Theoretical and experimental investigations on the performance of dual fuel diesel engine with hydrogen and LPG as secondary fuels

The mathematical models to predict pressure, net heat release rate, mean gas temperature, and brake thermal efficiency for dual fuel diesel engine operated on hydrogen, LPG and mixture of LPG and hydrogen as secondary fuels are developed. In these models emphasis have been given on spray mixing characteristics, flame propagation, equilibrium combustion products and in-cylinder processes, which were computed using empirical equations and compared with experimental results. This combustion model predicts results which are in close agreement with the results of experiments conducted on a multi cylinder turbocharged, intercooled gen-set diesel engine. The predictions are also in close agreement with the results on single cylinder diesel engine obtained by other researchers. A reasonable agreement between the predicted and experimental results reveals that the presented model gives quantitatively and qualitatively realistic prediction of in-cylinder processes and engine performances during combustion.     

Investigations on the combustion parameters of a dual fuel diesel engine with hydrogen and LPG as secondary fuels

This paper presents a detailed experimental investigations on the combustion parameters of a 4 cylinder (turbocharged and intercooled) 62.5 kW gen-set duel fuel diesel engine (with hydrogen and LPG as secondary fuels). A detailed account on maximum rate of pressure rise, peak cylinder pressure, heat release rate in first phase of combustion and combustion duration at a wide range of load conditions with different gaseous fuel substitutions has been presented in the paper. When 30% of hydrogen alone is used as secondary fuel, maximum rate of pressure rise increases by 0.82 bar/deg CA as compared to pure diesel operation, while, peak cylinder pressure and combustion duration increase by 8.44 bar and 5 deg CA respectively. When 30% of LPG alone is used as secondary fuel, the enhancements in maximum rate of pressure rise, peak cylinder pressure and combustion duration are found to be 1.37 bar/deg CA, 6.95 bar and 5 deg CA respectively. It is also found that heat release rate in first phase of combustion reduces at all load conditions as compared to the pure diesel operation in both types of fuel substitutions.One important finding of the present work is significant enhancement in performances of dual fuel engine when hydrogen-LPG mixture is used as the secondary fuel. The highlight of this case is that when the mixture of LPG and hydrogen (40% in the ratio LPG: hydrogen = 70:30) is used as secondary fuel, maximum rate of pressure rise (by 0.88 bar/deg CA) and combustion duration reduces (by 4 deg CA), while, peak cylinder pressure and heat release rate in first phase of combustion increase by 5.25 bar and 35.24 J/deg CA respectively.     

Flame chemiluminescence and OH LIF imaging in a hydrogen-fuelled spark-ignition engine

Research into novel internal combustion engines requires consideration of the diversity in future fuels in an attempt to reduce drastically CO₂ emissions from vehicles and promote energy sustainability. Hydrogen has been proposed as a possible fuel for future internal combustion engines. Hydrogen’s wide flammability range allows higher engine efficiency with much leaner operation than conventional fuels, for both reduced toxic emissions and no CO₂ gases. This paper presents results from an optical study of combustion in a spark-ignition research engine running with direct injection and port injection of hydrogen. Crank-angle resolved flame chemiluminescence images were acquired and post-processed for a series of consecutive cycles in order to calculate in-cylinder rates of flame growth. Laser induced fluorescence of OH was also applied on an in-cylinder plane below the spark plug to record detailed features of the flame front for a series of engine cycles. The tests were performed at various air-to-fuel ratios, typically in a range of φ = 0.50–0.83 at 1000 RPM with 0.5 bar intake pressure. The engine was also run with gasoline in direct-injection and port-injection modes to compare with the operation on hydrogen. The observed combustion characteristics were analysed with respect to laminar and turbulent burning velocities, as well as flame stretch. An attempt was also made to review relevant hydrogen work from the limited literature on the subject and make comparisons were appropriate.     

