Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical

Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical

Engineering Science
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Experiments on and thermodynamic analysis of a turbocharged engine with producer gas as fuel
S Dasappa, H V Sridhar and I Muzumdar
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science 2012 226:
1004 originally published online 23 September 2011
DOI: 10.1177/0954406211419063

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1004

Experiments on and thermodynamic analysis of a

turbocharged engine with producer gas as fuel
S Dasappa1*, H V Sridhar2, and I Muzumdar3
1
Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
2
Combustion Gasification and Propulsion Laboratory, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore, India
3
GE Energy, India

The manuscript was received on 31 March 2011 and was accepted after revision for publication on 14 July 2011.

DOI: 10.1177/0954406211419063

Abstract: This article presents the studies conducted on turbocharged producer gas engines
designed originally for natural gas (NG) as the fuel. Producer gas, whose properties like stoichio-
metric ratio, calorific value, laminar flame speed, adiabatic flame temperature, and related
parameters that differ from those of NG, is used as the fuel. Two engines having similar turbo-
chargers are evaluated for performance.
Detailed measurements on the mass flowrates of fuel and air, pressures and temperatures at
various locations on the turbocharger were carried out. On both the engines, the pressure ratio
across the compressor was measured to be 1.40  0.05 and the density ratio to be 1.35  0.05
across the turbocharger with after-cooler. Thermodynamic analysis of the data on both the
engines suggests a compressor efficiency of 70 per cent. The specific energy consumption at
the peak load is found to be 13.1 MJ/kWh with producer gas as the fuel. Compared with the
naturally aspirated mode, the mass flow and the peak load in the turbocharged after-cooled
condition increased by 35 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively. The pressure ratios obtained
with the use of NG and producer gas are compared with corrected mass flow on the compressor
map.

Keywords: producer gas, turbocharger, gas engines, gasification

1 INTRODUCTION Biomass gasification, a thermo-chemical conver-

sion process, is an important technology package
The use of renewable energy source for power gener- that has drawn attention from various stakeholders
ation is gaining momentum and, in particular, impor- to meet the requirements of captive, grid, or any dis-
tant for distributed power generation. This aspect is tributed grid networks. Producer gas is generated
further becoming important owing to the climate from biomass through a thermo-chemical conversion
change mitigation requirements in several advanced process known as gasification in which solid biomass
countries and possible mitigation options for coun- is converted to gaseous fuel [25]. Gasification con-
tries with a high demandsupply gap. India, which is sists of drying, pyrolysis, oxidation, and reduction,
also playing a key role in the mitigation options, has and it is a fuel-rich combustion process occurring
several programmes for power generation using var- under substoichiometric conditions. The gasification
ious sources of renewable energy [1]. process results in a fuel gas with 1820 per cent each
of H2 and CO and 2 per cent CH4, with the rest being
inert gases like CO2 and N2. The lower calorific value
*Corresponding author: Centre for Sustainable Technologies, of the gas is in the range 4.7  0.2 MJ/kg, with the stoi-
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India. chiometric airfuel ratio being 1.3  0.05 on mass
email: dasappa@cgpl.iisc.ernet.in basis.

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 Thermodynamic analysis of a turbocharged engine 1005

