressure loading. The S-N curve and cyclic stressstrain properties for the aluminium material is required. Once the above three parameters are known, we can calculate the pressure cycle life at the header tube joint using strain life approach. Calculated pressure cycle life at the critical joint is found to be 150,000 cycles to failure. The virtual life meets the typical pressure cycle life at the header tube joint. Application/Improvements: Prototypes for the pressure cycle test can be reduced. The approach identifies the weak areas early in the design phase. Approximate pressure cycle life at header tube joint is estimated.

Keywords

Critical Joint, Core Deformation, Finite Element Modeling, Pressure Cycle Life, Radiator, Von-mises Stress

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P. Robin Roy ¹, V. Hariram ², M. Subramanian ³

Affiliations
1 Dept. of Automobile Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Sci., Padur, Chennai, IN
2 Dept. of Mech. Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Sci., Padur, Chennai, IN
3 Dept. of Automobile Engg., BS Abdur Rahman University, Vandalur, Chennai, IN

Abstract

Emissions such as Nox and CO resulting from the combustion of the diesel engines in the commercial vehicles leads to environmental degradation and ozone layer depletion. Alarming environment trend forces the government institutions to develop and enforce strict emission laws for the next generation transportation vehicles. Stricter emission laws mean higher operating pressure, temperature, reduced weight, tight packaging space, engine downsizing etc. Engine cooling systems are the critical components in the managing the engine cooling requirement of the commercial vehicle. Generally engine cooling system includes radiator, charge air cooler, engine oil cooler etc. Product development of thermal management system using the traditional design process takes more time, resource and money. To solve the complex design problem, numerical technique such as finite element analysis is performed upfront in the product development of the radiator to evaluate the structure behaviour under mechanical loading. In this paper, internal static pressure analysis of a radiator is presented to showcase the benefits of using the finite element technique earlier in the product design phase. Pressure cycle life at a critical joint of the radiator is calculated using strain-life approach. Finite element analysis aids in visualization of the hot spots in the design, comparing different design options with less turnaround time. Experimental testing and prototypes can be reduced. Risk of a product being failed is greatly minimized by performing the numerical simulation.

Keywords

Engine Cooling System, Radiator, Finite Element Analysis, Linear Static Analysis, Life Estimation.

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Rajasekaran Mohan ¹, V. Hariram ², M. Subramanian ³, S. Padmanabhan ⁴

Affiliations
1 Dept. of Automobile Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Science, Chennai, IN
2 Dept. of Mech. Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Science, Chennai, IN
3 Dept. of Automobile Engg., BS Abdur Rahman University, Vandalur, IN
4 School of Mech. Engg., Sathyabama University, Chennai, IN

Abstract

The world’s climatic conditions rises and there is a demand for environment friendly vehicle designs. The automobile industry strives hard to ensure low carbon emissions. This refers to the mass reduction and fuel consumption. This paper investigates to achieve the overall Body-in-white (BIW) bending and torsion stiffness performance using Topology optimization and light weight internal reinforcements. The potential opportunity of achieving light weight structure using the efficient way of defining the internal reinforcements has been investigated. BIW at the conceptual design phase has been considered for the research. Topology optimization was performed considering the roof rail and the rocker as the design space with an approach of achieving the improved torsion and bending stiffness performance. The optimized bulk head design locations have improved the BIW stiffness performance with minimal mass increase in the BIW. This method can be widely used at various stages of the BIW design to identify the weaker sections and then design the load path using internal reinforcements effectively. The optimized internal reinforcements has achieved higher torsion and bending performance with minimal mass addition.

Keywords

Design of Experiments, Optimization, Body-In-White Stiffness, Multi Objective, Bending, Torsion, Bulk Heads.

