ME 0105

Alternative Fuels Used in Future ___________________________________________________________________

1.Mr.T.

Abhijeet Singh, 2.Mr.Kunwar Prasad Maurya

Abstract
Although fossil fuels have become the dominant energy resource for the modern world, Alcohol has been used as a fuel throughout history. The first four aliphatic alcohols (methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol) are of interest as fuels because they can be synthesized biologically, and they rating) - however, these advantages are outweighed by disadvantages (compared to ethanol and methanol) concerning production, for instance. Generally speaking, the chemical formula for alcohol fuel is CnH2n+1OH. The larger n is, the higher the energy density.Alcohol fuels are usually of biological rather than petroleum sources. When obtained from biological sources, they are known as bioalcohols (e.g. bioethanol). It is important to note that there is no chemical difference between biologically produced alcohols and those obtained from other sources. However, ethanol that is derived from petroleum should not be considered safe for consumption as this alcohol contains about 5% methanol and may cause blindness or death. This mixture may also not be purified by simple distillation, as it forms an azeotropic mixture.Bioalcohols are still in developmental and research stages. Use of optimized crops with higher yields of energy, elimination of pesticides and fertilizers based on petroleum, and a more rigorous accounting process will help improve the feasibility of bioalcohols as fuels.Methanol and Ethanol both have advantages and disadvantages over fossil fuels, such as petrol and diesel. have characteristics which allow them to be used in current engines. One advantage shared by all four alcohols is octane rating. Biobutanol has the advantage that its energy density is closer to gasoline than the other alcohols (while still retaining over 25% higher octane

Keywords
fossil fuels, aliphatic alcohols ,energy density, azeotropic mixture

Conclusion
With the increase in the population the consumption of the natural resources has increased and theamount of natural resources available on earth are decreasing day by day.In the present generation with the soaring rise in oil prices traveling has become a dream for the common man. There is definitely a need for the development of alternate fuels which are renewable, eco-friendly , cheaper and easy to produce. __________________________________________________________________________ 1. deepak_26_89@yahoo.com Patnam Rajender Reddy Memorial Engg. College 2. vijay_9392@yahoo.co.in Patnam Rajender Reddy Memorial Engg. College

Introduction :
Alternative fuel , also known as non-conventional fuels, is any material that can be used as a fuel , other than fossil fuels , or conventional fuels of petroleum (oil), coal , propane , and natural gas The term "alternative fuels" usually refers to a source of which energy is renewable. It has been stimated that 550 million automobiles are using nearly half of the current non-renewable petroleum demand equivalent to about 20% of the world's energy consumption. This clearly indicates that the vehicles form the predominant source of regulated and unregulated pollution. The vehicle population continues to increase exponentially and by the year 2010 about 1.1 billion cars are expected to be in use in the world. Unregulated Carbon dioxide emissions, a prominent green house gas, will increase by 65% over the current levels due to large-scale use of fossil fuels.

Problems with fossil fuels:

Fossil fuels are non-renewable sources of energy. Fossil fuels create large amount of pollutants which cause problems like Green house effect,

Ozone layer depletion, skin cancer, etc.,.

Fossil fuel's sources are available only in a few parts of the world. If there is any problem (diplomatic relations or war in the near by zone), it may result in

stoppage of the fuel supply.

Cost of the fossil fuels is increasing day by day. Release of the toxic substances causes health hazards.

For catering the growing needs of the society and because of the problems that are being faced due to the usage of fossil fuels and also due to its scarcity, the demand for the alternate fuels is growing day by day. The following are the some of the alternate fuels which are capable of over coming the problems that are faced due to the usage of the fossil fuels.

Ethanol :
Fuel ethanol is a high-octane, water-free alcohol currently used in Canada as an additive to gasoline. Most of the fuel ethanol is in concentrations up to 10% (10 % ethanol / 90 % gasoline); there is also a small quantity of E-85 (85 % ethanol / 15 % gasoline) used Ethanol can be derived from different sources of biomass such as sugar cane molasses, beats, corn, sorghum, otatoesand others .On a world wide basis out of the total annual production of 33.3 Billion litres of Ethanol 68% is used as an automotive fuel, 21% is utilized for industrial purposes and the remaining 11% is

used for beverages. In India the entire production of Ethanol is used for industrial purposes and for producing beverages.