The use of producer gas in an internal combustion hydrogen whose laminar flame speed at stoichiomet-
engine has been possible in dual-fuel and gas-alone ric condition with air is 2.6 m/s. Similarly, the adia-
modes [39]. With advanced research in the area of batic flame temperature is lower for producer gas
internal combustion engines towards improving the compared with those of other gaseous fuels. The
power output-to-weight ratio, several developments other important parameter is the product-to-reactant
have taken place [10]. Of the several pathways con- mole ratio, which is less than unity for producer gas,
sidered towards improving the power and efficiency, resulting in lower cylinder pressures. It is argued that
turbochargers have played a critical role. Further, these factors contribute to the de-rating of a NG
the extent of power enhancement depends on the engine when operated with producer gas [14].
pressure ratio of the compressor and also on the in- Sridhar [15] has addressed the importance of these
cylinder process limitation arising from the rate of properties in optimizing engine performance.
pressure rise. Sridhar et al. [15] also present results where the cyl-
The use of producer gas as a fuel has been limited to inder peak pressures using producer gas are lower
a few research groups and very little research in compared with those for fossil fuel operation.
adapting fossil fuel-designed engines for producer Studies suggest that the power de-rating is in the
gas applications has been reported. Some of these range 3035 per cent with producer gas as the fuel
aspects have been analysed by earlier researchers compared with the fossil fuel-rated capacity. The
[3, 9, 1119]. Tinaut et al. [12] have carried out anal- overall combustion processes within the engine cyl-
ysis to predict the engine performance using Engine inder have an influence on the turbocharger perfor-
Fuel Quality (EFQ) which is the combined effect of mance, which in turn would affect the power output.
stoichiometric airfuel ratio and stoichiometric mix- This study focuses on the preliminary performance
ture heating value, both depending on the producer evaluation of turbochargers using producer gas as
gas composition. The estimation of engine power the fuel using engines manufactured by Cummins
made using the EFQ parameter indicates that power India Limited, designed for operating on NG as the
at full load is reduced at about two-thirds of the max- fuel. These studies are carried out to establish the
imum obtained with a conventional liquid fuel. They performance of the turbocharger with respect to the
use some of the results of the work done by the pre- compressor pressure ratio at various load conditions
sent authors for the analysis. Ahrenfeldt et al. [13] and also derive other parameters from the detailed
have presented results for a small capacity engine experiments and analysis. Thermodynamic analysis
with and without supercharging and have shown an is carried out to establish the compressor and turbine
increase in power output and efficiency with efficiencies. Both pressure and density ratios are
supercharging. compared with those for NG operation.
Table 1 compares the properties of producer gas
with other fuels, like natural gas (NG) and liquefied 2 MATERIALS AND METHODS
petroleum gas (LPG). Critical properties that influ-
ence performance of the engine relating to the com- The engines used for tests are manufactured by
bustion processes inside the cylinder are the laminar Cummins India Limited, designed for NG operation.
flame speed, adiabatic flame temperature, stoichio- These engines have been used with producer gas as
metric ratio, flammability limits, etc. From Table 1, it fuel for power generation and operated for over 10
is evident that the properties of producer gas are sig- 000 h [4, 5]. The specifications of the two spark-
nificantly different from those of fossil fuels. The lam- ignited gas engines are presented in Table 2 [20,
inar flame speed at stoichiometry for producer gas is 21]. Engines 1 and 2 have the same turbocharger(s),
30 per cent higher than for NG and 10 per cent higher ignition systems, governing system, bore, and stroke.
than for LPG. This is mainly due to the presence of The turbocharger is 4 LGK-557 from HOLSET. Engine

Table 1 Comparison of properties of standard fuels with producer gas

Properties Producer gas NG LPG
Chemical composition Mixture of CO, CO2 CH4, H2, N2 CH4 C3H8, C4H10
Fuel, LCV (MJ/kg) 5.0 50.2 47
Fuel, LCV (MJ/Nm3) 5.6 35.8 93
Airfuel ratio at 1 (mass) 1.35 17.2 15.5
Energy density of A F mixture (MJ/kg) 2.12 2.76 2.78
Laminar flame speed at stoichiometry (m/s) 0.50 0.35 0.44
Peak flame temperature (K) 1800 2210 2250
Productreactant mole ratio 0.89 1.0 1.0

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1006 S Dasappa, H V Sridhar, and I Muzumdar

Table 2 Specification of the engines

Parameter Engine 1 Engine 2
Make and model Cummins, GTA-1710-G Cummins, GTA-855-G
Engine type V configuration 12 cylinder, turbocharged In-line, six cylinder, turbocharged
with after-cooler gas engine with after-cooler gas engine
Bore (mm) 140 140
Stroke (mm) 152 152
Total displacement (L) 28 14
CR 10 8.5
Engine rating with NG as fuel 355 168
at 1500 r/min (kW)
Conversion/modification, if any Producer gas carburettor adapted Producer gas carburettor adapted

