Improved wood-gas ignition

Technical Report · Wed Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982

OSTI ID:5750728

Shipman, G R; Eoff, K M

Wood gas burns more slowly in an internal combustion engine than gasoline does, requiring much greater spark advance and consequent loss of power. This factor limits the use of wood gas as a replacement for gasoline. This research examined plasma jet spark plugs, multiple discharge sparks, extended duration sparks and hydride fueled plasma plugs to see if any of these devices would improve the ignition of wood gas fueled engines. These devices have all been developed for burning very lean gasoline/air mixtures in which similar slow burning also results in power loss. The actual comparison was made by taking high speed Schlieren photographs of the burning flame front, providing thereby a measurement of relative flame velocities.

• Research Organization: Geo-Centers, Inc., Gainesville, FL (USA); Florida Univ., Gainesville (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: FG44-81R410470
• OSTI ID: 5750728
• Report Number(s): DOE/R4/10470-T1; ON: DE84000324
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
330800* -- Emission Control-- Alternative Fuels
ALKANES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
DATA ANALYSIS
ELEMENTS
ENGINES
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
GASIFICATION
HEAT ENGINES
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
METHANE
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SPARK IGNITION ENGINES
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WOOD