Jack's Blog

2009-08-26T06:40:00.002+01:00

We have now finished the main scope of the project and I’m now tying up the loose ends before I head to Goa at the weekend. Jon left for the UK on Tuesday so I am spending the week finishing the report and visiting local sights. We found a really secluded waterfall last week where you can swim and dive off rocks so I think I’ll go back there. Some friends from home are visiting and are being shown the sights and sounds of Phaltan too, that’ll be the local shop and the cricket field then!

The guys at ARTI are very happy with our results and although we didn’t achieve the target we set out for in terms of fuel saving I think we did the best we could. I am still a bit sceptical about the merit of the other reports that have suggested an 80% saving. There is defiantly scope for a project next year which I will hopefully be managing. I think it would involve designing and building a large (100 cubic metre) digester so that the engine can meet the demands of a village for a day, not just one hour.

I think after 2 months here I have come to appreciate the Indian way of life a lot more and I’m sort of beginning to understand how things work amongst the chaos and frustration! The people in Phaltan are really friendly and genuine and although I won’t miss the town that much, I think the friends that I have made and the faces that I recognise everyday will be missed. I am really looking forward to seeing a bit more of India in the coming weeks. I am hoping to explore the south a bit more then head to Darjeeling before visiting Nepal and returning home. I’ll keep updating the blog with pictures and (hopefully entertaining!) stories.

I’ll put a link to the report when it is finished if anyone is interested.

2009-08-09T11:53:00.001+01:00

We have now managed to establish a diesel saving of around 50% which is still quite a lot shy of the predicted 80%. In order to improve this further we have begun increasing the diameter of the pipe from the tank to the engine. Currently the pipe diameter is fairly narrow and I think the flow is being choked which limits the mass flow rate of the gas to the engine. We have tried applying pressure to the gas which does improve the mass flow rate and reduces the consumption rate however this is still limited by the narrow pipe (think of sucking a drink through a very thin straw). We have begun to install a larger pipe to the tank which will hope fully yield some good results in the coming week. Testing is getting a bit frustrating as well as we have to wait 2-3 days before there is enough high quality gas to use enough for one hours worth of testing!

We spent last weekend visiting a hill station called Mahableshwar about 130km away. Was nice to get a change of scenery although it was very cloudy and he views were mainly white outs! Visited Pune on Sunday and indulged in buying some cheap Levis and even sampled the delights of McDonalds! Also had a tour around placed called the Osho Ashram which is marketed as a plush meditation centre but is rumoured to be one big (and expensive) orgy! Mandatory HIV test on entry! Spent this weekend in Phaltan as we worked Saturday but we’re planning to visit some impressive caves next weekend near a city called Aurangabad in the North of the state.

2009-07-27T16:49:00.002+01:00

Having established a way of quantifying the diesel consumption of the engine, we have now begun to conduct a set of tests to measure how much the use of the biogas affects the engine performance. We are primarily concerned about the rate of the diesel consumption as this is the main driver behind the project. Results so far have suggested that we can produce a diesel consumption reduction of around 40% which is a lot less than then predicted value of 80%. I suspect that this is due to the quality of the gas we are using. Having spoken to people who have done similar projects, the best feedstock for the production of gas is human waste or abattoir waste due to its high energy content. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions then let us know! ARTI currently uses a starch solution as it is cleaner and easier to transport. I think this is something we will have to look into in the next few weeks or could be a project for next year. The rainy season is also a bad time for biogas production and 2 half hour runs of the engine uses the entire 5 cubic metre tank which takes 2 days, minimum, to refill with gas! Not sure if it’s particularly economically sustainable at the moment.

Life outside of work is fairly routine now and I am regularly going to the local gym although the low protein diet isn’t really complementing the long hours pumping iron! Went to the annual kite festival at the weekend where kids from all around the city make kites and try to cut the lines of others (if anyone has read or seen the kite-runner its like that). Lots of music and dancing too which was fun! We also stumbled on a film shooting at the local temple and I had my picture taken with a Indian movie mega-star, needless to say I had no idea who he was! Also had my hand painted with henna (not out of choice!) by a friend’s wife which shows my name in Marathi. Hopefully heading to a place in the mountains at the weekend if it isn’t too wet called Mahableshwar which is meant to be pretty cool.

A few photos from India

2009-07-24T17:23:00.002+01:00

Just thought I'd add a few photos of the some of the people I am working with (Imtyiaz and Polput) and the town where I am living (lots of cows!). Will give update of project soon.

