During the recent decades there have been substantial researches aimed to produce non-nuclear power systems for use in restricted fresh air supplies which has been identified by both the naval and the civilian communities. One particular class of power plant which has attracted a great deal of attention is the Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) systems.
The simplest of AIP systems is the Closed Cycle Diesel Engine (CCDE). A CCDE works like a regular Diesel engine, except that it uses synthetic atmosphere for the combustion of diesel fuel. The present work is established with the overall objectives to determine the performance of diesel engine operating on non-air mixtures compared with the normal air, and the effect of Argon on the combustion of Diesel engine. The test-rig with a single cylinder diesel engine was erected to evaluate the performance of the closed cycle diesel engine with Nitrogen or Argon as an inert gas balancing with CO2 with different percentages and constant 21% 02 by volume at different loads and constant speed. A computer simulation technique using single-zone model was used to predict the steady state performance for both closed cycle and normally aspirated diesel engine. The validation model has been used as a predictive tool for the study of Nitro-diesel closed
cycles. The deteriorating performance of the diesel engine when increasing the percentage of CO2 in the synthetic atmosphere is determined. Also the beneficial effects of using argon instead of nitrogen are analyzed.