The Effect of Biofuels on the Efficiency and Production of Electricity From a Stirling Engine In Comparison to Petroleum-Based Diesel

Pranav Poola

School Name

Spring Valley High School

Grade Level

10th Grade

Presentation Topic

Environmental Science

Presentation Type

Non-Mentored

Abstract

Biofuels, which are fuels made from organic matter, are a renewable energy source that have been proposed to counter the use of environmentally harmful fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel. This research aimed to compare the effectiveness of 3 types of biofuels: B20 biodiesel, homemade B100 biodiesel, and ethanol, in heat and electricity generation against one of the most prevalent petroleum-based fuels: diesel. Based on previous studies, it was hypothesized that ethanol would produce the most electricity and longest engine run time. Each fuel was burned using a glass alcohol burner with a cotton wick, which heated air within a container as part of the Stirling engine. The Stirling engine generated electricity through a DC motor connected to the flywheel that spun as part of the engine. The amount of time that the engine ran with each fuel and the amount of voltage that the engine generated with each fuel were both recorded, with significant differences in both treatment groups being shown; F(3, 76)=157.6237122 and F(3, 76)=705.8109489 being higher than the critical value of 2.76. A post-hoc test showed a significant difference between all groups for both variables except between B20 biodiesel and diesel in voltage. It was found that ethanol generated the most electrical current but caused the engine to run for the shortest amount of time. However, B100 biodiesel caused the engine to run for the longest amount of time, which means the hypothesis was not supported.

Location

Furman Hall 227

Start Date

3-28-2020 10:45 AM

Presentation Format

Oral and Written

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Mar 28th, 10:45 AM

The Effect of Biofuels on the Efficiency and Production of Electricity From a Stirling Engine In Comparison to Petroleum-Based Diesel

Furman Hall 227

Biofuels, which are fuels made from organic matter, are a renewable energy source that have been proposed to counter the use of environmentally harmful fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel. This research aimed to compare the effectiveness of 3 types of biofuels: B20 biodiesel, homemade B100 biodiesel, and ethanol, in heat and electricity generation against one of the most prevalent petroleum-based fuels: diesel. Based on previous studies, it was hypothesized that ethanol would produce the most electricity and longest engine run time. Each fuel was burned using a glass alcohol burner with a cotton wick, which heated air within a container as part of the Stirling engine. The Stirling engine generated electricity through a DC motor connected to the flywheel that spun as part of the engine. The amount of time that the engine ran with each fuel and the amount of voltage that the engine generated with each fuel were both recorded, with significant differences in both treatment groups being shown; F(3, 76)=157.6237122 and F(3, 76)=705.8109489 being higher than the critical value of 2.76. A post-hoc test showed a significant difference between all groups for both variables except between B20 biodiesel and diesel in voltage. It was found that ethanol generated the most electrical current but caused the engine to run for the shortest amount of time. However, B100 biodiesel caused the engine to run for the longest amount of time, which means the hypothesis was not supported.