Second week at work

2009-07-18T10:13:00.005+01:00

Just come to the end of the second week, having not really achieved what we set out to do. We have managed to get the engine running fairly smoothly on biogas with not much smoke being produced, indicating good combustion. This week we were mainly trying to figure out ways to measure the diesel consumption of the engine to see how this changes when the biogas is used. Accurately measuring diesel usage without running the engine for hours on end is very hard! Dip sticks are very in accurate as the tank is very shallow and very wide, emptying the tank takes about a day and the fuel gauge is, well like any other fuel gauge...shit. In the coming week we will try to devise a way of pumping the fuel from a separate tank where we can accurately measure the diesel level. On the bright side we made some manometers that are measuring the biogas flow quite accurately.

Feel like I have settled in well now and getting into a good routine. Cricket is featuring quite highly as we are trying to watch a lot of the ashes and I am trying to play nearly every morning before work. They use a solid rubber tennis ball which I'm still not quite used to yet! If India was more developed they'd easily have the best side in the world, everyone is pretty damn good. Digestive system is still a bit of an issue although gradually settling down, I'm sure you were worried!

First Week

2009-07-11T17:33:00.002+01:00

Have now been at work for a week having not got of to the best of starts! First day in the office I felt rough from something I had eaten the night before. I was up most of the night on the toilet and upon arriving at the office I bolted to the nearest loo to throw up. This sudden need to evacuate my stomach meant I had no time to remove my false tooth and so subsequently I had to remove it from the depths of an Indian plumbing system soon after! I spent the rest of the day in bed. I took the next day off to recover and then began work in earnest on Wednesday with minimal appetite. We managed to get a clear idea of the objectives of the project from one of the more senior engineers. Our main aim is to make a large diesel engine run mainly on biogas with clean combustion and minimal diesel consumption (80:20 gas to diesel ratio). Our tests mainly involve altering air and gas intakes and looking for smoke which indicates incomplete combustion. The following day I had my first ride on the back of a motorbike to get a part from the market which was pretty fun. I then managed to stab myself with a screw driver in the hand which prompted a barrage of various antiseptics and bandages from the office staff which seem to have worked so far! Also encountered a venomous snake in the engine bay whilst looking for a bolt which made sh*t myself and let out an unashamed girly scream! Managed to find a place to eat which shows the Ashes live so I expect they will get a vast majority of our cash in the coming weeks! Finished work for the week on Saturday, with good results so far, more testing to come next week. We are heading to Pune (the nearest large city) tomorrow for a bit of shopping and sightseeing.

2009-07-05T12:52:00.002+01:00

This is where John and I are living for the next couple of months. Its in the garden of the head honcho at the office. It comes fully equiped with a bunk bed, gas stove, toilet (western style!) a tap and a bucket. To be honest its a lot better than I imagined and we even have a security gaurd at night!

Played cricket today at 7am on an abandonded airfield. Stil trying to perfect the doosra but think I'll get it nailed by the end of my stay! Will hopefully be able to play thrice wekly which will be good. Had a wander around the market and it suddenly dorned on me that Jon and I are probably the only westerners in the city (50,00 people) and hence attracted lot of attention. Not sure if I like it but I'm going to have to get used to it! Start work tomorrow and then I think I'll be joning the local gym!

2009-07-03T08:39:00.002+01:00

Arrived in Phaltan yesterday after a long jouney from Mumbai. Got three days off before we start work so plenty of time to hopefully get the stomach used to the food! Early signs aren't looking good though! Met a guy who works at the Institue who is our mentor/taxi driver/cook, alsorts! Settled into our room which has a bunc bed and a desk, pics to come soon. Heat is pretty intense and apparently it doesnt rain much here compared to the rest of Indoa during monsson which is good. Off to find some lunch now, most of the food is spicy (even for India) so I hope I get used to it!

Intro

2009-06-29T14:36:00.001+01:00

Over the summer I will be working in India on a rural engineering project at a local NGO called ARTI (www.arti-india.org). This work was organised by the development charity ‘Engineers without Borders UK’ (EWB) www.ewb-uk.org. My work will involve the development of electricity generation in rural communities through the use of a biogas-digester and diesel engine. The aim of this project is to provide local people with cheaply produced power which will hopefully enable them to sustainably develop their local economy.

The aim of this blog is to keep you updated with the project and hopefully entertain you with some interesting pictures and stories! It will be updated on a regular basis throughout the project and will aim to give an insight as to the kind of work going on in development and engineering in India. If you want to get in touch feel free to email me at jacklewis1986@googlemail.com.

I am leaving on 1st July and graduate tomorrow so I better get back to packing!