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V. Hariram ¹, S. Seralathan ¹, M. Rajasekaran ², M. Dinesh Kumar ¹, S. Padmanabhan ³

Affiliations
1 Dept. of Mech. Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Science, Chennai, IN
2 Dept. of Automobile Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Science, Chennai, IN
3 School of Mech. Engg., Sathyabama University, Chennai, IN

Abstract

Compression ignition engines are widely used due to their lower energy consumption and enhanced combustion efficiency. In this experimental investigation, the feasibility of fuelling a single cylinder 4 stroke direct injection compression ignition engine with methyl esters of palmkernel (PME) oil along with various fractions of aluminium oxide nano particles (ANOP) were analysed. Two stage transesterification process was adopted to prepare PME. PME20 blend was formulated and fused using high speed homogenizer with varying proportions of AONP as 25 ppm, 50 ppm and 100 ppm in the presence of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide as surfactant. The experimental investigations were conducted at rated power of 3.5kW at 1500rpm. It was noticed that supplementation of AONP affected the ignition delay significantly favouring enhanced combustion efficiency. The rate of heat release and in-cylinder pressure was substantially increased with notable reduction in ignition delay. Addition of AONP showed an increase in brake thermal efficiency and exhaust gas temperature with diminution in brake specific energy consumption. The unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and smoke density decreased sharply with an upsurge in NOx. Increase in AONP concentration up-to 100 ppm with PME20 was found to give better combustion and performance characteristics.

Keywords

Palmkernel Methyl Ester, Transesterification, Nano Particle, Combustion Performance, Ignition Delay.

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V. Hariram ¹, S. Seralathan ¹, A. Mohammed Raffiq ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Hindustan University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, IN
2 Department of Automobile Engineering, Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Hindustan University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, IN

Abstract

Elimination of solid waste generated by the engineering sector is the need of the present world. In this study, a comparative analysis has been made to formulate a petro-diesel like fuel from the waste tyre (WTPO) and waste plastic (WPPO), which is derived from unusable tyre and plastic waste materials, by the thermal pyrolytic reaction. A pyrolysis reactor is designed and fabricated to transform the solid waste into the pyrolytic oil through thermal cracking. The characterization of WTPO and WPPO is carried out using the gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infra-red and elemental analysis. The GC-MS analysis of both WPTO and WPPO indicated the presence of naphtha and limonene compounds at higher concentration levels. The content of sulphur in WTPO is at higher level. The physico-chemical properties are also determined based on IS:1448 and it is found to be comparable with the commercial petro-diesel.

Keywords

Pyrolytic Oil, Solid Waste, Waste Tyre, Waste Plastic.

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V. Hariram ¹, M. Rajasekaran ², Godwin John ², S. Seralathan ¹, V. Pradhap ²

Affiliations
1 Dept. of Mech. Engg., Hindustan University, Chennai, IN
2 Dept. of Automobile Engg., Hindustan University, Chennai, IN

Abstract

Biodiesel derived from Stoechospermum marginatum is analysed in a CI engine to understand its feasibility to be used as fuel. In this study, Soxhlet extraction method was applied to extract the bio oil from the brown sea weed (S. Marginatum) with n-hexane as solvent. Considering the low FFA content through titration, base single stage transesterification process with methanol and NaOH at molar ratio of 8:1 is used and it yielded 84.5% of bio diesel. The test fuel is prepared with processed algae bio diesel and Di-Ethyl Ether in different blend ratios namely D80AB20, D70AB20DEE10 and D60AB20DEE20. The variation in combustion aspects are evaluated with constant concentration of algal bio diesel at 20% with variation in diesel and oxygenate concentrations. Consequential variation is observed in the combustion behaviour of CI engine on fuelling with test fuels. Comparable in-cylinder pressure is observed in bio-diesel blends and oxygenated blends. D70AB20DEEE10 exhibits superior heat release rate and pressure rise at all loads. The peak in-cylinder pressure and variation in ignition delay are also analysed in this study.

Keywords

Compression Ignition Engines, Stoechospermum Marginatum, Algae Biodiesel, Oxygenate, Combustion.

