Analysis of Thermal Efficiency in a Hydrogen Premixed Spark Ignition Engine

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshio Shudo ◽  
Yasuo Nakajima ◽  
Takayuki Futakuchi

Abstract Hydrogen has higher flame velocity and smaller quenching distance than hydrocarbon fuels, and is supposed to have special characteristics in combustion process of internal combustion engines. In this research, contributors to thermal efficiency in a hydrogen premixed spark ignition engine were analyzed and compared with methane combustion. Results showed hydrogen combustion had higher cooling loss to combustion chamber wall, and thermal efficiency of hydrogen combustion was mainly dominated by both cooling loss to combustion chamber wall and degree of constant volume combustion.

Author(s):  
T. Shudo ◽  
H. Oka

Hydrogen is a clean alternative to fossil fuels for internal combustion engines and can be easily used in spark-ignition engines. However, the characteristics of the engines fueled with hydrogen are largely different from those with conventional hydrocarbon fuels. A higher burning velocity and a shorter quenching distance for hydrogen as compared with hydrocarbons bring a higher degree of constant volume and a larger heat transfer from the burning gas to the combustion chamber wall of the engines. Because of the large heat loss, the thermal efficiency of an engine fueled with hydrogen is sometimes lower than that with hydrocarbons. Therefore, the analysis and the reduction of the heat loss are crucial for the efficient utilization of hydrogen in internal combustion engines. The empirical correlations to describe the total heat transferred from the burning gas to the combustion chamber walls are often used to calculate the heat loss in internal combustion engines. However, the previous research by one of the authors has shown that the widely used heat transfer correlations cannot be properly applied to the hydrogen combustion even with adjusting the constants in them. For this background, this research analyzes the relationship between characteristics of thermophysical properties of working substance and heat transfer to the wall in a spark-ignition engine fueled with hydrogen.


2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin Kumar Gupta ◽  
Mayank Mittal

Abstract Biogas, which is a renewable alternative fuel, has high antiknocking properties with the potential to substitute fossil fuels in internal combustion engines. In this study, performance characteristics of a spark-ignition (SI) engine operated under methane (baseline case) and biogas are compared at the compression ratio (CR) of 8.5:1. Subsequently, the effect of CR on operational limits, performance, combustion, and emission characteristics of the engine fueled with biogas is evaluated. A variable compression ratio, spark-ignition engine was operated at various CRs of 8.5:1, 10:1, 11:1, 13:1, and 15:1 over a wide range of operating loads at 1500 rpm. Results showed that the operating range of the engine at 8.5:1 CR reduced when biogas was utilized in the engine instead of methane. However, the operating range of the engine for biogas extended with an increase in CR—an increase from 9.6 N-m-16.5 N-m to 2.8 N-m-15.1 N-m was observed when CR was increased from 8.5:1 to 15:1. The brake thermal efficiency improved from 13.7% to 16.3%, and the coefficient of variation (COV) of indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) reduced from 12.7% to 1.52% when CR was increased from 8.5:1 to 15:1 at 8 N-m load. The emission level of carbon dioxide was decreased with an increase in CR due to an improvement in the thermal efficiency and the combustion process.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (21) ◽  
pp. 7037
Author(s):  
Donatas Kriaučiūnas ◽  
Tadas Žvirblis ◽  
Kristina Kilikevičienė ◽  
Artūras Kilikevičius ◽  
Jonas Matijošius ◽  
...  

Biogas has increasingly been used as an alternative to fossil fuels in the world due to a number of factors, including the availability of raw materials, extensive resources, relatively cheap production and sufficient energy efficiency in internal combustion engines. Tightening environmental and renewable energy requirements create excellent prospects for biogas (BG) as a fuel. A study was conducted on a 1.6-L spark ignition (SI) engine (HR16DE), testing simulated biogas with different methane and carbon dioxide contents (100CH4, 80CH4_20CO2, 60CH4_40CO2, and 50CH4_50CO2) as fuel. The rate of heat release (ROHR) was calculated for each fuel. Vibration acceleration time, sound pressure and spectrum characteristics were also analyzed. The results of the study revealed which vibration of the engine correlates with combustion intensity, which is directly related to the main measure of engine energy efficiency—break thermal efficiency (BTE). Increasing vibrations have a negative correlation with carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions, but a positive correlation with nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. Sound pressure also relates to the combustion process, but, in contrast to vibration, had a negative correlation with BTE and NOx, and a positive correlation with emissions of incomplete combustion products (CO, HC).


