Hifjur Raheman

Performance of a diesel engine with blends of biodiesel (from a mixture of oils) and high-speed diesel

A 10.3-kW single-cylinder water-cooled direct-injection diesel engine was evaluated using blends of biodiesel (B10 and B20) obtained from a mixture of mahua and simarouba oils (50:50) with high-speed diesel (HSD) in terms of brake specific fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency, and exhaust gas temperature and emissions such as CO, HC, and NOx. Based on performance and emissions, blend B10 was selected for long-term use. Experiments were also conducted to assess soot deposits on engine components, such as cylinder head, piston crown, and fuel injector tip, and addition of wear metal in the lubricating oil of diesel engine when operated with the biodiesel blend (B10) for 100 h. The amount of soot deposits on the engine components was found to be, on average, 21% lesser for B10-fueled engine as compared with HSD-fueled engine due to better combustion. The addition of wear metals such as copper, zinc, iron, nickel, lead, magnesium, and aluminum, except for manganese, in the lubricating oil of B10-fueled engine after 100 h of engine operation was found to be 11% to 50% lesser than those of the HSD-fueled engine due to additional lubricity.

Volume of Vermicompost-Based Potting Mix for Vegetable Transplants Determined Using Fuzzy Biomass Growth Index

Good quality transplants are necessary so that plants will survive and produce at acceptable levels. The efficacy of vermicompost for vegetable transplant development needs to be clarified. An investigation was conducted to identify the mix and volume of vermicompost-based potting mixes required for production of good quality transplants of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), eggplant (S. melongena L.), and chili pepper (Capsicum frutenscens L.) in paper pots. Five levels of potting mix made of vermicompost:sand:topsoil with the vermicompost proportion ranging from 20% to 50% were used. Paper pots made of 50 g·m−2 recycled newspaper with volumes of 51, 65, 81 and 100 cc were tested. Transplant quality was evaluated using a fuzzy logic based biomass growth index (BGI). The performance of the BGI and root:shoot ratio representing morphology of seedlings just prior to transplanting was compared. Seedlings could be better categorized using BGI than the root:shoot ratio. Paper pots of 65 cc in volume filled with a mix of 25% vermicompost, 100 cc in volume filled with a mix of 50% vermicompost, and 81 cc in volume filled with a mix of 33% vermicompost, in combination with equal parts of sand and top soil were most suitable for production of good quality transplants of tomato, eggplant, and chili pepper, respectively.

Vegetable Transplanters for Use in Developing Countries—A Review

ABSTRACT Developing countries contribute 72% of the total vegetable production in the world. The transplanting operation is one of the most labor intensive in vegetable production. It is largely done by hand in India and most developing countries and incurs large investments in labor, time, and cost. This article presents the details of construction of vegetable transplanters in addition to recent advances in their development. Performance of transplanters under actual field conditions is discussed.

DRAG COEFFICIENTS OF AGRICULTURAL GRAINS IN VERTICAL PNEUMATIC CONVEYING

A study was made of drag coefficients in vertical pneumatic conveying of agricultural grains. From experiments conducted on rough rice and milled rice, it was found that the values of drag coefficient computed using the basic relationship for slip velocity of a single particle in an air stream were closely related to the solid flow rate per unit cross–sectional area of the conveying pipe and solid–to–air ratio. Generalized equations were developed for estimation of drag coefficient in terms of particle equivalent diameter, solid flow rate per unit cross–sectional area of pipe, and solid–to–air ratio. The equations were also verified for another agricultural grain, namely corn. The closeness between experimental and predicted values validated the equations for general use for grain particles ranging in size approximately from 3– to 7–mm mean diameter.

SOLID VELOCITY ESTIMATION IN VERTICAL PNEUMATIC CONVEYING OF AGRICULTURAL GRAINS

An indirect method has been developed to estimate solid velocity in the vertical pneumatic conveying of agricultural grains. Experiments on vertical pneumatic conveying of rough rice, milled rice, and soybean indicated that solid velocity is a function of air velocity, solid flow rate, solid–to–air ratio, and grain equivalent diameter. An empirical equation has been developed to predict dispersed solids density, i.e. concentration of solids in pneumatic conveying. Knowing the solid flow rate and dispersed solids density, solid velocity was calculated. The method used for determining the solid velocity was validated based on the hypothesis that the average solid velocity is equal to zero when the limiting value of the air velocity is equal to the terminal velocity of the grains. The applicability of the developed relationships for estimating the solid velocity was verified for other agricultural grains like corn and mungbean.

IDENTIFICATION OF OPTIMUM COMBINATION OF PROPORTION OF VERMICOMPOST IN THE SOIL-BASED POTTING MIX AND POT VOLUME FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PAPER POT SEEDLINGS OF VEGETABLES

An investigation was conducted to identify the best combination of proportion of vermicompost in soil-based potting mix and pot volume for the production of paper pot seedlings suitable for mechanical transplanting. The best combination of the potting mix and pot volume is the one that produces seedlings with high growth of root and shoot biomasses at the end of seedling stage, low in cost and light in weight. Cubical shaped paper pots of 50 cm3 volume filled with potting mix of 25% vermicompost and 75% soil and sand in equal proportion by volume was found to be best for the large scale production of paper pot seedlings of tomato, eggplant, and chili peppers. The paper pots were found to be firm at the end of seedling stage and variations in their dimensions could be accommodated in fully automatic transplanters with horizontal chain conveyor type seedling feeding and metering devices.

Standardization of Potting Mix and Pot Volume for the Production of Vegetable Seedlings in Paper Pot

Effect of four different proportions of farmyard manure (FYM) in a soil based mix and three different pot volumes on growth of tomato, eggplant and chili peppers in paper pots were studied. Recycled newspaper (density 50 g m−2) was used to prepare pots of volume 45, 82, and 126 cm3. Potting mixes made up of FYM, sand and soil with the FYM proportion ranging from 20% to 80% in equal proportion of sand and top soil were used. Seedling height and dry weight were measured at the end of the seedling stage. The best combination of potting mix and pot volume for the large scale production of seedlings was identified using non-dominated sorting technique. Paper pots of volume 82 cm3 filled with a mix of 80% FYM and rest 20% with equal proportions of sand and top soil were found to be the best option for the large scale production of paper pot seedlings.

Bio-electricity Generation using Jatropha Oil Seed Cake

BACKGROUND The review of patents reveals that Handling of Jatropha seed cake after extraction of oil is essential as it contains toxic materials which create environmental pollution. METHODS The goal of this work is complete utilisation of Jatropha seeds. For this purpose, Jatropha oil was used for producing biodiesel and the byproduct Jatropha seed cake was gasified to obtain producer gas. Both biodiesel and producer gas were used to generate electricity. To achieve this, a system comprising gasifier, briquetting machine, diesel engine and generator was developed. RESULTS Biodiesel was produced successfully using the method patented for biodiesel production and briquettes of Jatropha seed cake were made using a vertical extruding machine. Producer gas was obtained by gasifying these briquettes in a downdraft gasifier. A diesel engine was then run in dual fuel mode with biodiesel and producer gas instead of only diesel. Electricity was generated by coupling it to a generator. CONCLUSION The cost of producing kilowatthour of electricity with biodiesel and diesel in dual fuel mode with producer gas was found to be 0.84

Detection of flow of seeds in the seed delivery tube and choking of boot of a seed drill

and 0.75

Investigations on Biodiesel Blend as a Substitute Fuel for Diesel

, respectively as compared to 0.69