Experimental investigation concerning the effect of natural gas percentage on performance and emissions of a DI dual fuel diesel engine

During the last years a great effort has been made to reduce pollutant emissions from direct injection (DI) diesel engines. Towards this, engineers have proposed various solutions, one of which is the use of gaseous fuels as a supplement for liquid diesel fuel. These engines, which use conventional diesel fuel and gaseous fuel, are referred to as dual fuel engines. The main aspiration from the usage of dual fuel (liquid and gaseous one) combustion systems is mainly to reduce particulate emissions and nitrogen oxides.One of the gaseous fuels used is natural gas, which has a relatively high auto ignition temperature and moreover is an economical and clean burning fuel. The high auto ignition temperature of natural gas is a serious advantage against other gaseous fuels since the compression ratio of most conventional DI diesel engines can be maintained. Moreover the combustion of natural gas produces practically no particulates since natural gas contains less dissolved impurities (e.g. sulfur compounds).The present contribution is mainly concerned, with an experimental investigation of the characteristics of dual fuel operation when liquid diesel is partially replaced with natural gas under ambient intake temperature in a DI diesel engine. Results are given revealing the effect of liquid fuel percentage replacement by natural gas on engine performance and emissions.     

双燃料发动机燃烧放热规律分析及燃烧特性研究

从热力学和内燃机燃烧的基本理论入手 ,推导了计算分析双燃料发动机缸内工质成分和热力学参数的计算关系式以及求解双燃料发动机燃烧放热规律的微分方程式 ,基于面向对象技术开发了双燃料发动机燃烧放热规律计算软件。研究结果表明 :用传统柴油机分析方法计算双燃料发动机的放热率峰值偏小 ,所计算的缸内工质平均温度偏高 ,新模型计算的结果与实际情况更为吻合。该分析软件可以适用于多种燃料发动机 ,是内燃机燃烧放热规律的通用计算软件。双燃料发动机燃烧特性研究表明 :双燃料发动机初始放热率比纯柴油大 ,若着火始点在上止点后 ,双燃料缸内最大爆发压力比纯柴油低 ,否则比纯柴油高 ;控制双燃料发动机着火始点是控制缸内最大爆发压力和 NOx 排放的关键 ,双燃料发动机着火始点应在上止点后 ,可以使发动机爆发压力和 NOx 排放比纯柴油低。     

Pressure–time characteristics in diesel engine fueled with natural gas

Combustion pressure data are measured and presented for a dual fuel engine running on dual fuel of diesel and compressed natural gas, and compared to the diesel engine case. The maximum pressure rise rate during combustion is presented as a measure of combustion noise. Experimental investigation on diesel and dual fuel engines revealed the noise generated from combustion in both cases. A Ricardo E6 diesel version engine is converted to run on dual fuel of diesel and compressed natural gas and is used throughout the work. The engine is fully computerized and the cylinder pressure data, crank angle data are stored in a PC for off-line analysis. The effect of engine speeds, loads, pilot injection angle, and pilot fuel quantity on combustion noise is examined for both diesel and dual engine. Maximum pressure rise rate and some samples of ensemble averaged pressure–crank angle data are presented in the present work. The combustion noise, generally, is found to increase for the dual fuel engine case as compared to the diesel engine case.     

A review of hydrogen as a compression ignition engine fuel

Diesel fuelled engines emit higher levels of carbon dioxide and other harmful air pollutants (such as noxious gases and particulates) per litre of fuel than gasoline engines. This fact, combined with the recent diesel emission scandal and the rumours of more widespread cheating by automotive manufacturers have initiated a long discussion about the future and sustainability of diesel engines.Improving the compression ignition engine is a direct way of going green. Reducing the harmful emissions can be achieved by future developments in the engine technology but also the implementation of alternative fuels. Hydrogen is a renewable, high-efficient and clean fuel that can potentially save the future of diesel-type engines. The evolution of high-efficiency renewable hydrogen production methods is the most important path for the start of a new hydrogen era for the compression ignition engine that can improve its sustainability and maximum efficiency.This paper provides a detailed overview of hydrogen as a fuel for compression ignition engines. A comprehensive review of the past and recent research activities on the topic is documented. The review focuses on the in-cylinder combustion of hydrogen either as a primary fuel or in dual fuel operation. The effects of injection strategies, compression ratio and exhaust gas recirculation on the combustion and emission characteristics of the hydrogen fuelled engine are fully analysed. The main limitations, challenges and perspectives are presented.     

