Biodiesel is a promising non-toxic and biodegradable alternative fuel used in the transport sector. Nevertheless, the higher viscosity and density of biodiesel poses some acute problems when it is used it in unmodified engine. Taking this into consideration, this study has been focused towards two objectives. The first objective is to identify the effect of temperature on density and viscosity for a variety of biodiesels and also to develop a correlation between density and viscosity for these biodiesels. The second objective is to investigate and quantify the effects of density and viscosity of the biodiesels and their blends on various components of the engine fuel supply system such as fuel pump, fuel filters and fuel injector. To achieve first objective density and viscosity of rapeseed oil biodiesel, corn oil biodiesel and waste oil biodiesel blends (0B, 5B, 10B, 20B, 50B, 75B, and 100B) were tested at different temperatures using EN ISO 3675:1998 and EN ISO 3104:1996 standards. For both density and viscosity new correlations were developed and compared with published literature. A new correlation between biodiesel density and biodiesel viscosity was also developed. The second objective was achieved by using analytical models showing the effects of density and viscosity on the performance of fuel supply system. These effects were quantified over a wide range of engine operating conditions. It can be seen that the higher density and viscosity of biodiesel have a significant impact on the performance of fuel pumps and fuel filters as well as on air-fuel mixing behaviour of compression ignition (CI) engine.

Biodiesel is one of the alternative fuels which is renewable and environmentally friendly and can be used in diesel engines with little or no modifications. In the present study, experimental investigations were carried out on the effects of biodiesel types, biodiesel fraction and physical properties on the combustion and performance characteristics of a compression ignition (CI) engine. The experimental work was conducted on a four-cylinder, four -stroke, direct injection (DI) and turbocharged diesel engine by using biodiesel of waste oil, rapeseed oil and corn oil and normal diesel. Based on the measured parameters, detailed analyses were carried out on cylinder pressure, heat release rate and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC). It has been seen that the biodiesel types do not result in any significant differences in peak cylinder pressure and BSFC. The results also clearly indicate that the engine running with biodiesel have slightly higher in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate than the engine running with normal diesel. The BSFC for the engine running with neat biodiesel was higher than the engine running with normal diesel by up to 15%. It is also noticed that the physical properties of the biodiesel affects significantly the performance of the engine.

Biodiesel is one of the most promising renewable, alternative and environmentally friendly biofuels that can be used in diesel engine without any need for any modification in the engine. However, researchers have reported that the engines running with biodiesel emit NOx in higher concentrations. To address this problem, in the present study an experimental investigation has been carried out on the combustion, performance and emission characteristics of a compression ignition (CI) engine running with biodiesel under steady state conditions with a novel NOx reducing mechanism involving a water injections system. The experimental work has been conducted on a four-cylinder, fourstroke, direct injection (DI) as well as turbocharged diesel engine. In this investigation, biodiesel (produced from the rapeseed oil by transesterfication process) has been used.During the experiments the in-cylinder pressure, specific fuel consumption, water injection flow rate, fuel flow rate and exhaust emission (NOx, CO, CO 2 and THC) were measured. The experimental results clearly indicate that water injection at a rate of 3kg/h results in the reduction of NOx emission by about 50% without causing any significant change in the specific fuel consumption. Furthermore, the water injection in the intake manifold has little effect on the in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate of the CI engine under different operating conditions. 2

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This paper presents a novel technique for measuring the local axial, radial and azimuthal velocity components of the gas in bubbly gas–liquid flows using a local four-sensor conductance probe. A mathematical model is presented showing how the velocity vector of a gas bubble can be calculated from seven time intervals taken from the output signals from each of the four conductance sensors located within the probe. The paper goes on to describe the construction of a local four-sensor probe and the associated electronic measurement circuitry. Results are presented showing the distributions of the mean local axial, radial and azimuthal gas velocity components in vertical, bubbly gas–liquid flows, both with and without swirl. These results were obtained using the four-sensor probe in a vertical 80 mm diameter pipe into which a swirl generator could be installed. Additional results are presented showing the local gas volume fraction distribution, also obtained from the probe, in bubbly gas–liquid flows with and without swirl. It was found, as expected, that the presence of swirl caused a significant increase in the magnitude of the measured azimuthal velocity of the gas, particularly at the pipe walls. It was also found that, at a comparatively high water flow rate, the presence of swirl caused the gas bubbles to preferentially accumulate at the centre of the pipe.

