A Hardware/software driven Instrumentation System for a Bio-Fuel Reactor to qualify bio-fuels.

Quick Links on this page:

1. Background to this system
2. About the System
3. Details

Background to this project

Ideas Unlimited developed a Customized Real-Time Data Logging and graphical analysis software for NIE-CREST (Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies situated at The National Institute of Engineering, Mananthawadi Road, Mysore). NIE-CREST has their own website detailing all their activities at this URL: www.niecrest.in

About the system

The concept was envisaged by NIE-CREST, Mysore who are doing good amount of research on bio-fuels and their qualification and grading. The necessary software and hardware for making such a system was developed by Ideas Unlimited, Mysore. This setup is used to test bio-fuels for oxidation for several tens of hour continuously and then grade the fuel under test.

The system is basically a P-T (Pressure-Temperature) monitoring system (Logging data, Display of data in a Real-Time Graph) with a built-in control system to maintain temperature at Set-Point.

The system consists of:

1. A Bio-fuel reactor at NIE-CREST - which contains the Bio-Fuel/Bio-Diesel to be graded in it, maintained at certain pressure at the time of commencement of test.
2. A custom built hardware device by Ideas Unlimited, that logs data continuously from two sensors in the Bio-Fuel rector - A Temperature and Pressure Sensor.
3. Software on PC that does following:
   1. Has a software driven control system that maintains temperature of the Bio-Fuel Reactor at a Set Point.
   2. Logs data acquired from the hardware in Excel or Text format.
   3. Visually displays in real time the Temperature and Pressure Plots.
   4. Any situation arising of excessive pressure or temperature the system shuts down and looks after safety as well.
4. All parameters can be calibrated and controlled in this Hardware and Software System developed by Ideas Unlimited for NIE-CREST.

Details:

Pictures below show details of the hardware and software of this data logging system.

Finished Hardware that is connected to the Bio-Fuel reactor.

Internals of the Data Acquisition hardware

Data getting logged by the software in Real time.

The In-built Temperature Controller maintains
temperature at set-point (100 Degrees Celcuis in this case)
and triggers heating on and off to consistently maintain temperature
stable and at the same point.

Temperature brought to 100 Degree celcius. Controller
maintains it at the same point. Meanwhile, pressure is
also logged from the system.

The data is logged for several days continuously whic helps in assessing the
oxidation rate of the bio-fuel under test in the reactor.
This data helps in qualifying the quality of a particular bio-fuel.