Fig. 1 Schematic of the gasification system

1 is a 12-cylinder V configuration, while Engine 2 is addressed in the gasification system to maintain

an inline system. The compression ratio (CR) of low tar and particulate levels (less than 10 mg/m3)
Engine 1 is 10, whereas that of Engine 2 is 8.5, in the gas.
which will slightly affect the power output. In brief, Engine 1 was part of a 1-MW power station
These engines were operational at two different using producer gas which had five producer gas
locations with Engine 1 being a grid-linked applica- engines, connected in parallel to a common bus and
tion and Engine 2 used for captive power generation through it to the grid [4]. Two gasifiers using coconut
[22]. Both the engines were fitted with a special pro- shells as biomass fuelled these five gas engines.
ducer gas carburettor [15, 22] for ensuring constant Engine 2 was coupled to a gasifier of 150 kg/h for cap-
A/F over the complete load range. tive power generation in a textile industry [22]. The
The engines were coupled to biomass gasifica- industry had a facility to gradually load the engine.
tion systems of appropriate capacity to generate This gasifier was fuelled using coconut shells during
engine quality gas [4, 5]. Details of the gasification the tests.
system are elaborated in reference [2]. In brief, the Figure 1 shows the typical schematic of the gasifi-
gasification system is an open-top downdraft gas- cation system used during the tests. The novel open-
ifier, with a cooling and cleaning system to gener- top downdraft reactor design is a ceramic-lined cylin-
ate clean gas. Producer gas quality plays an drical vessel with a bottom screw for ash extraction.
important role in the operability of the engines The screw-based ash extraction system allows for
fitted with turbochargers. The presence of tar and extracting the residue at a predetermined rate. In
particulates in significant quantity (greater than brief, the reactor has air nozzles and open top for
25 mg/m3) influences the performances of the air to be drawn into the system. The gas conditioning
compressor and after-cooler by blockages created system involves cyclone, scrubbers, and fabric filter.
due to deposition. These aspects have been The gas is de-humidified or dried using the principle

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 Thermodynamic analysis of a turbocharged engine 1007

of condensate nucleation to reduce the moisture and flow measurement was carried out through hot wire
fine contaminants. A blower provides the necessary anemometer and Pitot tubes. Quintox make exhaust
suction for meeting the engine requirements. The analyser was used for measuring exhaust composi-
dual air entry from top and the nozzles permits tion. K-type thermocouples were used in temperature
establishment of front moving propagation towards measurements and pressure transducers based on
the top of the reactor to establish a large thermal bed piezoresistive sensitive elements (KIMO instruments)
inside the reactor and improve the residence time [2]. with an accuracy of  1.5 per cent were used for pres-
The details of the gasification technology are dis- sure measurements.
cussed in reference [5]. The measurement scheme used in this study is as
shown in Fig. 2. Measurements were made on the
2.1 Measurement scheme engine only after the gasifier operations were stabi-
lized, i.e. steady-state conditions were attained with
To study the performance characteristics of the tur- respect to consistent quality gas. All the experiments
bocharger, some thermodynamic properties were were repeated at different loads. The producer gas
measured and others deduced. Several sets of mea- composition was monitored during the period of
surements were conducted on both the engines. experimentation.
Measurements were made on continuous operation
engines and the major parameters recorded during
the performance evaluation are: 3 THE EXPERIMENTS
(a) gas and mixture composition;
Experiments were conducted at two field locations
(b) gas and air flowrate;
where the ambient temperature was in the range
(c) exhaust composition;
310  5 K. Engine 1 was located at a place 410 m
(d) temperature across the turbocharger and after-
above mean sea level, while Engine 2 was located at
cooler;
a place 310 m above mean sea level.
(e) pressure across the turbocharger and after-
Figure 3 depicts the gas compositions of producer
cooler;
gas at both the sites with respect to load. The compo-
(f) electrical load on the engine generator system.
sition is nearly the same at both the locations with
Online gas analysers from SICK-Maihak, using percentages of CO: 20  1, H2: 19  1, CH4: 1.5  0.2,
non-dispersive infrared and thermal conductivity CO2: 12  1, and the rest N2. The average calorific
detector-based instruments, were used in gas and value is 4.6  0.1 MJ/kg. This ensures nearly constant
mixture composition measurement. The gas and air quality of the fuel used in both the engines. The

Fig. 2 Schematic of the measurement plan

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1008 S Dasappa, H V Sridhar, and I Muzumdar

