CFD Performance Analysis of a Spark Ignition Engine Fueled by Landfill Gas

Landfill gas (LFG) that is generated in an anaerobic environment in landfills and consists primarily of methane and carbondioxide with small amount of nitrogen and other non-methane gases, could be collected and used to produce energy either by extracting methane or using the landfill gas directly in an internal combustion engine or a gas turbine. It amounts to be a net-negative greenhouse gas emission process. Carbondioxide component of LFG dilutes the fuel and absorbs some of the heat of combustion, causing reduced flame temperature that decreases NOx emissions and also suppresses knock. A model was developed and validated with the experimental data available in literature, using the computation fluid dynamic (CFD) code, KIVA-4. Various engine performance parameters at various operating conditions were evaluated and the benefits of methane purification and or direct use of LFG as a fuel in the engine scenarios were compared. It was found that landfill gas used directly at higher compression ratios can be used for pure methane fuel with higher fuel efficiency than can be achieved using pure methane fuel only.