基于详细化学反应机理的增压二甲醚发动机燃烧与NO_x排放数值研究

使用KIVA-3V对增压柴油机和二甲醚发动机标定功率点的缸内燃烧过程与NOx排放进行了数值模拟研究.研究结果表明:计算所得的气缸压力和放热率曲线与实测值吻合较好.对缸内燃烧的温度分布计算表明:柴油燃烧滞燃期为2.5 °CA左右,二甲醚为1.5 °CA.柴油燃料着火始于喷雾前端两侧,在燃烧初期,其高温区分布在喷雾前端一侧,且在燃烧室内气流作用下沿垂直于喷雾方向扩散;二甲醚的着火点位于喷嘴附近,随喷雾的进行,其燃烧高温区从喷嘴附近一直延伸到喷雾前端,呈现狭长的高温带.在扩散燃烧后期,与柴油相比,二甲醚燃烧温度分布较均匀,且最高温度比柴油低.选用的9步NOx生成机理可较好地预测发动机实际运行中NOx排放水平.     

Experimental investigation of tetrahydrofuran combustion in homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine: Effects of excess air coefficient,engine speed and inlet air temperature

In this study, the effects of tetrahydrofuran (THF) which is nontoxic and generated from renewable environmentally friendly lignocelluloses, and n-heptane/THF blends on combustion, performance and emission characteristics were investigated at various lambda, engine speed and inlet air temperatures. Wide ranges of lambda value and engine speed were investigated and the results were presented in comparison to n-heptane as reference fuel. The combustion parameters such as cylinder pressure, heat release rate, in-cylinder gas temperature, CA10, CA50, thermal efficiency, ringing intensity, maximum pressure rise rate and imep, the performance parameters such as brake torque, power output, specific fuel consumption and HC and CO emissions were determined. Operating range of the HCCI engine was also determined. The results showed that, increasing the lambda value decreased both the in-cylinder pressure and the heat release rate for all test fuels. The addition of tetrahydrofuran led to retard combustion phasing. Thermal efficiency increased about 54% for F60N40 compared to n-heptane at 60 °C inlet air temperature, 1200 rpm engine speed and λ = 2.2. The results also showed that HC and CO emissions increased with the increase of tetrahydrofuran. Furthermore, tetrahydrofuran caused to expand HCCI operating range towards to knocking and misfiring boundaries.     

Investigation of hydrogen usage on combustion characteristics and emissions of a spark ignition engine

In this study, initially, a single cylinder, naturally aspirated, spark ignition engine was loaded with AC engine dynamometer and a spark plug type engine transducer was used to obtain in-cylinder pressure. The test engine was operated with gasoline fuel at full load and different engine speeds (3100, 3200, 3300, 3400 and 3450 rpm). Secondly, using obtained engine performance, emission values and in-cylinder pressure, a one dimensional engine model was built and validated by an engine performance and emission analysis software (AVL-Boost). After the validation of single dimensional theoretical engine model, a comparison was made between the emission, performance and combustion (in-cylinder pressure, rate of heat release) values of operations with pure hydrogen fuel and such values of the operations with unleaded gasoline. The emissions of CO and total hydrocarbons (THC) were negligible with using hydrogen as fuel in SI engine. A dramatic increase in NO_x emissions was obtained with using hydrogen as fuel. However, by using hydrogen in lean conditions, NO_x emissions were taken under control by means of wide flammability limits of hydrogen.     

Cylinder pressure, performance parameters, heat release, specific heats ratio and duration of combustion for spark ignition engine