Application of exhaust gas fuel reforming in diesel and homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines fuelled with biofuels

This paper documents the application of exhaust gas fuel reforming of two alternative fuels, biodiesel and bioethanol, in internal combustion engines. The exhaust gas fuel reforming process is a method of on-board production of hydrogen-rich gas by catalytic reaction of fuel and engine exhaust gas. The benefits of exhaust gas fuel reforming have been demonstrated by adding simulated reformed gas to a diesel engine fuelled by a mixture of 50% ultra low sulphur diesel (ULSD) and 50% rapeseed methyl ester (RME) as well as to a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine fuelled by bioethanol. In the case of the biodiesel fuelled engine, a reduction of NO_x emissions was achieved without considerable smoke increase. In the case of the bioethanol fuelled HCCI engine, the engine tolerance to exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) was extended and hence the typically high pressure rise rates of HCCI engines, associated with intense combustion noise, were reduced.     

双燃料发动机的燃烧模型

针对双燃料发动机燃烧特性，建立了柴油喷雾扩散燃烧子模型和气体燃烧均质混合气火焰传播燃烧子模型，应用该模型研究了双燃料发动机燃烧机理，计算结果和实验结果相当吻合。计算表明：当引燃柴油比例较大时，双燃料发动机燃烧过程以喷雾混合控制燃烧为主，柴油喷雾扩散燃烧模型与实测较吻合；当柴油比例较小时，该过程以均质混合气火焰传播燃烧为主，均质混合气火焰传播燃烧模型与实测软吻合。计算结果表明，引燃柴油量对双燃料发动机性能影响较大，引燃柴油减少，着火滞燃期延长，缸内最大爆发压力升高。     

Energy efficiency improvement strategies for a diesel engine in low‐temperature combustion

The lowered combustion temperature in diesel engines is capable of reducing nitrogen oxides and soot simultaneously, which can be implemented by the heavy use of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) or the homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) type of combustion. However, the fuel efficiency of the low‐temperature combustion (LTC) cycles is commonly compromised by the high levels of hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions. More seriously, the scheduling of fuel delivery in HCCI engines has lesser leverage on the exact timing of auto‐ignition that may even occur before the compression stroke is completed, which may cause excessive efficiency reduction and combustion roughness. New LTC control strategies have been explored experimentally to achieve ultralow emissions under independently controlled EGR, intake boost, exhaust backpressure, and multi‐event fuel‐injection events. Empirical comparisons have been made between the fuel efficiencies of LTC and conventional diesel cycles. Preliminary adaptive control strategies based on cylinder pressure characteristics have been implemented to enable and stabilize the LTC when heavy EGR is applied. The impact of heat‐release phasing, duration, shaping, and splitting on the thermal efficiency has also been analyzed with engine cycle simulations. This research intends to identify the major parameters that affect diesel LTC engine thermal efficiency. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of engine parameters and type of gaseous fuel on the performance of dual-fuel gas diesel engines—A critical review