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V. Hariram ¹, S. Seralathan ¹, M. Rajasekaran ², G. John ²

Affiliations
1 Dept. of Mech. Engg, Hindustan University, Chennai, IN
2 Dept. of Automobile Engg., Hindustan University, Chennai, IN

Abstract

The present experimental investigation aims at improving the combustion and performance parameters by varying the injection timing. A 3.5 kW single cylinder stationary CI engine equipped with eddy current dynamometer is used in this investigation. The static injection timing is varied using spill method by an advancement and retirement of 2 CAD with respect to standard injection timing of 23 °BTDC. On comparison with the standard injection timing, the brake thermal efficiency, cylinder pressure, rate of heat release, mean gas temperature and rate of pressure rise are found to increase along with a significant decrease in brake specific fuel consumption for an advanced injection timing of 21 °BTDC. Negative improvement is observed with respect to retarded injection timing of 25 °BTDC. Optimum parameters for enhanced engine performance is found to be 21°BTDC injection timing with a 200 bar injection pressure at rated speed.

Keywords

Injection Timing Variation, In-Cylinder Pressure, Net Heat Release, Mean Gas Temperature.

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V. Hariram ¹, V. Udhayakumar ¹, P. Karthick ¹, A. Abraham Eben Andrews ¹, A. Arunraja ¹, S. Seralathan ¹, T. Micha Premkumar ¹

Affiliations
1 Dept. of Mech. Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Sci., Chennai, IN

Abstract

Scarcity and inflated cost of petroleum reserves along with environmental pollution concerns urged the researchers to identify a better alternative source of eco-friendly bio-energy. In this study, oxygenated biodiesel derived from Jojoba oil was used in a compression ignition engine to analyse the engine characteristics in the presence of multi-walled carbon Nanotubes (MWCNT) at 50 ppm, 100 ppm and 150 ppm concentrations. Taguchi’s approach based experimentation identified the stability of modified fuel blends ratios of n-butanol, biodiesel and MWCNT. The Jojoba biodiesel was characterized using FTIR and GC MS techniques to understand the presence of fatty acid methyl esters in the biodiesel. Higher brake thermal efficiency and significant reduction in specific fuel consumption were observed in fuel blend with MWCNT. D70JJBD20O10CNT100 showed higher in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate due to micro-explosion of carbon nanotubes at full load condition. The ignition delay was also significantly affected with the addition of MWCNT. The exhaust emission like un-burned hydrocarbon, oxides of carbon, oxides of nitrogen and smoke exhibited noticeable variations with the modified fuel blends.

Keywords

Biodiesel, Multi-Walled Carbon Nano Tubes, N-Butanol, Performance, Combustion, Emission.

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V. Hariram ¹, Penchala Tharun ¹, S. Seralathan ¹, A. Abraham Eben Andrews ¹, P. Karthick ¹, A. Arunraja ¹, T. Micha Premkumar ¹

Affiliations
1 Dept. of Mech. Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Sci., Chennai, IN

Abstract

In the present investigation, bio-oil is extracted from lemongrass through steam distillation process, Single stage trans esterification using methanol and potassium hydroxide at molar ration of 1:8 yielded lemongrass biodiesel. The biodiesel was characterized using Gas chromatography Mass spectrometry and Fourier transforms infrared spectrometry analysis and found to have Behenic and Stearic acid in prominent proportions. The cetane number and calorific value was enhanced by ultrasonicating carbon Nano-tubes at various proportions. Kirloskar TV1 compression ignition engine coupled with eddy current dynamometer was employed to analyse the combustion, performance and emission characteristics. Addition of carbon Nano-tubes significantly affected the ignition delay and combustion duration. D80LGB20CNT100 fuel blend exhibited higher in-cylinder pressure up to 65.144 bars along with enhanced rate of heat release upto 73.953 kJ/kg at full load condition. Higher brake thermal efficiency with notable reduction in unburned hydrocarbon and smoke was seen with elevated levels of carbon-monoxide and oxides of nitrogen.

Keywords

Lemongrass Biodiesel, Carbon Nano-Tube, Transesterification, Combustion, Performance, Emission.