An experimental work were conducted for investigating cylinder pressure, performance parameters, heat release, specific heat ratio and duration of combustion for multi cylinder spark ignition engine (SIE). Ccylinder pressure was measured for gasoline, kerosene and Liquefied Petroleum Gases (LPG) separately as a fuel for SIE. Fast Fourier Transformations (FFT) was used to cylinder pressure data transform from time domain into frequency domain to develop empirical correlation for calculating cylinder pressures at different engine speeds and different fuels. In addition, Inverse Fast Fourier Transformations (IFFT) was used to cylinder pressure reconstruct into time domain. The results gave good agreement between the measured cylinder pressure and the reconstructed cylinder pressure in time domain with different engine speeds and different fuels. The measured cylinder pressure and hydraulic dynamotor were the sours of data for calculating engine performance parameters. First law of thermodynamics and single zone heat release model with temperature dependant specific heat ratio γ(T) were the main tools for calculating heat release and heat transfer to cylinder walls. Third order empirical correlation for calculating γ(T) was one of the main gains of the present study. The correlation gave good agreement with other researchers with wide temperatures range. For kerosene, cylinder pressure is higher than for gasoline and LPG due to high volumetric efficiency where kerosene density (mass/volume ratio) is higher than gasoline and LPG. In addition, kerosene heating value is higher than gasoline that contributes in heat release rate and pressure increases. Duration of combustion for different engine speeds was determined using four different methods: (I) Mass fuel burnt, (II) Entropy change, (III) Temperature dependant specific heat ratio γ(T), and (IV) Logarithmic scale of (P&;V). The duration of combustion for kerosene is smaller than for gasoline and LPG due to high heat release rate. Cylinder pressure measuring technique is a useful tool for understanding and analyzing the combustion characteristics and determining reliable statistical data that cannot measure directly. The present work contributes in determining combustion characteristics, development and optimal operating conditions of SIE for different fuels.     

Effect of hydrogen enrichment in the intake air of diesel engine fuelled with honge biodiesel blend and diesel

In the current investigation, the enrichment of hydrogen with the honge biodiesel blend and diesel is used in a compression ignition engine. The biodiesel is derived from the honge oil and mixed with diesel fuel by 20% (v/v). Thereafter, hydrogen at different volume flow rates (10 and 13 lpm) is introduced into the intake manifold. The outcomes by enrichment of hydrogen on the performance, combustion and emission characteristics are investigated by examining the brake thermal efficiency, fuel consumption, HC, CO, CO₂, NOₓ emissions, in-cylinder pressure, combustion duration, and rate of heat release. The engine fuelled with honge biodiesel blend is found to enhance the thermal efficiency, combustion characteristics. Compare to diesel, the BTE increased by 2.2% and 6% less fuel consumption for the HB20 + 13H₂ blend. Further, reduction in the emission of exhausts gases like CO and HC by 21% and 24%, respectively, are obtained. This is due to carbon-free structure in hydrogen. Moreover, due to high pressure in the cylinder, there is a slight increase in oxides of nitrogen emission compare to diesel. The combustion characteristics such as rate of heat release, combustion duration, and maximum ₂rate of pressure rise and in-cylinder pressure are high due to hydrogen.     

Experimental investigation of the combustion characteristics,emissions and performance of hydrogen port fuel injection in a diesel engine

Diesel engines are indispensable in daily life. However, the limited supply of petroleum fuels and the stringent regulations on such fuels are forcing researchers to study the use of hydrogen as a fuel. In this study, a diesel engine is operated using hydrogen–diesel dual fuel, where hydrogen is introduced into the intake manifold using an LPG-CNG injector and pilot diesel is injected using diesel injectors. The energy contents of the total fuel, 0%, 16%, 36% and 46% hydrogen (the 0% hydrogen energy fraction represents neat diesel fuel), were tested at 1300 rpm of constant engine speed and 5.1 kW of constant indicated power. According to test results, the indicated thermal efficiency of the engine decreases and the isfc increases with an increasing hydrogen energy fraction. Additionally, indicated specific CO, CO₂ and smoke emissions decrease with an increasing percentage of hydrogen fuel. However, indicated specific NO_x emissions do not change at the 16% hydrogen energy fraction, in other words, with an increase in the hydrogen amount (36% and 46% hydrogen energy fraction of total fuel), a dramatic increase (58.8% and 159.7%, respectively) is observed. Additionally, the peak in-cylinder pressure and the peak heat release rate values increase with the increasing hydrogen rate.     