Petroleum resources are finite and, therefore, search for their alternative non-petroleum fuels for internal combustion engines is continuing all over the world. Moreover gases emitted by petroleum fuel driven vehicles have an adverse effect on the environment and human health. There is universal acceptance of the need to reduce such emissions. Towards this, scientists have proposed various solutions for diesel engines, one of which is the use of gaseous fuels as a supplement for liquid diesel fuel. These engines, which use conventional diesel fuel and gaseous fuel, are referred to as ‘dual-fuel engines’. Natural gas and bio-derived gas appear more attractive alternative fuels for dual-fuel engines in view of their friendly environmental nature. In the gas-fumigated dual-fuel engine, the primary fuel is mixed outside the cylinder before it is inducted into the cylinder. A pilot quantity of liquid fuel is injected towards the end of the compression stroke to initiate combustion. When considering a gaseous fuel for use in existing diesel engines, a number of issues which include, the effects of engine operating and design parameters, and type of gaseous fuel, on the performance of the dual-fuel engines, are important. This paper reviews the research on above issues carried out by various scientists in different diesel engines. This paper touches upon performance, combustion and emission characteristics of dual-fuel engines which use natural gas, biogas, producer gas, methane, liquefied petroleum gas, propane, etc. as gaseous fuel. It reveals that ‘dual-fuel concept’ is a promising technique for controlling both NO_x and soot emissions even on existing diesel engine. But, HC, CO emissions and ‘bsfc’ are higher for part load gas diesel engine operations. Thermal efficiency of dual-fuel engines improve either with increased engine speed, or with advanced injection timings, or with increased amount of pilot fuel. The ignition characteristics of the gaseous fuels need more research for a long-term use in a dual-fuel engine. It is found that, the selection of engine operating and design parameters play a vital role in minimizing the performance divergences between an existing diesel engine and a ‘gas diesel engine’.     

Combustion performance and emission reduction characteristics of automotive DME engine system

This article is a condensed overview of a dimethyl ether (DME) fuel application for a compression ignition diesel engine. In this review article, the spray, atomization, combustion and exhaust emissions characteristics from a DME-fueled engine are described, as well as the fundamental fuel properties including the vapor pressure, kinematic viscosity, cetane number, and the bulk modulus. DME fuel exists as gas phase at atmospheric state and it must be pressurized to supply the liquid DME to fuel injection system. In addition, DME-fueled engine needs the modification of fuel supply and injection system because the low viscosity of DME caused the leakage. Different fuel properties such as low density, viscosity and higher vapor pressure compared to diesel fuel induced the shorter spray tip penetration, wider cone angle, and smaller droplet size than diesel fuel. The ignition of DME fuel in combustion chamber starts in advance compared to diesel or biodiesel fueled compression ignition engine due to higher cetane number than diesel and biodiesel fuels. In addition, DME combustion is soot-free since it has no carbon–carbon bonds, and has lower HC and CO emissions than that of diesel combustion. The NO_x emission from DME-fueled combustion can be reduced by the application of EGR (exhaust gas recirculation). This article also describes various technologies to reduce NO_x emission from DME-fueled engines, such as the multiple injection strategy and premixed combustion. Finally, the development trends of DME-fueled vehicle are described with various experimental results and discussion for fuel properties, spray atomization characteristics, combustion performance, and exhaust emissions characteristics of DME fuel.     

天然气发动机总体设计方案的研究

本文分析了天然气发动机的优势与应用问题,对各类天然气发动机进行了比较,着重分析了目前正在应用的典型的天然气发动机总体设计方案。     

柴油-液化石油气双燃料发动机放热规律的研究

利用CB366燃烧分析仪测录了柴油—液化石油气双燃料发动机和原柴油机在不同工况下的示功图,进行了放热规律的计算和对比分析,得出了有关双燃料发动机燃烧特性的结论     

天然气发动机在不同喷射和点火时刻下的性能优化研究

为解决改装的天然气发动机动力性比原柴油机低,燃料消耗率比原柴油机高的问题,对影响燃烧时刻的喷射提前角与点火提前角这两个重要参数进行模拟实验,研究其对发动机的缸内压力与功率、燃气消耗率的影响,并根据研究结果进行优化设计。结果表明,对于缸内直喷天然气发动机,适当增大喷气提前角和选择恰当的点火提前角能在较经济的情况下提高发动机的动力性;发动机转速增加,点火提前角和喷射提前角也应提前,保证燃料的充分混合和最大化做功能力;在所有转速下,天然气发动机的功率都能恢复到原柴油机的水平。     

Analysis of ignition delay period of a dual fuel diesel engine with hydrogen and LPG as secondary fuels

In this study, experiments were performed on 4 cylinder turbocharged, intercooled with 62.5 kW gen-set diesel engine by using hydrogen, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and mixture of LPG and hydrogen as secondary fuels. The experiments were performed to measure ignition delay period at different load conditions and various diesel substitutions. The experimental results have been compared with ignition delay correlation laid down by other researchers for diesel and dual fuel diesel engine. It is found that ignition delay equation based on pressure, temperature and oxygen concentration for a dual fuel diesel engine run on diesel-biogas gives variation up to 6.56% and 14.6% from the present experimental results, while ignition delay equation for a pure diesel engine gives 7.55% and 33.3% variation at lower and higher gaseous fuel concentrations, respectively. It is observed that the ignition delay of dual fuel engine depends not only on the type of gaseous fuels and their concentrations but also on charge temperature, pressure and oxygen concentration.     