stoichiometric air requirement for the above gas turbocharger fitted to an in-line, 6 cylinders, turbo-
composition is in the range of 1:1.25. charged with after-cooler.
Holset 4 LGK/557 turbocharger was used in both Tables 3 and 4 summarize the results from mea-
the engines. The only difference is that Engine 1 had surements conducted on Engines 1 and 2. These are
two separate turbochargers fitted to different cylinder averages of several sets of experiments. The mass
banks in the V configuration, 12 cylinders, turbo- flowrates of gas and air are represented as m _ g and
charged with after-cooler and Engine 2 had a single m _ a is the total mass flow exiting
_ a , respectively; m
from the engine exhaust. T1 to T5 and P1 to P5 are
the temperature and pressure measurements on the
turbocharger.
All the measurements were made on a single tur-
bocharger for Engine 1. For brevity, it is assumed that
the actual flow through each of the turbochargers is
one-half of the total flow the engine is drawing. This
effectively means that each of the turbochargers
would handle one-half the flowrate of total gas air
mixture. On this basis, it is assumed that each turbo-
charger coupled to a set of six cylinders supports half
the total load that the engine is capable of. From the
specification of Engine 1 as in Table 2, it is clear that
the flow through the turbocharger can generate about
120 kW. Table 3 provides the details on load, mass
flowrate of air and gas, along with the calculated pres-
Fig. 3 Gas composition at various loads, Engine 1 sure ratios for Engine 1 for one turbocharger. The

Table 3 Compressor flow and pressure measurements at various loads on Engine 1

Load per Gas flow, Air flow, Compressor Specific energy
turbo (kW) _ g (kg/s)
m _ a (kg/s)
m flow (kg/s) A/F P2/P1 consumption (MJ/kWh)
20.00 0.018 0.026 0.043 1.44 0.766 14.6
30.00 0.031 0.044 0.075 1.428 0.819 16.7
37.50 0.036 0.052 0.087 1.440 0.928 15.6
40.00 0.042 0.060 0.103 1.434 1.133 17.0
45.00 0.046 0.068 0.114 1.468 1.153 16.6
50.00 0.053 0.076 0.128 1.43 1.191 17.2
62.50 0.059 0.084 0.143 1.417 1.210 15.3
75.00 0.063 0.089 0.152 1.406 1.227 13.6
82.50 0.068 0.100 0.169 1.468 1.239 13.4
87.50 0.072 0.101 0.173 1.394 1.257 13.3
92.50 0.076 0.104 0.180 1.354 1.311 13.3
100.0 0.081 0.109 0.190 1.354 1.332 13.1
105.0 0.085 0.115 0.199 1.360 1.337 13.1
110.0 0.089 0.116 0.205 1.314 1.363 13.1
115.0 0.093 0.121 0.214 1.309 1.385 13.1

Table 4 Compressor flow and pressure measurements at various loads on Engine 2

Gas flow Air flow Compressor Specific energy
Load (kW) _ g (kg/s)
m _ a (kg/s)
m flow (kg/s) A/F P2/P1 consumption (MJ/kWh)
0 0.023 0.038 0.061 1.65 1.011
20 0.018 0.029 0.046 1.61 1.065 14.6
30 0.026 0.040 0.066 1.50 1.131 14.0
45 0.038 0.056 0.094 1.47 1.257 13.7
50 0.042 0.063 0.105 1.49 1.266 13.6
60 0.051 0.077 0.128 1.52 1.302 13.8
70 0.059 0.074 0.133 1.25 1.304 13.6
80 0.067 0.082 0.149 1.21 1.376 13.6
90 0.072 0.087 0.159 1.20 1.429 13.0
100 0.081 0.100 0.181 1.24 1.438 13.1
110 0.089 0.106 0.195 1.20 1.455 13.1

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 Thermodynamic analysis of a turbocharged engine 1009