Rapid depletion of energy resources has immensely affected the transportation sector, where the cargo transportation prices are rising considerably each year. Efforts have been made to develop newer modes of cargo transportation worldwide that are both economical and efficient for a long time. One such mode is the use of energy contained within fluids that flows in the pipelines for transportation of bulk solids. After appropriate modifications to these pipelines, bulk solids can be transported from one location to another very effectively. Solid material can be stored in cylindrical containers (commonly known as capsules), which can then be transported, either singly or in a train through the pipeline. Both the local flow characteristics and global performance parameters associated with such pipelines need careful investigation for economical and efficient system design. Published literature is severely limited in establishing the effects local flow features on system characteristics of Hydraulic Capsule Pipelines (HCPs). The present study focuses on using a well validated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool to numerically simulate the solid-liquid mixture flow in HCPs, installed both onshore and offshore , along-with the pipe bends. Local static pressure fields have been discussed in detail for a wide range of geometrical and flow related parameters associated with the capsules and the pipelines. Numerical predictions have been used to develop novel semi-empirical prediction models for pressure drop in HCPs, which have then been embedded into a pipeline optimisation methodology that is based on Least-Cost Principle. This novel optimisation methodology that has been developed for HCPs is both robust and user-friendly.

The scarcity of fossil fuels is affecting the efficiency of established modes of cargo transport within the transportation industry. Efforts have been made to develop innovative modes of transport that can be adopted for economic and environmental friendly operating systems. Solid material, for instance, can be packed in rectangular containers (commonly known as capsules), which can then be transported in different concentrations very effectively using the fluid energy in pipelines. For economical and efficient design of such systems, both the local flow characteristics and the global performance parameters need to be carefully investigated. Published literature is severely limited in establishing the effects of local flow features on system characteristics of Hydraulic Capsule Pipelines (HCPs). The present study focuses on using a well validated Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool to numerically simulate the solid-liquid mixture flow in both on-shore and off-shore HCPs applications including bends. Discrete Phase Modelling (DPM) has been employed to calculate the velocity of the rectangular capsules. Numerical predictions have been used to develop novel semi-empirical prediction models for pressure drop in HCPs, which have then been embedded into a robust and user-friendly pipeline optimisation methodology based on Least-Cost Principle.

10 Multistage severe service control valves are extensively used in various energy systems, such 11 as oil & gas, nuclear etc. The primary purpose of such valves is to control the amount of fluid 12 flow passing through them under extreme pressure changes. As opposed to the conventional 13 valves (butterfly, gate etc.), control valves are often installed in energy systems with 14 geometrically complex trims, comprising of various geometrical features, formed by a 15 complex arrangement of cylindrical arrays. The pressure within the trim varies in controlled 16 steps and hence, cavitation resistance can be embedded in the trim through improved design 17 process for the trim for severe service applications in energy systems. The flow 18 characteristics within a control valve are quite complex, owing to complex geometrical 19 features inherent in such designs, which makes it extremely difficult to isolate and quantify 20 contribution of these features on the flow characteristics. One of the most important design 21 parameters of such trims is the flow coefficient (also known as flow capacity) of the trim 22 which depends on the geometrical features of the trim. The design of valves for particular 23 performance envelop within the energy systems depends on effects of complex trim 24 geometrical features on performance characteristics; hence, the focus of recent research is on 25 quantifying the hydrodynamic behaviour of severe service control valves, including the trims. 26 This includes the estimation of the local flow capacity contributions of the geometrical 27 features of the trim through detailed numerical investigations. In this work, a tool has been 28 developed that can be used to predict the local contribution of geometrical features on the 29 flow coefficient of the trim. It is expected that this work will result in better performance of 30 the energy systems where these valves are used. 31 32 Capacity, Energy Systems 34 35 1.0 Introduction 36 Valves are an integral part of any piping network and are used in a variety of industries for 37 various process control applications. The design of valves is a specialist area and the 38 performance of valves is integral to the performance of the energy systems. The severe 39 service control vales typically have very complex flow paths and it is necessary to have 40 understanding of flow characteristics through the complex pathways to eliminate undesirable 41 effects such as vibrations, noise and cavitation in energy systems. The designs of such valves 42 are carried out with the help of well-known standards but many times undesirable local flow 43 effects cannot be eliminated through such designs. The standards are continuously updated to 44 incorporate state of the art knowledge into the design process through extensive experimental 45 and numerical research work carried out all over the world. Newer designs are continuously 46 * Corresponding Author Tel.: +44 1484 472323 1 only partially applicable. In such cases a thorough fluid dynamic analysis is necessary to 2...