A study of hydrogen fuel impact on compression ignition engine performance

Abstract

In this paper, a dual-fuel compression ignition engine test bench is presented. In hydrogen-diesel fuel co-combustion conditions, the engine parameters are determined – performance: effective torque, effective power and mean effective pressure; fuel economy: fuel consumption and specific fuel consumption; toxicity: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and smoke emissions (opacity). The impact of hydrogen-diesel fuel mass ratio on the performance, toxicity and economy of the engine is studied by obtaining a series of hydrogen-diesel fuel ratio variation characteristics at constant engine speed and load. Improvement of the economical parameters of the engine and reduction of carbon dioxide concentration in exhaust gases is detected under operation with hydrogen gas fuel. Significant reduction of the exhaust gases opacity is observed. It is not clear what the impact of the quantity of hydrogen, injected in the engine, on the concentration of nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gases is.