<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Ken,<br>
The paper from India states that there is some de-rating for
producer gas compared to diesel with their engine. They didn't see
the same sweet spot for spark advance theorizing a need for
retarding spark because of high hydrogen flame speed. Different
engine, different PG? In their case NOxide emissions increase 2
to 10 fold with increased spark advance. Is this a concern with
Mr.Lister? After CR, what accounts for all the extra power with
your test rig?<br>
<br>
Thanks,<br>
Alex<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 14/10/2012 4:26 AM, Ken Boak wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CAOqQ0iZeCALhPWRJCKT+Cak7q_mE2n95qjH0_YW+=_SGxodo5A@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">Hi Peter, List
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Just for explanation, the Lister conversion project took
place over three consecutive Workshops at All Power Labs,
Berkeley, California. Between Feb 2010 and April 2012, the team
slowly picked away at the project.<br>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The original spark ignition circuit was based on an
Arduino, with a Hall effect sensor being triggered by a tiny
neodynium magnet taped to the flywheel rim. A darlington
transistor drove the low tension side of a car ignition coil.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://files.pbworks.com/download/Mk7b7ymPda/gekgasifier/30638003/Lister_spark.pdf">https://files.pbworks.com/download/Mk7b7ymPda/gekgasifier/30638003/Lister_spark.pdf</a></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I used a variable resistor on one of the analogue input
pins as a "timing control". The idea was to fit the magnet
very well in advance of the optimum position, and then adjust
the timingcontrol to add a given delay, to allow the firing
point to be adjusted to the position that gave the best
running.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>This is what we used in the February 2010 workshop, when
the engine first ran on woodgas. However a later discovered
bug in my code meant that the timing control was not really
working as intended.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>For the Fall workshop of 2010, I remade the ignition
circuit on stripboard and shipped it out to California, and
Ron Ohler, Mike La Rosa, Marcus Hardwick worked on the
project. I could not attend that workshop.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The team fitted the newly positioned spark plug in the side
port and proved that the engine would run.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Marcus and I revisited the Lister project in March 2012 in
the run up to the April workshop. The Lister was converted
back to stock 17:1 compression ratio and given a new head
gasket and more permanent arrangement with gasifier, cooling
and exhaust systems. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The electronic ignition (my department) was our Achilles
heel this year, and after a couple of microcontroller and
transistor burn-outs, we eventually replaced it with a
commercial MSD spark ignition unit and coil. Ron Ohler and
Andy Schofield went on to get the engine running sweetly,
after a lot of fiddling looking for the best ignition point.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I have now returned to the UK, and I am keen to maintain
interest going in the spark conversion of diesel engines. The
developing countries are littered with small hp diesels such
as Lister, Petter, Changfa clones performing pumping,
generation and agricultural processing tasks. To come up with
a cost effective spark conversion for these generic engines so
that they can be economically run on producer gas from
biomass, would be a major step towards petroleum independence.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The original IISc paper describing the performance testing
of a 3 cylinder spark converted Indian diesel engine at 17:1
CR is here:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://cgpl.iisc.ernet.in/site/Portals/0/Publications/ReferedJournal/Biomass%20derived%20producer%20gas%20as%20a%20reciprocating.pdf">http://cgpl.iisc.ernet.in/site/Portals/0/Publications/ReferedJournal/Biomass%20derived%20producer%20gas%20as%20a%20reciprocating.pdf</a><br>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote"><br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="gmail_quote"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_quote">regards</div>
<div class="gmail_quote"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_quote"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_quote"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_quote">Ken Boak</div>
<br>
<fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
<br>
<pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
Gasification mailing list
to Send a Message to the list, use the email address
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Gasification@bioenergylists.org">Gasification@bioenergylists.org</a>
to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/gasification_lists.bioenergylists.org">http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/gasification_lists.bioenergylists.org</a>
for more Gasifiers, News and Information see our web site:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/">http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
</body>
</html>