mass flow at 115 kW per turbocharger is about and

0.214 kg/s with a pressure ratio of 1.39 for Engine 1.
Wt Cp T3  T4 kJ=kg
Similarly, Table 4 provides the mass flowrates of air
and gas into the engine from the turbo compressor where Wc is the compressor work, Wt the turbine
along with the calculated pressure ratios for Engine 2. work, and T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 the temperatures at
At 110 kW, the total flow is 0.195 kg/s and compressor different locations in the turbocharger and
pressure ratio 1.46. In both the cases, the A/F is found aftercooler.
to be in the range 1.35  0.2. The specific energy con- The total flow is the sum of air and gas flows
sumption (SEC), a manifestation of the engine effi- through the engine, which is the same as mass flow
ciency, defined as the energy input from the through the compressor and turbine. The compressor
:
gaseous fuel to generate 1 kWh of electricity, was work m Cp12 T2  T1 and the turbine work
:
found to 13.1 MJ/kWh at the peak load. This value of m Cp34 T3  T4 , where m _ c mass flowrate through
SEC translates to an engine efficiency of 28 per cent the turbocharger, which is the sum of m _ a.
_ g and m
from gas to electricity. The isentropic efficiency of the compressor is the
Table 5 provides the details of the mixture compo- ratio of the power that would be necessary to operate
sition before entering the engine manifold for Engine the compressor in an ideal adiabatic situation to the
1. On carrying out the elemental balance, the A/F actual power that is necessary to operate the com-
based on varying load suggests that the exhaust pressor. Therefore, c , the compressor isentropic effi-
oxygen varies from about 5 per cent at low load to ciency is
about 1.52 per cent at the higher loads. This is con-
h2s  h1 T2s  T1
sistent with the design of the carburettor. The A/F is c 1
h2  h1 T2  T1
found to be in the range 1.35  0.1, which is consis-
tent with the A/F measured from the gas and air In the above expressions, Cp is the specific heat at
flowrates. constant pressure and considered constant, T2s the
isentropic temperature, T2 and T1 the stagnation tem-
peratures before and after the compressor.
4 THE ANALYSIS
In a similar manner, the isentropic efficiency of the
Figure 4 shows the typical temperature/entropy dia- turbine t of the turbocharger is defined as the ratio
gram for a turbocharger. The measurement scheme between the power produced by a real turbine to the
adapted in this study is aimed at obtaining relevant power produced by an ideal turbine and is given by
thermodynamic properties and it establishes the per- h3  h4 T3  T4
formance of the compressor and the turbine. t 2
h3  h4s T3  T4s
Work done by the compressor and the turbine can
be calculated by where Cp is considered constant, T4s isentropic tem-
perature, and T3 and T4 the stagnation temperatures
Wc Cp T2  T1 kJ=kg before and after the turbine.

Table 5 Gas composition of the mixture entering the

engine manifold for Engine 1
Mixture gas composition (vol%)
Load CO CO2 CH4 O2 H2 N2 by difference
20 8.5 4.3 0.2 13.9 7.8 0.52
35 8.7 4.5 0.2 12.7 8.1 0.47
43 8.7 4.7 0.2 12.9 8.0 0.48
50 8.7 4.5 0.2 12.8 7.9 0.48
55 8.6 4.4 0.2 13.0 7.8 0.48
63 9.0 4.1 0.1 13.7 7.7 0.51
70 9.0 4.0 0.1 13.8 7.6 0.51
75 9.2 4.1 0.1 13.5 8.0 0.50
85 9.4 5.2 0.4 13.5 7.9 0.51
90 9.5 5.3 0.4 13.6 8.0 0.51
95 9.2 5.1 0.4 13.6 7.8 0.51
100 9.1 5.2 0.4 13.7 7.7 0.51
105 7.7 4.5 0.5 14.5 6.6 0.55
110 7.9 4.0 0.2 15.1 6.3 0.57
115 7.9 4.0 0.3 15.2 6.3 0.57 Fig. 4 Typical temperatureentropy diagram for a
120 7.9 4.0 0.3 15.1 6.3 0.57
turbocharger

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1010 S Dasappa, H V Sridhar, and I Muzumdar

In a turbocharger, the compressor is driven solely At lower loads between 20 and 42 kW, the pressure
by the turbine, and mechanical efficiency m can be ratio is lower than unity. A maximum pressure ratio
defined as of 1.39 was obtained at the highest load of 115 kW for
Engine 1 and 1.46 at 110 kW for Engine 2.
Compressor work Wc
m
Turbine work Wt
4.2 Effectiveness of the after-cooler