As a transportation fuel, ethanol can be used in the following ways:

1. As an additive to gasoline in USA typically using 10% ethanol ("gasohol"), in the EU max 5% and in Brazil normally 22%. 2. As a component of reformulated gasoline both directly and/or in the form of ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE). 3. Blended with 15 percent (or sometimes more) gasoline known as E85. 4. Mixed with ignition improvement additive to be used in diesel engines Adding ethanol to gasoline ("gasohol"), or as ETBE to reformulated gasoline does not require specially configured vehicles. Almost all existing vehicles will tolerate these fuels without problems and with likely advantageous emission benefits.

Infrastructure requirements :
Regarding transport and storage of ethanol, its property to absorb water has been an issue as well as problems with corrosion. Generally no special storage and dispensing equipment are required at ethanol refueling facilities, as dry ethanol is compatible with plain steel.

Ethanol will not be significantly degraded by small amounts of clean water, though the addition of water dilutes its value as a fuel. Partly for this reason the primary use of ethanol in the transportation sector is expected to be as a fuel additive to conventional fuels. Fuel dispensers must have appropriate elastomers for ethanol and must not use plain aluminum components.

Methanol :
Methanol sometimes called wood alcohol) can be made from various biomass resources like wood), as well as from coal. However, today nearly all methanol is made from natural gas, because it is cheaper. Methanol is also very poisonous and very harmful if swallowed. Methanol must not be confused with ethanol . As with gasoline, it is also swallowed.As with gasoline, it is also wise to avoid skin contact with methanol, as it can pass through the skin.

Alcohol-fueled vehicles :
Methanol is safer in case of accidental fire than gasoline, because it burns cooler. One problem is that the flame from a methanol fire is difficult to see in bright sunlight. Sometimes accidental fires are not detected immediately, because the fire is hard to see. Methanol contains about half the energy of gasoline per gallon. Lower energy per gallon means fewer miles per gallon of fuel, not less power. The decrease in range with methanol is not a problem for racing cars though, since all of the cars are using exactly the same fuel. Methanol can be used as an alternative fuel in flexible fuel vehicles that run on M85 (a blend of 85% methanol and 15% gasoline). However, it is not commonly used because automakers are no longer supplying methanol-powered vehicles.Methanol can be used to make methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), an oxygenate which is blended with gasoline to enhance octane and create cleaner burning fuel. MTBE production and use has declined because it has been found to contaminate ground water. In the future, methanol could possibly be the fuel of choice for providing the hydrogen necessary to power fuel cell vehicles.

Flexible Fuel Vechilles:

Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) are specially designed vehicles that can operate on alcohol, gasoline or any combination of the two. Although some vehicles run on pure alcohol, FFVs operate on alcohol blends for two main reasons. Adding a small amount of gasoline improves the engine starting in cold weather and improves flame visibility in daylight. The alcohols used in FFVs are

E85 or M85. FFVs are specially designed to tolerate the corrosive nature of alcohols. FFVs can run on gasoline when needed. The amount of energy in alcohol fuels is different than gasoline. The lower energy content of these fuels will result in fewer miles per gallon or a shorter driving range. Still, with larger fuel tanks, FFVs often have driving ranges equivalent to conventional gasoline cars.

Natural Gas :
Natural gas is a gas which occurs like air. It is available in several forms like compressed natural gas(CNG),liquified natural gas(LNG). 95% of it has methane and 5% includes propane,butane,ethane and other gases. Methane is hydrocarbon its molecules are made up of carbon atoms and hydrogen. Its simple, one carbon, molecular structure (CH4) makes possible its nearly complete combustion.

Cars Honda civic CGX and Ford Crown Victoria operated on CNG. Because of its clean burning nature automakers are developing to run vehicles on it. Cars,buses,trucks use natural gas that is compressed and stored in high pressure cylinders. Some vehicles can run on natural gas only and others can run on natural gas or gasoline called Bi-fuel vehicles. A bi-fuel vehicle has two separate fuel systems, with the capability to easily switch from one to the other. It is found to be one of the most environmentally friendly fuels and its popularity is increasing.