Effects of second hydrogen direct injection proportion and injection timing on combustion and emission characteristics of hydrogen/n-butanol combined injection engine

Hydrogen and n-butanol are superior alternative fuels for SI engines, which show high potential in improving the combustion and emission characteristics of internal combustion engines. However, both still have disadvantages when applied individually. N-butanol fuel has poor evaporative atomization properties and high latent heat of vaporization. Burning n-butanol fuel alone can lead to incomplete combustion and lower temperature in the cylinder. Hydrogen is not easily stored and transported, and the engine is prone to backfire or detonation only using hydrogen. Therefore, this paper investigates the effects of hydrogen direct injection strategies on the combustion and emission characteristics of n-butanol/hydrogen dual-fuel engines based on n-butanol port injection/split hydrogen direct injection mode and the synergistic optimization of their characteristics. The energy of hydrogen is 20% of the total energy of the fuel in the cylinder. The experimental results show that a balance between dynamics and emission characteristics can be found using split hydrogen direct injection. Compared with the second hydrogen injection proportion (IP2) = 0, the split hydrogen direct injection can promote the formation of a stable flame kernel, shorten the flame development period and rapid combustion period, and reduce the cyclic variation. When the IP2 is 25%, 50% and 75%, the engine torque increases by 0.14%, 1.50% and 3.00% and the maximum in-cylinder pressure increases by 1.9%, 2.3% and 0.6% respectively. Compared with IP2 = 100%, HC emissions are reduced by 7.8%, 15.4% and 24.7% and NOx emissions are reduced by 16.4%, 13.8% and 7.9% respectively, when the IP2 is 25%, 50% and 75%. As second hydrogen injection timing (IT2) is advanced, CA0-10 and CA10-90 show a decreasing and then increasing trend. The maximum in-cylinder pressure rises and falls, and the engine torque gradually decreases. The CO emissions show a trend of decreasing and remaining constant. However, the trends of HC emissions and NOx emissions with IT2 are not consistent at different IP2. Considering the engine's dynamics and emission characteristics, the first hydrogen injection proportion (IP1) = 25% plus first hydrogen injection timing (IT1) = 240°CA BTDC combined with IP2 = 75% plus IT2 = 105°CA BTDC is the superior split hydrogen direct injection strategy.     

Multidimensional CFD simulation of syngas combustion in a micro-pilot-ignited dual-fuel engine using a constructed chemical kinetics mechanism

A multidimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of a constructed syngas chemical kinetic mechanism was performed to evaluate the combustion of syngas in a supercharged dual-fuel engine for various syngas initial compositions under lean conditions. The modelled results were validated by comparing predictions against corresponding experimental data for a supercharged dual-fuel engine. The predicted and measured in-cylinder pressure, temperature, and rate of heat release (ROHR) data were in good agreement. The effect of the hydrogen peroxide chain-propagation reaction on the progress of combustion under supercharged conditions was examined for different types of syngas using various initial H₂ concentrations. The effect of the main syngas kinetic mechanism reactions on the combustion progress was analysed in terms of their contribution to the total heat of the reaction. The best results compared with experimental data were obtained in the range of equivalence ratios below about 0.8 for all types of syngas considered in this paper. As the equivalence ratio increased above 0.8, the results deviated from the experiment data. The spatial distribution of the in-cylinder temperature and OH^∗ within this equivalence-ratio range showed the completeness of the combustion. The present CFD model captured the overall combustion process well and could be further developed into a useful tool for syngas-engine combustion simulations.     

Combustion,performance and emissions of a diesel engine with H2, CH4 and H2–CH4 addition

Experiments were conducted to investigate the combustion and emission characteristics of a diesel engine with addition of hydrogen or methane for dual-fuel operation, and mixtures of hydrogen–methane for tri-fuel operation. The in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate change slightly at low to medium loads but increase dramatically at high load owing to the high combustion temperature and high quantity of pilot diesel fuel which contribute to better combustion of the gaseous fuels. The performance of the engine with tri-fuel operation at 30% load improves with the increase of hydrogen fraction in methane and is always higher than that with dual-fuel operations. Compared with ULSD–CH₄ operation, hydrogen addition in methane contributes to a reduction of CO/CO₂/HC emissions without penalty on NO_x emission. Dual-fuel and tri-fuel operations suppress particle emission to the similar extent. All the gaseous fuels reduce the geometry mean diameter and total number concentration of diesel particulate. Tri-fuel operation with 30% hydrogen addition in methane is observed to be the best fuel in reducing particulate and NO_x emissions at 70 and 90% loads.     