4.1 Mass flow and pressure ratio The after-cooler is made of aluminium-finned copper
tube exchanger with gas passages of the order of
Engine 2 has a nameplate capacity of 168 kW with about 0.5 mm. From the experimental results, it was
turbocharger after-cooled configuration using NG as observed that at all loads, the after-cooler outlet tem-
the fuel. The same engine under natural aspiration is perature was in the range 294419 K depending upon
rated for 130 kW [21]. On the basis of the cylinder the load on both the engines. Figure 6 shows the per-
displacement capacity of 14 L and the engine speed formance of the after-cooler. The temperature drop
at 1500 r/min, the total mass flow of gas and air under realized across the after-cooler in both engines is
natural aspirated condition is estimated at 0.140 kg/s about 35 K at nearly the rated load, implying that
at 90 per cent volumetric efficiency. The measured the performances of the two after-coolers fitted on
mass flowrates in the turbocharged after-cooled con- different engines is nearly the same.
figuration as indicated in Tables 1 and 2 are in the The pressure ratio for the compressor and after-
range 0.1950.215 kg/s for both the engines evalu- cooler for Engine 2 is depicted in Fig. 7. The small
ated. It is clear that the total mass flow has increased reduction in pressure ratio (P5/P1) is due to the resis-
by about 36 per cent in turbocharged mode compared tance across the after-cooler. At 115 kW, the pressure
with naturally aspirated mode. The difference in mass drop across the after-cooler is about 550 Pa,
flowrates of gas and air mixture drawn into the two
engines is about 5 per cent and within the range of
experimental errors.
Figure 5 shows the variation of compressor pres-
sure ratio with load for both the engines. It is impor-
tant to mention that Engine 1, which is rated for 240-
kW electrical load with producer gas as fuel, has two
turbochargers, in effect each turbocharger contribut-
ing about 120 kW. In view of this, it is easy to compare
it with Engine 2, which is a 120-kW capacity engine
with one turbocharger. As the load increases, the
pressure ratio increases and reaches a maximum at
full load. The pressure ratios achieved at similar load
conditions for the two engines are nearly the same. Fig. 6 After-cooler performance for Engines 1 and 2

Fig. 5 Comparison of pressure ratios with load for Fig. 7 Effect of after-cooler on pressure ratio
both the engines (Engine 2)

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 Thermodynamic analysis of a turbocharged engine 1011

consistent with the manufacturers data. The gas air

mixture enters the engine manifold at nearly 142 kPa.

4.3 Density ratio

The purpose of turbocharging is to increase the

engine output by increasing the density of the mix-
ture (air and gas) drawn into the engine. It was found
that the density ratio of the mixture increases with
load and was 1.28 at the maximum load achieved
for Engine 2. Figure 8 illustrates the effect of the
after-cooler on the density ratio. As a consequence
of gas air mixture cooling, the density ratio improves
Fig. 8 Effect of density ratio before and after the after-
with load. The temperature of the mixture at the exit
cooler (Engine 2)
of the after-cooler is lower by about 35 K at the 115 kW
load. Figure 8 presents the plot of the density ratio
across the compressor and the after-cooler with
Table 6 Compressor performance parameters of
respect to the ambient pressure. It is clear that
Engine 2
beyond 65 kW, the cooling effect increases the density
of the gas air mixture and at the rated condition, the Load Compressor
(kW) P5/P1 T2s (K) c power (kW)
density ratio is higher than what is achieved across
the compressor. With increase in mass flowrate, the 0 0.431 309.0 0.34 0.29
20 0.621 313.6 0.62 0.98
heat transfer processes improve between gas and 30 0.779 320.1 0.58 2.42
water, thus improving the density of the gas air mix- 45 1.054 329.9 0.72 4.29
50 1.063 326.3 0.69 4.58
ture and hence the density ratio. At 110 kW, the pres- 60 1.106 334.3 0.72 5.42
ence of the after-cooler increases the density ratio to 70 1.168 330.1 0.69 6.06
1.35 as against 1.27 before the after-cooler. 80 1.240 339.6 0.70 8.18
90 1.265 343.3 0.71 8.47
100 1.328 338.4 0.73 8.72
110 1.380 339.5 0.77 8.94
5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The turbochargers are selected by first defining the

compressor stage (to meet the engine requirements)
and then designing a turbine stage to match the
compressor and engine. Turbocharger efficiency is
the combined effect of both compressor and turbine
efficiency. Considering this, measurements were car-
ried out on the turbine side also. All the measure-
ments were made simultaneously along with the
compressor side for various loads.
On the basis of the experimental investigations, the
performances of the compressor and turbine were
evaluated. The derived data from all the experimental
data are analysed to evaluate the thermodynamic
parameters necessary to estimate the performance Fig. 9 Comparison of compressor efficiencies of
of the compressor and turbine. Engines 1 and 2

5.1 Compressor efficiency

increases with load, reaching about 77 per cent at
Table 6 provides the values of pressure ratio (P5/P1) 110 kW for Engine 2. Estimated compressor work is
between the compressor and the after-cooler along about 8.9 kW at 110 kW, which amounts to less than
with the isentropic temperature at various load con- 10 per cent of the engine output.
ditions for Engine 2. At 110 kW, the pressure ratio is Figure 9 shows the plot of compressor efficiency
1.38. with respect to the load for both the engines. The
The compressor efficiency is estimated using compressor efficiency of the larger engine, i.e.
c TT2s2 T
T2
1
. It is observed that the efficiency gradually Engine 1, is lower at lower load and is about 71 per