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V. Hariram ¹, S. Seralathan ¹, R. Prakash ¹, V. Paulson ², T. Micha Prem kumar ¹

Affiliations
1 Dept. of Mech. Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Sci., Chennai, Tamil Nadu, IN
2 Dept. of Aero. Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Sci., Chennai, Tamil Nadu, IN

Abstract

In the present investigation, bio-oil from Eucalyptus teriticornisis is extracted through steam distillation process. The effect of esterified bio-oil is analysed in a single cylinder compression ignition engine. For this purpose, Eucalyptus biodiesel is prepared by transesterification process with methanol and NaOH as catalyst under variable parameters. The performance, combustion and emission features of a four stroke diesel engine were investigated using methyl ester of eucalyptus biodiesel (EBD100) and its blend with 50% diesel (D50-EBD50). The test outcome reveals that there is marginal increase in brake thermal efficiency and slight drop in brake specific fuel consumption for biodiesel fuel when compared to that of mineral diesel fuel. The use of this biodiesel resulted in decreased emission of Hydrocarbons and Carbon monoxide and higher emission of Nitrogen oxide and Carbon dioxide at part loads. EBD100 exhibits similar heat release rate and lower in-cylinder pressure compared to that of the diesel fuel at same loads.

Keywords

Biodiesel, Transesterification, Combustion, Eucalyptus Tereticornis, Emission.

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J. Fernandez ¹, V. Hariram ², S. Seralathan ², S. A. Harikrishnan ¹, T. Micha Premkumar ²

Affiliations
1 Dept. of Auto. Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Sci., Chennai, Tamil Nadu, IN
2 Dept. of Mech. Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Sci., Chennai, Tamil Nadu, IN

Abstract

Biodiesel synthesis from the pongamia oil seed and its characterization is elaborated in this paper. A double stage transesterification i.e. acid catalysed transesterification and base catalysed esterification are adopted to reduce the free fatty acids content and conversion of triglycerides into methyl esters. In this process, H₂SO₄, NaOH and methanol are used at the methanol/oil molar ratio of 7:1. By this process, 95% of pongamia biodiesel is obtained. The physiochemical properties like calorific value, Cetane number, density, kinematic viscosity, flash point, fire point etc. are analysed and it is found to be within the ASTM standards. GC-MS analysis indicated the existence of 14 prominent fatty acids with oleic acid as the major constituent. 13C and 1H NMR results supported the GC-MS data and it also confirmed the conversion efficiency of converting the vegetable oil into PBD as 87.23%. The shifting and appearance of major peaks in the FT-IR spectrum confirmed the formation of FAMEs from the triglycerides.

Keywords

Biodiesel, Pongamia Pinnata, Transesterification, GC-MS, FT-IR, NMR.

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M. Senbagan ¹, R. Sarathkumar ¹, D. Dominic Xavier ¹, S. Seralathan ¹, V. Hariram ²

Affiliations
1 Dept. of Aeronautical Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Sci., Chennai, IN
2 Dept. of Mech. Engg., Hindustan Institute of Tech. and Sci., Chennai, IN

Abstract

The focus of this study is to improve the material properties like Poisson's ratio and flexural strength of a sandwich plate by adding carbon nanotubes. A comparative analysis is carried out between sandwich plate with and without addition of carbon nanotubes. Nastran / Patran are the main tools used for this analysis. The experimental work focuses on the behaviour of the sandwich plate while applying tensile and compressive loads. The reduction of displacement in orthogonal sides under compressive stress and tensile stress are observed for carbon nanotubes enriched sandwich plate. This is due to increased face sheet relative difference of lateral strain with longitudinal strain. It is also observed that the mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes enriched sandwich plate are enhanced in comparison to sandwich plate without carbon nanotubes. It is found that, for feasible applications, the sandwich plate enhanced with carbon nanotubes, possess greater face sheet relative difference of lateral strain with longitudinal strain. It is concluded that the Poisson’s ratio for the sandwich panel enriched with carbon nanotubes is advantageous than sandwich panel without carbon nanotubes.

Keywords

Carbon Nanotubes, Sandwich Plate, Poisson’s Ratio, Mechanical Properties.

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