Solar Power Operated Adulterated Fuel Filtration and Moisture Detection System

Author

K. Swathi, P. Sravani, Y. Tanuja, Dr. Sthita Prajna Mishra

Abstract

Fuel contaminated with water, dust, or other foreign matter degrades engine performance, fuel economy, and component life, yet conventional fuel filters retain only suspended particles and give no indication of water in the fuel. This paper presents the design and implementation of a solar power operated prototype that combines preliminary moisture detection with physical fuel filtration. A 20 V, 50 W photovoltaic panel charges a 24 V, 15 Ah lithium-ion battery through a solar charge controller, and an LM2596 buck converter supplies the low-voltage electronics. An Arduino Uno reads a water-in-fuel (WIF) sensor and drives red and green LED indicators and a 16×2 LCD that report whether water has been detected, while a 24 V DC fuel pump moves fuel through an inline filter that retains suspended solid impurities. Moisture detection and filtration are treated as separate functions: the WIF sensor indicates water contamination only, and the system is not intended to identify chemical adulterants. 

Keywords

Arduino, fuel adulteration, fuel filtration, moisture detection, solar photovoltaic, water contamination, water-in-fuel sensor.

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References

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