The impending shortage of fossil fuels and the
societal pressures of using environmentally friendly technology have
contributed to the development and utilization of cleaner fuels, such as
biodiesel. Biodiesel is an alternative to diesel fuel that is created using a variety of organic materials such as animal fats and vegetable oils to name a few [1]. Biodiesel is not only a renewable fuel, but it reacts in such a way that emissions are dramatically lower than fossil fuel diesel. A study by the EPA found a 47% reduction in particulate matter and 48% reduction in carbon monoxide in biodiesel compared to diesel [2]. To put this information into a visual perspective, the graph below illustrates the various reductions in emissions as the biodiesel concentration of the fuel increases 0% biodiesel to 100% biodiesel.
 |
| PM: Particulate Matter HC: Unburned Hydrocarbons CO: Carbon Monoxide NOx: Nitrous Oxide |
Source: EPA 2002 [2]
The main goal for this project is to design and build a low cost, simple, and efficient mechanism to calculate the energy density of a sample of biodiesel. The greater the amount of energy per mass of biodiesel, the more energy dense it is. This mechanism involves designing a calorimeter that is composed of cheap parts, is easy to assemble, and is good at preventing energy from escaping. The less energy that escapes, the more efficient the design. With our newly designed and constructed calorimeter, we have conducted multiple tests to determine the energy density in Joules/gram of a sample of student created biodiesel. Additionally, we have tested a sample of regular diesel with known energy density to determine the effectiveness of our design and implementation.
To learn more about our experimentation process , read through our "Weekly Progress" and "Experimental Procedure" pages!
[1] http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/biodiesel_basics.html
[2] http://www.epa.gov/otaq/models/analysis/biodsl/p02001.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment