Performance and Emissions of a Dual-Fuel Diesel-LPG Engine Operating at Low and Medium Loads

Rural areas in Burkina Faso suffer from very limited access to electricity. In 2024, the rural electrification rate was estimated at 10.2%, compared to 87.8% in urban areas, for an overall national rate of 34.2%. Electricity generation using stationary diesel engines is a viable solution to address this disparity. Decentralized power generation facilities continue to face operating costs associated with diesel fuel and environmental concerns. In this context, the use of gaseous fuels such as Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) or synthesis gas as the primary fuel in dual-fuel diesel engines could significantly mitigate this limitation. The objective of this study is to evaluate the overall performance and emissions of a Lister Petter diesel engine operating in dual-fuel mode at low and medium loads. The engine operated on diesel-LPG at a constant speed of 1,500 rpm under partial load. Specific fuel consumption in dual-fuel mode increased by 0.04 kg/kWh at low load compared to that of pure diesel, resulting in a maximum decrease in overall efficiency of approximately 2%. The two engine operating modes have comparable CO 2 emissions. However, the diesel-LPG mode emits more CO and reduces NOx concentrations in the exhaust gases by an additional 25%. A maximum decrease of 60°C in the temperature of the exhaust gases was observed at medium load.