Performance and emission characteristics of CIE using hydrogen,biodiesel, and massive EGR

Hydrogen is considered as an excellent energy carrier and can be used in diesel engines that operate in dual fuel mode. Many studies have shown that biodiesel, which is sustainable, clean, and safe, a good alternative to fossil fuel. However, tests have confirmed that using biodiesel or hydrogen as a fuel or added fuel in compression ignition engines increases NOx concentrations. Cooled or hot exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) effectively controls the NOx outflows of diesel engines. However, this technique is restricted by high particulate matter PM emissions and the low thermal efficiency of diesel engines.In this study, gaseous hydrogen was added to the intake manifold of a diesel engine that uses biodiesel fuel as pilot fuel. The investigation was conducted under heavy-EGR conditions. An EGR system was modified to achieve the highest possible control on the EGR ratio and temperature. Hot EGR was recirculated directly from the engine exhaust to the intake manifold. A heat exchanger was utilized to maintain the temperature of the cooled EGR at 25 °C.The supplied hydrogen increased NOx concentrations in the exhaust gas emissions and high EGR rates reduced the brake thermal efficiency. The reduction in NOx emissions depended on the added hydrogen and the EGR ratios when compared with pure diesel combustion. Adding hydrogen to significant amounts of recycled exhaust gas reduced the CO, PM, and unburned hydrocarbon (HC) emissions significantly. Results showed that using hydrogen and biodiesel increases engine noise, which is reduced by adding high levels of EGR.     

LPG/柴油双燃料发动机压缩比优化研究

采用燃料复合供给方式 ,在单缸直喷式柴油机上进行了LPG/柴油双燃料发动机压缩比的优化试验研究 ,对比分析了使用纯柴油和LPG/柴油双燃料的燃烧特性 ,着重研究分析了双燃料发动机在不同压缩比下的最高燃烧压力、最大压力升高率、压力循环波动及燃烧放热率 ,并以此为依据优选了双燃料发动机的压缩比。试验结果表明 :降低压缩比后 ,双燃料发动机的最高燃烧压力及最大压力升高率均有较大降低 ,同时压力循环波动变小 ,但滞燃期、燃烧持续期都会有所增加。经过优化 ,压缩比确定为 14.5时 ,ZH110 5W柴油机改燃LPG/柴油双燃料后在高负荷工况下无严重爆震现象 ,压力循环波动较小 ,且经济性较好 ,热效率损失不大     

Performance and combustion characteristic of CI engine fueled with hydrogen enriched diesel

The combustion of hydrogen–diesel blend fuel was investigated under simulated direct injection (DI) diesel engine conditions. The investigation presented in this paper concerns numerical analysis of neat diesel combustion mode and hydrogen enriched diesel combustion in a compression ignition (CI) engine. The parameters varied in this simulation included: H₂/diesel blend fuel ratio, engine speed, and air/fuel ratio. The study on the simultaneous combustion of hydrogen and diesel fuel was conducted with various hydrogen doses in the range from 0.05% to 50% (by volume) for different engine speed from 1000 – 4000 rpm and air/fuel ratios (A/F) varies from 10 – 80. The results show that, applying hydrogen as an extra fuel, which can be added to diesel fuel in the (CI) engine results in improved engine performance and reduce emissions compared to the case of neat diesel operation because this measure approaches the combustion process to constant volume. Moreover, small amounts of hydrogen when added to a diesel engine shorten the diesel ignition lag and, in this way, decrease the rate of pressure rise which provides better conditions for soft run of the engine. Comparative results are given for various hydrogen/diesel ratio, engine speeds and loads for conventional Diesel and dual fuel operation, revealing the effect of dual fuel combustion on engine performance and exhaust emissions.     