1D energy,exergy, and performance assessment of turbocharged diesel/hydrogen RCCI engine at different levels of diesel,hydrogen, compressor pressure ratio,and combustion duration

There is a growing concern about the feasibility of a new generation of internal combustion engines in a low-temperature and efficient way that can meet the emission regulations while maintaining the desirable power performance. This requires the controllability and flexibility over the ignition and reactivity within the cylinder by handling two fuels with different chemical reaction intensity. In this research, the reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) turbocharger-assisted engine is proposed that operates with diesel-hydrogen fuels. After calibration and model validation, the effect of pressure ratio of compressor in turbocharger, hydrogen energy share, diesel mass per cycle, and combustion duration on temperature rise, entropy, pressure, heat release, and engine performance is evaluated. The design variables effects on the exergy share of work, heat, exhaust loss, irreversibility, and exergetic performance coefficient (EPC) are assessed and analyzed. Increasing the compressor pressure ratio can significantly increase the engine power and reduce fuel consumption. It is proved that turbocharging can reduce the entropy generation and thereby reduce irreversibility. The lower diesel injection is favored in terms of the work exergy and the EPC.     

Experimental and computational study on the enhancement of engine characteristics by hydrogen enrichment in a biogas fuelled spark ignition engine

Limitations on the upgradation of biogas to biomethane in terms of cost effectiveness and technology maturity levels for stationary power generation purpose in rural applications have redirected the research focus towards possibilities for enhancement of biogas fuel quality by blending with superior quality fuels. In this work, the effect of hydrogen enrichment on performance, combustion and emission characteristics of a single-cylinder, four-stroke, water-cooled, biogas fuelled spark-ignition engine operated at the compression ratio of 10:1 and 1500 rpm has been evaluated using experimental and computational (CFD) studies. The percentage share of hydrogen in the inducted biogas fuel mixture was increased from 0 to 30%, and engine characteristics with pure methane fuel was considered as a baseline for comparative analysis. The CFD model is developed in Converge CFD software for a better understanding on combustion phenomenon and is validated with experimental data. In addition, the percentage share of hydrogen enrichment which would serve as a compromise between biogas upgradation cost and engine characteristics is also identified. The results of study indicated an enhancement in combustion characteristics (peak in-cylinder pressure increased; COV_IMEP reduced from 9.87% to 1.66%; flame initiation and combustion durations reduced) and emission characteristics (hydrocarbon emissions reduced, and NOx emissions increased but still lower than pure methane) with increase in hydrogen share from 0 to 30% in biogas fuelled SI engine. Flame propagation speed increased and combustion duration reduced with hydrogen supplementation and the same was evident from the results of the CFD model. Performance of the engine increased with increase in hydrogen share up to 20% and further increment in hydrogen share degraded the performance, owing to heat losses and the enhancement in combustion characteristics were relatively small. Overall, it was found that 20% blending of hydrogen in the inducted biogas fuel mixture will be effective in enhancing the engine characteristics of biogas fuelled engines for stationary power generation applications and it holds a good compromise between biogas upgradation cost and engine performance.     

Combustion analysis of a spark ignition i. c. engine fuelled alternatively with natural gas and hydrogen-natural gas blends

