1. Alternative Fuels
M.Thirunavukkarasu , Assistant Professor,
Department of Automobile Engineering
Dr.Mahalingam College Of Engg. & Tech., Pollachi .

2. Why Alternative Fuels?
• As the cost of conventional fuels goes up, the
interest in other fuel sources increase
• In some cases, alternative fuels are more
environmentally friendly
• Some alternative fuels are more energy efficient

3. Why Alternative Fuels?
• Reduce toxic emissions
• Eliminate support for oil based politics
• Eliminate environmental impact of
harvesting, transporting, and
manufacturing gasoline
• Fossil Fuels are not sustainable

5. Key Drivers of Alternative Fuels
Increased Environmental
Fuel Cost problems
Kyoto Alternati
Protocol & ve Fuels
Carbon Tax
Refinery
Requirements
Depletion of
fossil fuels

6. ALTERNATIVE FUELS
What are Alternative Fuels?
• A fuel that can be used in place of
gasoline or diesel fuel.
• Fuels that are substantially non-petroleum
and yield energy security and
environmental benefits

7. Alternative Fuels

8. What are Alternative Fuels?
Major
Alternative
Fuel Groups
Gaseous Bio­Fuels
Hydrogen Electric
fuel
Fuel Cells Hybrids
fossils
Liquefied Compresse Bio­Diesel Ethanol
(Vegetable (Sugarcane
Petroleum d Natural Oil, Jatropha) , Corn)
Gas (LPG) Gas (CNG)

9. Alternative Fuels
• Alcohol Fuels
– Ethanol
– Methanol
• Biodiesel
• Electricity
• Hydrogen
• LPG
• Natural Gas (CNG, LNG)
• Others under development (P-series, diesohol)

10. Ethanol
• Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel produced by
fermenting and distilling starch crops or cellulose that
have been converted into simple sugars
• Ethanol is most commonly used to increase octane and
improve the emissions quality of gasoline.
• Ethanol can be blended with gasoline to create E85, a
blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.
• Ethanol can degrade quickly in water, therefore, posing
less environmental harm than oil in the case of a spill

11. Ethanol
• Ethanol is an excellent, clean-burning fuel, potentially
providing more horsepower than gasoline. In fact,
ethanol has a higher octane rating (over 100) and burns
cooler than gasoline
• One acre of corn can produce 300 gal. of ethanol per
growing season. So, in order to replace that 200 billion
gal. of petroleum products, American farmers would
need to dedicate 675 million acres, or 71 percent of the
nation's 938 million acres of farmland, to growing
feedstock.

12. Ethanol Properties
• Alcohol-based fuel produced from starch crops or
cellulosic biomass (trees and grasses). Currently, corn
is primary feedstock.
• High octane (100+); enhances octane properties of
gasoline and used as oxygenate to reduce CO
emissions.
• 27% - 36% less energy content than gasoline. OEM’s
estimate 15% - 30% decrease in mileage.
• E85 vehicles demonstrate a 25% reduction in ozone-
forming emissions compared to gasoline.
• As an alternative fuel, most commonly used in a blend
of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline (E85).

13. INDIAN SCENARIO
• India is the second largest producer of sugarcane in the
world with 280 MTPA
• India stands fourth in the world in ethanol production about
1.3 Billion liters per annum.
• The installed capacity is about 2.7 Billion liters PA in 278
distilleries.

14. Ethanol Uses
• Mostly used in light-duty vehicles called flexible fuel vehicles
(FFVs). FFVs can use 100% unleaded fuel or any mixture of E85
and unleaded fuel.
.

15. Ethanol Considerations
• Decreased mileage.
• High level of fuel pricing volatility until demand and supply
balance.
• Refueling infrastructure not in place in all areas
• Ongoing debate: energy balance, land mass, food vs. fuel,
and water required.

