INVESTIGATION OF PHYSICAL-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF MISCANTHUS FOR THE PRODUKTION OF SYNTHETIC DIESEL FUEL

Abstract

While searching for alternative energy sources, investigations of physical-mechanical  properties  of  raw  materials  prepared  for  synthetic  diesel  fuel  produc-tion, are of highly topical. These properties are important in the preparation of the raw  material  and  its  transportation.  These  properties  have  significant  influence  to raw material preparation, storage, transportation logistics, conversion technologies

and equipment selection and operation. 

In this paper are presented research results of physical-mechanical properties of elephant grass (Miscanthus), prepared for synthetic diesel fuel production. There are  determined  physical-mechanical  properties  of  chopped  and  milled  elephant grass (flowing corners and a dynamic frictional coefficient).

Flow angles of investigated raw materials for synthetic diesel production dif-fered  slightly.  With  the  increasing  elephant  grass  chaff  load  and  velocity,  the  dy-namic  frictional  coefficient  and  slope  angle  decreases  respectively.  While  increa-sing of grown in Lithuania, chopped by drum chopper, dried and milled by the mill elephant grass mass load from 1 to 31 N, when the movement speed velocity was of 0,022 m s-1, the dynamic friction coefficient of sliding along the wooden surface decreases from 0,969 to 0,512, plastic surface – from 0,482 to 0,317, metal surfa-ce – from 0,506 to 0,274.

While  increasing  of  grown  in  Lithuania,  chopped  by  drum  chopper,  dried and  milled  by  the  mill  elephant  grass  movement  speed  velocity  from  0,022  to 0,081 m s-1, when chaff load was of 31 N, the dynamic frictional coefficient of sli-ding  along  the  wooden  surface  decreased  from  0,512  to  0,488,  plastic  surface  – from 0,317 to 0,293, metal surface – from 0,274 to 0,265.