This paper describes an experimental activity performed on a passenger car powered by a spark ignition engine fuelled alternatively with natural gas (CNG) and hydrogen-natural gas blends, with 15% (HCNG15) and 30% (HCNG30) of hydrogen by volume. The vehicle was tested on a chassis dynamometer over different driving cycles, allowing the investigation of more realistic operating conditions than those examined on an engine test bed at steady state conditions. Fuel consumption was estimated using the carbon balance methodology, allowing the comparison of engine average efficiency over the driving cycles for the tested fuels. Furthermore, cylinder pressure was measured and, by processing the pressure signal, a combustion analysis was performed allowing to estimate the burning rate and combustion phasing. Ignition timing was the same for all the tested fuels, in order to assess their interchangeability on in-use vehicles. Results showed CO₂ emission reduction between 3% and 6% for HCNG15 and between 13% and 16% for HCNG30 respect to natural gas. Fuel consumption in MJ/km did not show significant differences between CNG and HCNG15, while reductions between 3% and 7% have been observed with HCNG30. The heat release rate increased with hydrogen content in the blends, reaching values higher than those attained using CNG. The combustion duration, calculated as the angle between 10% and 90% of heat released, has been shortened, with 16% reduction for HCNG15 and 21% for HCNG30 respect to CNG at 2.5 bar imep and 2400 rpm. As a consequence, hydrogen addition resulted in a combustion phasing advance respect to CNG. Cycle-by-cycle variability decreased, particularly at low loads, due to the positive effect of hydrogen on combustion stability.     

柴油机燃用低比例小球藻生物柴油-柴油混合燃料的试验研究

以野生小球藻生物柴油(Chlorella Biodiesel Fuel,CBF)-柴油作为混合燃料,利用186FA柴油机进行台架试验。在CBF的掺混比例分别为0%,3%,5%(B0,B3,B5)时,对柴油机的动力性、燃料燃用的经济性和燃烧及排放特性进行了比较分析。试验分析表明:柴油机燃用混合燃料时,与燃用纯柴油相比,随着CBF掺混比例的增加,其扭矩和功率略有下降,最大降幅均为4%;柴油机的油耗率和能耗率略有上升,且在高、中负荷时更为明显;柴油机的缸内压力、放热率峰值稍有减小,而压力升高率峰值稍有增大,缸内压力峰值最大降幅为3.4%,放热率峰值最大降幅为12.8%,压力升高率峰值最大增幅为13.7%;柴油机滞燃期缩短了0.5~1.0°CA、燃烧持续期延长了1.0~2.0°CA,缸内压力、压力升高率和放热率峰值的出现时刻均提前了1.0~2.0°CA,燃烧速度加快;HC,CO和碳烟的排放均有所降低,而NOX的排放逐渐增多,全负荷时HC和碳烟排放的最大降幅分别为14.1%和31.7%,NOX排放的最大增幅为9.7%,CO排放的降幅为6%~12%。     

Research on combustion and emission characteristics of a hydrous ethanol/hydrogen combined injection spark ignition engine under lean-burn conditions

Ethanol, as one of the carbon-neutral fuels for spark ignition (SI) engine, has been widely used. Dehydration and purification of ethanol during production process will lead to high energy consumption. If hydrous ethanol can be directly applied to the engine, the cost of use will be greatly reduced. Due to the high latent heat of vaporization of ethanol and water, it is necessary to consider the performance of atomization, evaporation and combustion stability when hydrous ethanol is used in engine. As a zero-carbon fuel, hydrogen has excellent characteristics such as low ignition energy, fast flame propagation speed and wide combustion limit. The combination of hydrous ethanol and hydrogen can reduce the use cost and ensure better combustion performance. Therefore, this study explores the performance of hydrous ethanol/hydrogen in SI combined injection engine. The hydrous ethanol is injected into the intake port and the hydrogen is directly injected into the cylinder during the compression stroke. In this study, we firstly analyze the optimal water blending ratio (ω) of hydrous ethanol, which including 0, 3%, 6%, 9% and 12%. The experimental results show that the hydrous ethanol with 9% water ratio has the best performance without hydrogen addition. Based on the 9% water ratio, the effects of hydrogen blending ratio (0, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) on the combustion and emission under different excess air ratio (λ) (1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4). Hydrogen addition can increase the degree of constant volume combustion, so that the maximum cylinder pressure and temperature increase with the increase of the hydrogen blending ratio (HBR). When λ = 1.3 and HBR = 20%, the maximum in-cylinder pressure can be increased by 108.64% compared to pure hydrous ethanol. Hydrogen effectively increases the indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) and reduces the coefficient of variation of IMEP (COV_IMEP). Adding hydrogen can reduce CO and HC emissions, while NO_x emissions will increase. When λ = 1.2 and HBR increasing from 0 to 20%, the NOx emissions increase by 106.75%, but it is still less than the NOx emissions of pure hydrous ethanol at λ = 1. On the whole, hydrogen direct injection can improve the combustion performance of hydrous ethanol and achieve stable combustion under lean-burn conditions.     