16. PROPERTIES OF ETHANOL
• Ethanol is Colourless
• Boiling temperature of ethanol is 780C
• Specific gravity of ethanol is 0 .794
• Viscosity of ethanol is less
• Emulsifier manufacturer provide water tolerance of 3% to
ethanol-diesel emulsion- this makes it possible to
miscible with water in all proportions
• It is an excellent solvent for fuels,oils,fats etc.,

17. PROPERTIES OF ETHANOL IN COMPARISON
WITH DIESEL
PROPERTY ETHANOL DIESEL
Specific gravity 0.794 0.82-0.85
Latent heat of vaporization (kJ/kg) 853.84 600
Stochiometric A/F ratio 9.0 14.6
Calorific Value (kcal/kg) 6400.5 10500
Self ignition temperature(0C) 420 220
Cetane no. 8 40-60
Viscosity (cst) 2.5 - 3 4-6

18. • INDIAN EXPERIENCE- ETHANOL
• 1979 - The Ministry of Petroleum, Chemicals
and Fertilizers, constituted an Inter-
Departmental Committee to examine the use of
alcohol as fuel in admixture with gasoline.
• 1980 - Trials were conducted on 15 passenger
cars in collaboration with IIP, Dehradun. Trials
were also conducted on scooters, motor-
cycles and three wheelers.

19. Methanol
• Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, can be used as
an alternative fuel in flexible fuel vehicles that run on
M85
• It is not a commonly used fuel at this time as methanol
produces a high amount of formaldehyde in emissions.
• The benefits include lower emissions, higher
performance, and lower risk of flammability than gasoline
• Methanol can easily be made into hydrogen for hydrogen
fuel cell vehicles in the future.

20. Methanol
• Methanol is extremely corrosive, requiring special
materials for delivery and storage. Methanol, in addition,
has only 51 percent of the BTU content of gasoline by
volume, which means its fuel economy is worse than
ethanol's.
• Methane also can be produced by processing biomass
such as grass clippings, sawdust and other cellulose
sources.

21. Natural Gas
• Natural gas is produced either from gas wells or in
conjunction with crude oil production.
• Because of the gaseous nature of this fuel, it must be
stored onboard a vehicle in either a compressed
gaseous state or in a liquefied state
• A natural gas vehicle can be less expensive to operate
than a comparable conventionally fueled vehicle
depending on natural gas prices.
• The United States has vast natural gas reserves across
the country
• Vehicles tend to cost $3500 to $6000 more than
gasoline powered ones

22. Natural Gas Properties
• Recovered from underground reserves.
• Used in two forms: CNG (compressed natural gas) and
LNG (liquefied natural gas).
• CNG and LNG vehicles can demonstrate reduced
ozone-forming emissions compared to gasoline. May
have increased hydrocarbon emissions.
• Contains 59% - 69% less energy content per gallon at
3000 - 3600 psig than gasoline.

23. CNG/LNG Uses
• CNG used in light- and medium-duty vehicles.
• LNG used in heavy-duty trucks and all natural gas
fueled locomotives.
• CNG stored onboard at 3000 - 3600 psig.
• LNG stored at 50 psig and fuel temperature at -2200F.

24. CNG/LNG Considerations
• CNG refueling stations are either slow-fill (several hours to fill)
or fast-fill (2 - 5 minutes).
• Additional safety modification for maintenance facilities required
by NEC (National Electrical Code) and NFPA (National Fire
Protection Association).
• Higher vehicle costs because of required tank
configuration.
• Shorter vehicle range for CNG vehicles.
• Availability of refueling stations.

25. Propane
• Propane or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a
popular alternative fuel choice for vehicles because there
is already an infrastructure of pipelines, processing
facilities, and storage for its efficient distribution.
• LPG produces fewer vehicle emissions than gasoline.
• Propane is produced as a by-product of natural gas
processing and crude oil refining.
• Propane vehicles can produce fewer ozone-forming
emissions than vehicles powered by reformulated
gasoline
• The cost of a gasoline-gallon equivalent of propane is
generally less than that of gasoline, so driving a propane
vehicle can save money.

26. Propane (LPG) Properties
• By-product of natural gas processing and crude oil refining.
• HD5, the automotive propane standard, a mixture of 90% propane and other
hydrocarbons.
• Contains 33% - 41% less energy content per gallon than gasoline.
• LPG vehicles can demonstrate a 60% reduction in ozone-forming emissions
compared to gasoline.
• High octane properties (~104) allow LPG vehicles to operate with higher
compression ratios; leads to higher efficiency/fuel economy.

