Investigation on the effects of blending hydrogen-rich gas in the spark-ignition engine

Abstract

In order to improve the energy efficiency of the internal combustion engine and replace fossil fuel with alternative fuels, a concept of the methanol-syngas engine was proposed and the prototype was developed. Gasoline and dissociated methanol gas (GDM) were used as dual fuels and the engine performance was investigated by simulation and experiments. Dissociated methanol gas is produced by recycling the exhaust heat. The performance and combustion process was studied and compared with the gasoline engine counterpart. There is 1.9% energy efficiency improvement and 5.5% fuel consumption reduction under 2000r/min, 100 N ⋅ m working condition with methanol substitution ratio of 10%. In addition, the engine efficiency further improves with an increase of dissociated methanol gas substitution ratio because of the increased heating value of the fuel and effects of hydrogen. The peak pressure in the cylinder and the peak heat release rate of the GDM engine are higher than that of the original gasoline engine, with a phase closer to the top dead center (TDC). Therefore, blending hydrogen-rich gas in the spark-ignition engine can recycle the exhaust heat and improve the thermal efficiency of the engine.

Keywords

• Dissociated methanol gas
• Energy efficiency
• Fuel consumption
• Exhaust heat