双燃料发动机放热率计算和试验分析

提出了一个描述双燃料发动机燃烧特性的多区模型,模型将气体燃料的燃烧和引燃柴油的燃烧分别进行考虑。建立了由实测示功图求解双燃料发动机放热率的微分方程式,开发了计算双燃料发动机燃烧放热规律的软件,并在一台生物质气-柴油双燃料发动机上与传统柴油机放热率计算模型进行了试验验证和对比。研究和试验结果表明,用传统柴油机分析方法计算双燃料发动机的放热率峰值偏大,所计算的缸内工质平均温度偏高,新模型计算的结果与实际情况更吻合。     

Comprehensive study of biodiesel fuel for HSDI engines in conventional and low temperature combustion conditions

In this research, an experimental investigation has been performed to give insight into the potential of biodiesel as an alternative fuel for High Speed Direct Injection (HSDI) diesel engines. The scope of this work has been broadened by comparing the combustion characteristics of diesel and biodiesel fuels in a wide range of engine loads and EGR conditions, including the high EGR rates expected for future diesel engines operating in the low temperature combustion (LTC) regime.The experimental work has been carried out in a single-cylinder engine running alternatively with diesel and biodiesel fuels. Conventional diesel fuel and neat biodiesel have been compared in terms of their combustion performance through a new methodology designed for isolating the actual effects of each fuel on diesel combustion, aside from their intrinsic differences in chemical composition.The analysis of the results has been sequentially divided into two progressive and complementary steps. Initially, the overall combustion performance of each fuel has been critically evaluated based on a set of parameters used as tracers of the combustion quality, such as the combustion duration or the indicated efficiency. With the knowledge obtained from this previous overview, the analysis focuses on the detailed influence of biodiesel on the different diesel combustion stages known ignition delay, premixed combustion and mixing controlled combustion, considering also the impact on CO and UHC pollutant emissions.The results of this research explain why the biodiesel fuel accelerates the diesel combustion process in all engine loads and EGR rates, even in those corresponding with LTC conditions, increasing its possibilities as alternative fuel for future DI diesel engines.     

Use of hydrogen in dual-fuel diesel engines

Hydrogen is a promising future energy carrier due to its potential for production from renewable resources. It can be used in existing compression ignition diesel engines in a dual-fuel mode with little modification. Hydrogen's unique physiochemical properties, such as higher calorific value, flame speed, and diffusivity in air, can effectively improve the performance and combustion characteristics of diesel engines. As a carbon-free fuel, hydrogen can also mitigate harmful emissions from diesel engines, including carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, particulate matter, soot, and smoke. However, hydrogen-fueled diesel engines suffer from knocking combustion and higher nitrogen oxide emissions. This paper comprehensively reviews the effects of hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gaseous fuels (i.e., syngas and hydroxy gas) on the behavior of dual-fuel diesel engines. The opportunities and limitations of using hydrogen in diesel engines are discussed thoroughly. It is not possible for hydrogen to improve all the performance indicators and exhaust emissions of diesel engines simultaneously. However, reformulating pilot fuel by additives, blending hydrogen with other gaseous fuels, adjusting engine parameters, optimizing operating conditions, modifying engine structure, using hydroxy gas, and employing exhaust gas catalysts could pave the way for realizing safe, efficient, and economical hydrogen-fueled diesel engines. Future work should focus on preventing knocking combustion and nitrogen oxide emissions in hydrogen-fueled diesel engines by adjusting the hydrogen inclusion rate in real time.     

一种研究发动机燃烧过程的多功能可视化实验装置

介绍一种多功能可视化实验装置，本装置包括光学发动机、进气系统、光学系统、数据采集以及控制系统，利用本套装置可以实现对包括纯柴油、柴油/天然气双燃料，醇类燃料以及进气添加惰性气体等多种情况的发动机喷雾，着火以及燃烧特性进行可视化研究，同时本装置还可实现对燃烧过程的燃烧压力进行实时记录，给出全面的燃烧特性分析结果。