27. Propane (LPG) Uses
• Used in light- and medium-duty vehicles, heavy-duty trucks and
buses.
• Popular choice for non-road vehicles such as forklifts and
agricultural and construction vehicles.
• Many propane vehicles are converted gasoline vehicles.
(Conversion kits include regulator/vaporizer, air/fuel mixer,
oxygen-monitoring closed-loop feedback system, and special fuel
tank.)

28. Propane (LPG) Considerations
• Widespread infrastructure of pipelines, processing facilities, and
storage (2,499 stations in U.S. offered LPG in 2006).
• For vehicles, need to balance range vs. payload reduction caused by
larger fuel tanks.
• Increased vehicle costs.

31. Hydrogen
• Hydrogen, a gas, will play an important role in developing sustainable
transportation in the United States, because in the future it may be
produced in virtually unlimited quantities using renewable resources.
• Hydrogen and oxygen from air fed into a proton exchange membrane
fuel cell produce enough electricity to power an electric automobile,
without producing harmful emissions. The only byproduct of a
hydrogen fuel cell is water.
• Currently there are no original equipment manufacturer vehicles
available for sale to the general public. Experts estimate that in
approximately 10-20 years hydrogen vehicles, and the infrastructure to
support them, will start to make an impact.

32. Hydrogen Properties
• Does not occur to any significant extent on earth in its free,
elemental form.
• Found in chemical compositions such as water and
hydrocarbons, and dry coal.
• Pure hydrogen contains no carbon thus burns to form water
with no CO2 or CO emissions.
• One kg of hydrogen contains roughly equivalent energy to
one gallon of gasoline.
• Can be stored as compressed hydrogen at 5,000 – 10,000 psi
or liquid hydrogen (cooled to -4230F).

33. Hydrogen Uses
• Emerging fuel for transportation fuel cells.
• Used in modified internal combustion engines.
• Fuel cells use a direct electrochemical reaction to produce
electricity on board the vehicle. This electricity is used to
power electric motors.
• Ongoing demonstration projects in select U.S. areas.

34. Hydrogen Considerations
• Vehicles not available for commercial sale.
• Infrastructure extremely limited (31 demonstration-level refueling
stations in the U.S in 2006).

35. HYDROGEN
• Easy to convert existing engine to work with H2.
• Has excellent properties as a SI engine fuel.
• Wide flammability limits of H2,make the
engine to work without throttle.
• Thus reduces pumping losses, hence causes an increase
in the thermal efficiency.
• High burning velocity leads to almost constant volume
combustion.
• High self ignition temperature, thus allows to work with
high compression ratio . i.e. increase in thermal efficiency.
• H2 is a clean burning fuel, steam is the only product of
35
combustion.

36. CHALLENGES FACED
• Due to low ignition energy ,it is more prone to
backfire, But this can overcome by adopting EGR or
water injection in the manifold.
• H2 is odourless & has an invisible flame. Hence
safety problems have to be overcome if H2 is used
as an alternate fuel.
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37. PROPERTIES OF H2
Pro pe rty Hydro ge n Gaso line
Limit s of inflammabilit y
4 to 75 1.1 to 3.3
( % fuel in air )
Stoichiom et ric laminar burning
265 37
velocit y ( cm/ sec )
Auto-Ignit ion Tem perat ure ( °C ) 580 340
Minim um Ignit ion energy ( m j ) 0.02 0.24
st oichiomet ric mixt ure
34.4 14.7
mass rat io ( Kg air / Kg fuel )
Lower ent halpy of combustion
119930 45000
in ( KJ / KgK )
Higher ent halpy of combustion
141860 48000
in ( KJ / KgK )
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38. HYDROGEN STORAGE
• Compressed state(140 bar)
• Liquid hydrogen
• Metal hydride system
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39. Electricity
• Electricity can be used as a transportation fuel to power
battery electric and fuel cell vehicles. When used to
power electric vehicles, electricity is stored in an energy
storage device such as a battery.
• EV batteries have a limited storage capacity and their
electricity must be replenished by plugging the vehicle
into an electrical source.
• EVs have lower "fuel" and maintenance costs than
gasoline-powered vehicles.

40. Electricity
• Vehicles that operate only on electricity require no warm-
up, run almost silently and have excellent performance
up to the limit of their range. Also, electric cars are cheap
to "refuel." At the average price of 10 cents per kwh, it
costs around 2 cents per mile.
• Pure electric cars still have limited range, typically no
more than 100 to 120 miles.