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1012 S Dasappa, H V Sridhar, and I Muzumdar

cent at 115 kW, while in the case of Engine 2, the peak for a particular load. From exhaust composition, spe-
efficiency is about 77 per cent. However, comparing cific heat values were calculated. Table 7 presents the
the data obtained on Engines 1 and 2, Engine 2 oper- results on the turbine efficiency.
ated at a slightly higher pressure ratio than Engine 1 On Engine 2, the turbine efficiency, as calculated
under all loads, and the mass flowrate of Engine 1 is analytically, was found to be 71 per cent at 110 kW,
slightly greater than that of Engine 2. which is not consistent with the compressor effi-
ciency at this load, which was around 76 per cent.
5.2 Turbine efficiency This difference may probably be attributed to the
assumptions made (compressor efficiency from liter-
For estimating turbine isentropic efficiency; turbine ature set at 92 per cent) in estimating the correct tur-
expansion and isentropic temperature ratios were bine outlet temperature. Assuming the compressor
used. The turbine efficiency is calculated using equa- efficiency as 86 per cent, the calculated turbine effi-
tion (2). ciency matches with the expected results.
The use of measured temperature data yielded tur- While the above approach is an indirect method to
bine efficiency of more than 100 per cent at almost all estimate the turbine efficiency which depends on the
loads. In order to understand this discrepancy, the assumptions made, a rather direct measurement of
entire turbocharger construction was reviewed. the turbine exit temperature would be appropriate.
Close examination revealed that in both the gas It must be mentioned that the heat loss pattern
engines, jacket cooling is enabled on the turbine during the expansion process will not remain the
side to control the overall temperature and thereby same for all sets of loads; even small errors in tem-
improving the life. It is clear that water flow removes perature of even a few percent would give consider-
some of the heat and hence the measured tempera- able variation in turbine efficiency calculation.
ture is less than isentropic temperature (T4s T3(P4/ The turbine efficiency is calculated using equation
P3)(1)/ ). (2) which depends on the turbine inlet, exit, and the
A simple analysis was carried out to account for the isentropic temperatures. Presently, the inlet temper-
turbine performance. The only thermodynamic ature is accurate while the exit temperature is in error.
parameters that have an effect are turbine outlet pres- The difference between the inlet and exit is about
sure and temperature. As the outlet pressure is in the 200 K at the rated condition. Based on the compressor
range of a few Pascals, the pressure effect has been work, the compressor exit temperature should have
neglected; thus, influencing parameter is the actual been in the range of 561 K amounting to a tempera-
turbine exit temperature. ture difference of 43 K. Therefore, in this study, the
As compressor work is a function of the mechanical compressor performance has been evaluated, while
efficiency of the turbocharger and turbine work, the similar performance evaluation of the turbine is not
turbine work was estimated. Literature suggests that possible as the true temperature drop across turbine
the mechanical efficiency of most of the turbochar- could not be measured due to turbine casing cooling
gers is 92 per cent [23]. as designed by the engine manufacturer. Even though
The turbine work is dependent on exhaust flow, the exact performance of the turbine is not evaluated,
specific heat at constant pressure and the turbine this study has provided an accurate estimation of
inlet and outlet temperature difference. Mass flows compressor performance and indirectly estimates
across the compressor and turbine remain the same the turbine performance. Further study is required

Table 7 Estimated turbine efficiency for Engine 2

Measured parameters on turbine Estimated based on turbine work
Load Isentropic Turbine Corrected Calculated
(kW) T3 (K) T4 (K) P4/P3 temperature, T4s (K) work temperature, T4 (K) efficiency, T (%)
0 743 585 0.97 738 0.31 740 0.64
20 819 642 0.92 802 1.06 810 0.53
30 823 645 0.88 798 2.63 804 0.76
45 825 651 0.83 788 4.66 796 0.77
50 815 645 0.82 776 4.98 784 0.79
60 826 657 0.80 784 5.89 792 0.79
70 832 650 0.80 787 6.58 795 0.82
80 834 651 0.77 784 8.89 788 0.92
90 858 663 0.76 804 9.20 812 0.85
100 876 672 0.75 817 9.48 831 0.78
110 881 679 0.74 818 9.72 837 0.71

