Low heating value gas on spark ignition engines

The performance of a spark ignition engine using low heating value (LHV) gas generated in a fixed bed downdraft (co-current) gasifier, using agricultural and forestry residues was measured on a dynamometer test bench. The parameters measured include torque, power output, emissions measurement, exhaust gas temperature for both operation on gasoline and LHV gas. Improvements in hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions were obtained and the engine suffered less thermal stress under LHV gas operation. The power loss was relatively low, though the experimental arrangement restricted the power output at high throughputs of gas.