41. Electricity Properties
• Recharges batteries in electric vehicles.
• Electricity sources for battery recharging (electrical outlet, gasoline
engine on-board vehicle, regenerative braking).
• Electricity sources for power outlets (coal, natural gas, nuclear,
wind, other renewables).

42. Electricity Uses
• Two categories include EVs or plug-ins (externally charged)
and HEVs or hybrid vehicles (self-charged). Both use battery
storage.
• Available in neighborhood electric vehicles, bicycles, light-
duty vehicles, medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses.
• Hybrids use an electric motor or a combination of a gasoline
engine and electric motor to drive the wheels. Hybrids use
batteries to store electricity produced by regenerative
braking and the onboard generator.
• Range of a dedicated electric is typically 50-130 miles.

43. Electricity Considerations
• Fuel savings (10% - 100% depending on application and vehicle).
• Payback on investment.
• Possible federal and state tax credits for purchase of hybrid.

44. What is Biodiesel?
• Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel,
produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel
contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level
with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can
be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with
little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use,
biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur
and aromatics. (National Biodiesel Board)

45. Biodiesel
• Biodiesel is a domestically produced, renewable fuel that
can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or
recycled restaurant greases.
• Biodiesel is safe, biodegradable, and reduces serious air
pollutants such as particulates, carbon monoxide,
hydrocarbons, and air toxics.
• Biodiesel can also be used in its pure form but it may
require certain engine modifications to avoid
maintenance and performance problems and may not be
suitable for wintertime use.

46. n 1911 Dr.Rudolph Diesel stated as:
“The diesel engine
can be fed with
vegetable oils and
would help
considerably in the
development of
agriculture of the
countries which use
it.”
46

47. In 1912,he stated as:
“The use of vegetable oils
for engine fuels may
seem insignificant today.
But such oils may
become in course of time
as important as
petroleum and the coal
tar products of the
present time.”
47

48. How is Biodiesel made?
• Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called
transesterification whereby the glycerin is separated
from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind
two products -- methyl esters (the chemical name for
biodiesel) and glycerin, a valuable byproduct used in
soaps and other products. (National Biodiesel Board)

49. Bio diesel
• Pure biodiesel, B100, costs about $3.50--roughly a dollar
more per gallon than petrodiesel.
• Need to heat storage tanks in colder climates to prevent
the fuel from gelling
• Like E85, biodiesel began with farm co-ops and local
entrepreneurs. High fuel prices affect farmers, too, and
here was an opportunity to make money from otherwise
fallow farmland.

50. Why choose Biodiesel over SVO?
• Biodiesel is legal, SVO is not
• Less car maintenance required
• Less operational headaches
• More consistent fuel sources
• Backed by your engine’s warranty

51. Vegetable oils
• Chemically defined as mono alkyl
esters of fatty acids

52. WHY VEGETABLE OIL?
• Decreasing reserves, unstable supplies from Petroleum Industries
• Vegetable oils are renewable from inexhaustible sources of energy
• Easily produced in rural areas
• Country like India has strong agricultural base and possible to produce
massively at cheaper cost
• To clean environment
• Vegetable oil properties are comparable to diesel

53. PROPERTIES OF VEGETABLE OILS
• Slightly higher density
• Slightly lower (10%) calorific value on mass basis
• Higher viscosity at room temperature
• Slightly lower cetane number
• Low volatility
• Low sulphur content
• High carbon residue

54. Why vegetable oils in diesel engine?
• Have high thermal efficiency
• Can burn low cetane value fuels
• Very long service life
• 80 % of prime movers use diesel fuel

55. VARIOUS VEGETABLE OILS
 Soybean Oil  Neem Oil
 Sunflower Oil  Jatropha Oil
 Peanut Oil  Linseed Oil
 Sunflower Oil  Cottonseed Oil
 Corn Oil  Karanji/Pungamia Oil
 Rapeseed Oil
 Mahua Oil
 Orange Oil
 Palm Oil
 Caster Oil

56. Pongamia pinnata
• This is most abundantly
available in India
• Common name of
the oil Karanj oil
• Other Names
• Hindi: Karanj
• Kannada: Honge
• English: Indian beech
• Telugu: Kanuga
• Tamil: Punnai