Hydrogen :
Proponents of a hydrogen economy think hydrogen could hold the key to ongoing energy demands. Relatively new technologies (such as fuel cells) can be used to efficiently harness the chemical energy stored in diatomic hydrogen (H 2). However, there is no accessible natural reserve of uncombined hydrogen, since what little there is resides in Earth's outer atmosphere (exosphere). Hydrogen for use as fuel must first be produced using another energy source; hydrogen would thus actually be a means to transport energy, rather than an energy source, just as common rechargeable batteries are. One existing method of hydrogen production is steam methane reformation; however, the most common source of methane is natural gas, which is in short supply.

Another method of hydrogen production is through electrolysis of water which uses electricity generated from any source, or a combination of fossil fuels, nuclear, and/or renewable energy sources. Biomass or coal gasification, photoelectrolysis, and genetically modified organisms have also been proposed as means to produce hydrogen.Hydrogen has been used effectively in a number of internal combustion engine vehicles as pure hydrogen mixed with natural gas. In addition, hydrogen is used in a growing number of demonstration fuel cell vehicles. Hydrogen and oxygen from air fed into a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell "stack" produce enough electricity to power an electric automobile, without producing harmful emissions. Hydrogen also can be used in modified internal-combustion engines with essentially pollution-free emissions. It can be produced in two basic ways: first, by steam reformation of natural gas or other hydrocarbon fuels, including coal and biomass fuels from agricultural feed stocks or waste materials; and second, by electrolysis, using electricity supplied by a wide variety of sources, including renewable fuel sources. While electrolysis is ideal, it's not economically competitive at this time. NASA uses hydrogen fuel to launch the space shuttles. Credit: NASA Hydrogen will play an important role in developing sustainable transportation, because in the future it may be produced in virtually unlimited quantities using renewable resources.

Drawbacks:
According to the majority of energy experts and researchers, hydrogen is currently impractical as an alternative to fossil-based liquid fuels. It is inefficient to produce, has low energy density (hydrogen gas tanks would need to be 2-3 times as large as conventional gasoline tanks), and is expensive to transport and convert back to electricity. Also hydrogen fuel cells are still prohibitively expensive as a prime mover of transportation. However, theoretically it is more efficient to burn fossil fuels to produce hydrogen than burning oil directly in car engines (due to efficiencies of scale). Unfortunately, this does not take into consideration the significant energy cost of having to build hundreds of millions of new hydrogen powered vehicles plus hydrogen fuel distribution infrastructure. Research on the feasibility of hydrogen as a fuel is still underway, and the outcome is uncertain.A far more practical way to utilize hydrogen is to bond it with the nitrogen in the air to produce ammonia which can then be easily liquefied, transported and used (directly or indirectly) as a clean and renewable fuel.

Bio-Diesel:
Biodiesel (mono alkyl esters) is a cleaner-burning diesel fuel made from natural, renewable sources such as vegetable oils. Just like petroleum diesel, biodiesel operates in combustionignition engines.Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification whereby the glycerin is removed from the fat or vegetable oil. It is created from soybean or other vegetable oil or from used cooking oil (there are more than 4 billion gallons of waste cooking oil produced

annually in the U.S. ; enough to replace 10% of fuel expenditures). It can be made from almost any plant-derived oil. It decreases the solid carbon fraction of particulate matter (since the oxygen in biodiesel enables more complete combustion to CO2), eliminates the sulphate fraction (as there is no sulphur in the fuel). Therefore, biodiesel works well with new technologies such as catalysts (which reduces the soluble fraction of diesel particulate but not the solid carbon fraction),particulate traps, and exhaust gas recirculation (potentially longer engine life due to less carbon).