Exploring the potentials of lean-burn hydrogen SI engine compared to methane operation

The global rush for decarbonization and the more restrictive emission regulations are pushing the research for cleaner powertrains to the transport sector. In this sense, this work contributes with an experimental investigation of the performance and emissions of a single-cylinder SI engine operating under lean-burn hydrogen combustion. Its performance, combustion parameters, exhaust emissions, and indicated efficiency for a wide range of mixture dilutions are then compared to methane under similar engine load conditions. Hydrogen achieved stable combustion up to lambda 3.4, presenting zero CO emission and very low HC emission for all tested operating conditions. Hydrogen operation also presented zero NOx emissions for conditions leaner than lambda 2.2 and 3.0 at 2000 and 3000 rpm, respectively, however, the NOx emissions increase as the mixture is enriched. The high in-cylinder pressure rise rate limited the operation at mixtures richer than lambda 1.3 at 2000 rpm. When compared to methane, the hydrogen allows de-throttle the engine to burn lean mixtures maintaining a proper flame speed, resulting in lower pumping losses, lower pollutants emissions for most of the conditions tested, and higher indicated efficiency, making hydrogen a promising fuel to replace conventional fuels on cleaner SI engines.     

Experimental study on combustion stability and performance of hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas of a free-piston linear generator

Free Piston linear Generator (FPLG) engine fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG) has recently gained increased research attention. However, due to the low-velocity burning and poor lean limit of CNG fuel, the FPLG engine combustion stability, performance, and efficiency are still low. Hydrogen has a greater burning velocity with wider flame limits that could extend the lean burn limits and combustion characteristics of CNG. This paper compares pure CNG and 10% hydrogen-enriched CNG at various ignition speeds (0.6 ms, 0.8 m/s, and 1 m/s), injection positions (0 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm and 15 mm), and lambda ratios (0.9, 1.4 and 1.7) on the combustion characteristics, performance, and conversion efficiency are duly discussed. The findings show that the FPLG combustion stability limits increase with the hydrogen addition into the CNG. The CNG in-cylinder pressure increases significantly when the injection position is advanced, whereas the hydrogen addition reduces the influence of the injection position. The heat release rate increases by 15.62% and 23.72% with hydrogen addition, corresponding to the advanced and retarded injection positions. Consequently, the hydrogen addition increases the power RMS to 209.21 W and 232.64 W with an increment of 3.46% and 3.13%, respectively. Conclusively, the hydrogen addition into the CNG evidently shortens the combustion duration while improving the heat release rate, combustion stability, power RMS, Cycle-to-Cycle variation, and conversion efficiency.     

Experimental investigation of the effect of hydrogen ratio on engine performance and emissions in a compression ignition single cylinder engine with electronically controlled hydrogen-diesel dual fuel system

In recent years, there has been a rapid transition from internal combustion engines to hybrid and electric vehicles. It is an inevitable fact that the dominance of internal combustion engines in the market will continue for many years due to the charging and battery problems in these vehicles. Therefore, it is an important issue to improve the performance and emissions of internal combustion engines by making them work with alternative energy sources. In this study, hydrogen-diesel dual fuel mode was used in a dual-fuel compression ignition single cylinder engine with common rail fuel injection system and electronically controlled gas fuel system. The study was carried out at constant speed (1850 rpm), different load (3-4.5-6-7.5-9 Nm) and different hydrogen injector opening amounts (1.6-1.8-2.0 ms). The effects of hydrogen energy ratios obtained with different hydrogen injector opening amount on engine performance and emissions were examined. According to the results, it was determined that the in-cylinder pressure values increased at medium and high loads, and the specific energy consumption decreased. When the emission values were examined, it was determined that there was an increase in NO emissions and a significant decrease in other emissions. However, increasing the hydrogen energy ratio above 14% adversely affected engine performance and emissions.