The system uses unrefined vegetable oil to generate electricity in the home

A team of researchers led by Newcastle University has successfully built an all-in-one prototype cooling, heating, and power system powered by untreated vegetable oil called Biofuel Micro Trigeneration (BMT ). Full is the first system designed for indoor use and can be scaled up for larger commercial and industrial applications.

BMT can use many unrefined vegetable oils such as sunflower oil, canola, sesame oil and ginseng. With a diesel engine that has been engineered using vegetable oil, BMT works synergistically between a hybrid power supply and a data acquisition and control system to provide stable power.

Due to the use of unrefined oil, waste products and energy used to convert plant ingredients into oil are minimized. The heat emitted from the engine is restored and used for heating, heating and operating the refrigerator to absorb diffused ammonia-water. The system also achieves optimum fuel efficiency by storing energy at times of low power demand and ensuring the engine is operated to its fullest in the shortest time thanks to an electronic adjustment system.

According to the explanation of Professor Tony Roskilly of Newcastle University: "The challenge is how to design a system that can both meet the heat needs and provide the power for a small house. Our solution is to integrate advanced power storage technology into the system with batteries and supercapacitors, combining an improved control system to manage " .

BMT systems are not really new at large-scale factories or factories, but this is the first time such a system has proven effective for small-scale use and especially for oil. Refined as fuel. By using an intelligent control process that combines energy storage, recovery of waste heat and efficient cooling, the team believes that a small-scale BMT system can meet the demand for electrical energy. usually in households.

According to the research team, the system will be a suitable solution for developing countries. They are also investigating what type of oil is most ideal for use as fuel and, most importantly, which region lacks industrial oil treatment plants to deploy the system. In addition, the group also wants to ensure that the biofuels used for the system will not affect local food crops.

"We want to avoid using biodiesel or high-grade processed fuels from raw fuels. Instead, we develop a system to use oil obtained from crops like oil. These plants can be grown in harsh environments and on poor nutrient soils, so they are suitable for fuel in developing countries. "The impact will not affect food crops. The potential demand for technology in these countries is huge."

The small-scale prototype of the BMT system can provide between 6 and 9kW of electricity, enough to light and operate at the same time household electrical appliances such as TVs, refrigerators / freezers, kettles, microwaves. waves, vacuum cleaners, washing machines and dishwashers.

In addition to household applications, the research team also seeks to use the system for small farms in developing countries to cool and process food to minimize losses after collection. planning. Currently, they are considering the long-term performance of the system when using crude vegetable oil and have begun contacting manufacturers to commercialize the design.

It is known that the aforementioned BMT system was developed under a three-and-a-half-year project funded by the Scientific and Technical Scientific Research Council (EPSRC) through the energy program of British research councils. National (RCUK). Participating in the development of the system are researchers from Leeds University, Ulster University and three other universities in China.

Reference: epsrc