Salient features:
Biodiesel reduces carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide (one of the main causes of acid rain), hydrocarbons, benzene, and particulate matter. Increases Nox levels (unless biodiesel is made from used cooking oil). The biodiesel industry is looking for additives that would reduce Nox levels. Can be used in any diesel engine with little or no modification to the engine or the fuel system. Results in a slight drop in fuel economy. Can extend the life of diesel engines. Is biodegradable. Would create new jobs and increased income for farmers. Provides a domestic, renewable energy supply. Is safer to use than petroleum diesel - it has a flash point of 300 F (vs. 125 F for diesel). Can also be used as a fuel lubricity additive in diesel fuel.

Disadvantages:
We can't use B100 (100% biodiesel) because it is not suitable in low temp conditions. It needs special arrangement for transportation and storage. Emission of nitrogen oxides increases with increase in biodiesel blend. Durability of engines decreases with the use B100. The major disadvantage is that the BioDiesel is a very viscous or thick fluid and the process of Transesterification reduces the viscosity of the fuel. The initial time delay and the initial cost involved is an effecting factor. It may take two to three years for the plantations setup to give yield. In cooler places, starting of the engines running on BioDiesel can pose a problem because freezing of waxes and gums takes place in oil. This can be over come by the process of simple heating.

Electricity :
As you all know now a days the demand for electric vehicles have increased rapidly because of high efficiency of the re-charged batteries. Most of the two wheelers and mopeds are manufactured which run on electricity.There are different applications of electricity in various fields of science and technology. One of the important energies is solar energy converted to electrical energy.

Solar Thermal Electricity:

Solar energy can also be used to make electricity. Some solar power plants, like the one in the picture to the right in California 's Mojave Desert , there are huge rows of solar mirrors arranged in what's called "solar thermal power plants" that use this idea to make

electricity for more than 350,000 homes. The problem with solar energy is that it works only when the sun is shining. So, on cloudy days and at night, the power plants can't create energy. Some solar plants are a "hybrid" technology. During the daytime they use the sun. At night and on cloudy days they burn natural gas to boil the water so they can continue to make electricity. Sunlight is reflected off 1,800 mirrors circling the tall tower. The mirrors are called heliostats and move and turn to face the sun all day long.

Solar Cells or Photovoltaic Energy :

We can also change the sunlight directly to electricity using solar cells. Solar cells are also called photovoltaic cells - or PV cells for short - and can be found on many smallappliances, like calculators, and even on spacecraft. They were first developed in the 1950s for use on U.S. space satellites. They are made of silicon, a special type of melted sand. These individual solar cells are arranged together in a PV module and the modules are grouped together in an array. Some of the arrays are set on special tracking devices to

follow sunlight all day long. The electrical energy from solar cells can then be used directly. It can be used in a home for lights and appliances. It can be used in a business. Solar energy can be stored in batteries to light a roadside billboard at night. Or the energy can be stored in a battery for an emergency roadside cellular telephone when no telephone wires are around. Some experimental cars also use PV cells. They convert sunlight directly into energy to power electric motors on the car. Here's a picture of solar panels extending out from a satellite.

Solar Power Satellites :

One suggestion for energy in the future is to put huge solar power satellites into orbit around the earth. They would collect solar energy from the sun, convert it to electricity and beam it to Earth as microwaves or some other form of transmission. The power would have no greenhouse gas emissions, but microwave beams might affect health adversely. And frequent rocket launches may harm the upper atmosphere. This idea may not be practical for another century; if at all. The picture on the right is an early and simple drawing of how a space solar power satellite would beam energy to electrical power grid on Earth.

Conclusion:
By using these alternate fuels we can overcome problems like pollution, global warming etc. We can also eliminate the problem of becoming reliant on burning fossil fuels. Unlike fossil fuels they are renewable they can be produced as per our needs. So the only alternate solution to overcome problems from oil based fuels are, alternate fuels. But it is still far from reality because of economy constraints, more research has to be done. The Alternative fuel that can give the solution when the supply of gasoline is exhausted is Ethanol. This is the only fuel that can give the solution for many of the problems of the present day that we are facing due to the fossil fuels.

Reference:
www.howstuffworks.com/fuel-cell.htm www.edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/renew/fuelcell.htm Fuel Cell Technology Handbook by Gregor Hoogers www.dieselnet.com Ganeshan.V, Tata Mcgraw Hill publications. www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/current.shtml www.eere.energy.gov/afdc