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 Thermodynamic analysis of a turbocharged engine 1013

in order to generate the turbine performance maps with Fig. 11 that the SEC is lower by about 15 per cent
due to the above limitation. in NG mode and also the power output is higher.
These are related to the properties of the fuel that
5.3 Operating characteristics of the influence the combustion process inside the engine
turbocharger with producer gas engine cylinder. The adiabatic flame temperature and
product-to-mole fraction ratio have an influence on
Figure 10 shows the comparison of the operating the cylinder pressure, which has an influence on the
characteristics of the turbocharger with NG and pro- power output [11].
ducer gas as fuels. The compressor map for Holset 4 Figure 12 presents the results on the emissions
LGK/557 turbocharger with NG on GTA-855-G (i.e. from the engine exhaust. The data presented are nor-
Engine 2) [24, 25] is used as a reference. The turbo malized at 5 per cent oxygen level in the dry exhaust.
flow is corrected for pressure at 101.3 kPa and tem- These measurements are without any catalytic con-
perature for 288 K. Increasing the speed of the turbo- verter on the exhaust. The CO levels vary over the load
charger can influence the efficiency and the pressure range from 20 g/kWh to about 90 g/kWh. It is inter-
ratio. It is important to state that the speed of the esting to note that around 110 kW, which is nearly the
turbine is an important parameter which needs to peak load condition, the CO level has increased. This
be monitored. This issue may have a significant bear- sudden increase is related to A/F approaching the
ing on the de-rating observed in producer gas opera- nearly the stoichiometric condition leading to incom-
tion, thus ensuring increase in the power output for plete combustion. The NOx levels are under 2.5 g/
the given cylinder volume. kWh [20]. Further studies are necessary on the emis-
Figure 11 compares the SEC with NG and producer sion values to understand this behaviour.
gas as fuels. It is evident from Tables 3 and 4 along This study has provided an insight towards under-
standing the performance of turbocharged gas
engines with producer gas as the fuel. It is evident
that there is significant scope for further work in the
area of related to the increase of the pressure ratio of
the gasair mixture to enhance the output. Further
investigations are necessary towards measuring the
turbine speed and other related parameters towards
enhancing the turbocharger performance by choos-
ing the right operating conditions with respect of
both speed and efficiency. In the anticipated
future, studies coupling with in-cylinder pressure
measurements would ensure addressing critical
operating parameters with respect to rate of pres-
sure rise, knocking, if any, emissions, and aspects
Fig. 10 Comparison of operating characteristics using
NG and producer gases as the fuels of efficiency.

Fig. 11 Comparison of SEC with NG Fig. 12 Emission from the engine exhaust (Engine 1)

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1014 S Dasappa, H V Sridhar, and I Muzumdar

6 CONCLUSIONS analysis. In Proceedings of the 17th National

Conference on IC Engines and Combustion,
The performance of a turbocharger using producer Suratkal, India, 1820 December 2001, pp. 167174.
12 Tinaut, F. V., Melgar, A., Horrillo, A., and Rosa, A. D.
gas has been tested and thermodynamic analysis car-
de la. Method for predicting the performance of an
ried out. The compressor performance has been internal combustion engine fuelled by producer gas
mapped and compared with that available for NG and other low heating value gases. Fuel Process.
operation. It has been found that the compressor effi- Technol., 2006, 87(2), 135142.
ciency is about 70 per cent and the pressure ratio 13 Ahrenfeldt, J., Foged, E. V., Strand, R., and Henrik-
achieved about 1.45. Compared with the naturally sen, U. B. Development and test of a new concept for
aspirated condition, the turbocharged operation per- biomass producer gas engines. Ris-R-1728 (EN)
formed with 35 per cent enhanced power output. Ris National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy,
Technical University of Denmark, February 2010.
Aspects related to turbine efficiency are highlighted
14 Sridhar, G. Experimental and modeling studies of
and need further work. producer gas based spark-ignited reciprocating
engines. PhD Thesis, Indian Institute of Science,
Authors 2011 Bangalore, 2003.
15 Sridhar, G., Sridhar, H. V., Dasappa, S., Paul, P. J.,
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m mass flowrate of gas

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 Thermodynamic analysis of a turbocharged engine 1015

P1 to P5 pressure at various locations on the Wc compressor work

turbocharger WT turbine work
Ts isentropic temperature c compressor efficiency
T1 to T5 temperature at various locations on the t turbine efficiency
turbocharger m turbine efficiency

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