Utilization of wet-ethanol in a HCCI engine combined with an organic Rankine cycle and an ejector-A path way to clean and efficient cogeneration of power and cooling

The aim of current research proposal is to explore a new option for boosting the efficiency of a wet-ethanol fuelled HCCI engine in order to address the hot issue of energy crisis and environmental degradation due to the high usage of fossil fuels. A considerable enhancement in the thermal performance of a wet-ethanol fuelled HCCI engine can be achieved by employing an ORC with an ejector at the engine exhaust. This newly proposed cogeneration engine will reduce the fuel consumption significantly by reducing the higher parasitic losses and will also reduce the problems of ozone depletion and global warming by which arises due to the use of fossil fuels and CFCs. In this study, an investigation based on second law of thermodynamics will be pursued to evaluate the proposed engine before and after exhaust heat recovery. A thermodynamic model based on exergy analysis procedure will be developed to calculate the entropy generation in each component as well as to evaluate the exergy losses especially during the combustion and heat transfer processes which helps in to identify the key potential energy saving components. An effort will also be made to minimize the entropy generation in the components and it the overall cycle in order to optimize its performance. Role of various design parameters like; turbocharger pressure ratio, turbocharger efficiency, ambient temperature, pinch point temperature of heat recovery vapour generator, and ejector evaporator temperature will be examined to obtain optimum engine design and the development of engine operating strategies to achieve maximum exergy efficiency and significant reduction in thermal pollution. The project team is expected to derive a sustainable technology through this research for meeting out the increasing demand of power and cooling for mobile automotive applications.