2019 ◽  
pp. 146808741985910 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo Rubio-Gómez ◽  
Lis Corral-Gómez ◽  
David Rodriguez-Rosa ◽  
Fausto A Sánchez-Cruz ◽  
Simón Martínez-Martínez

In the last few years, increasing concern about the harmful effects of the use of fossil fuels in internal combustion engines has been observed. In addition, the limited availability of crude oil has driven the interest in alternative fuels, especially biofuels. In the context of spark ignition engines, bioalcohols are of great interest owing to their similarities and blend capacities with gasoline. Methanol and ethanol have been widely used, mainly due to their knocking resistance. Another alcohol of great interest is butanol, thanks to its potential of being produced as biofuel and its heat value closer to gasoline. In this study, a comparative study of gasoline–alcohol blend combustion, with up to 20% volume, with neat gasoline has been carried out. A single-cylinder, variable compression ratio, Cooperative Fuel Research-type spark ignition engine has been employed. The comparison is made in terms of fuel conversion efficiency and flame development angle. Relevant information related to the impact in the combustion process of the use of the three main alcohols used in blends with gasoline has been obtained.


2005 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 397-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim S. Cowart

During port-fuel–injected (PFI) spark-ignition (SI) engine startup and warm-up fuel accounting continues to be a challenge. Excess fuel must be injected for a near stoichiometric combustion charge. The “extra” fuel that does not contribute to the combustion process may stay in the intake port or as liquid films on the combustion chamber walls. Some of this combustion chamber wall liquid fuel is transported to the engine’s oil sump and some of this liquid fuel escapes combustion and evolves during the expansion and exhaust strokes. Experiments were performed to investigate and quantify this emerging in-cylinder fuel vapor post-combustion cycle by cycle during engine startup. It is believed that this fuel vapor is evaporating from cylinder surfaces and emerging from cylinder crevices. A fast in-cylinder diagnostic, the fast flame ionization detector, was used to measure this behavior. Substantial post-combustion fuel vapor was measured during engine startup. The amount of post-combustion fuel vapor that develops relative to the in-cylinder precombustion fuel charge is on the order of one for cold starting (0 °C) and decreases to ∼13 for hot starting engine cycles. Fuel accounting suggests that the intake port puddle forms quickly, over the first few engine cranking cycles. Analysis suggests that sufficient charge temperature and crevice oxygen exists to at least partially oxidize the majority of this post-combustion fuel vapor such that engine out hydrocarbons are not excessive.


Author(s):  
Jerald A. Caton

The use of either hydrogen or isooctane for a spark-ignition engine was examined using a thermodynamic cycle simulation including the second law of thermodynamics. The engine studied was a 5.7 liter, automotive engine operating from idle to wide open throttle. The hydrogen or isooctane was assumed premixed with the air. Two features of hydrogen combustion that were included in the study were the higher flame speeds (shorter burn durations) and the wider lean flammability limits (lean equivalence ratios). Three cases were considered for the use of hydrogen: (1) standard burn duration and an equivalence ratio of 1.0, (2) a shorter burn duration and an equivalence ratio of 1.0, and (3) a shorter burn duration and variable, lean equivalence ratios. The results included thermal efficiencies, other performance metrics, second law parameters, and nitric oxide emissions. In general, for the cases with an equivalence of 1.0, the brake thermal efficiency was slightly lower for the hydrogen cases due to the higher temperatures and higher heat losses. For the variable, lean equivalence ratio cases, the thermal efficiency was higher for the hydrogen case relative to the isooctane case. Due to the higher temperatures, the hydrogen cases had over 50% higher nitric oxide emissions compared to the isooctane case at the base conditions. In addition, the second law analyses indicated that the destruction of availability during the combustion process was lower for the base hydrogen case (11.2%) relative to the isooctane case (21.1%).


Author(s):  
Jinlong Liu ◽  
Cosmin E. Dumitrescu

Abstract The conversion of existing diesel engines to spark ignition (SI) operation by adding a low-pressure injector in the intake manifold for fuel delivery and replacing the original high-pressure fuel injector with a spark plug to initiate and control the combustion process can reduce U.S. dependence on petroleum imports and increase natural gas (NG) applications in heavy-duty transportation sectors. Since the conventional diesel combustion chamber (i.e., flat-head-and-bowl-in-piston-chamber) creates high turbulence, the converted NG SI engine can operate leaner with stable and repeatable combustion process. However, existing literatures point to a long late-combustion duration and increased unburned hydrocarbon emissions in such retrofitted engines that maintained the original combustion chamber. Consequently, the main objective of this paper was to report recent findings of NG combustion characteristics inside a bowl-in-piston combustion chamber that will add to the general understanding of the phenomena. The new results indicated that the premixed NG burn inside the bowl-in-piston combustion chamber will separate into a bowl-burn and a squish-burn processes in terms of burning location and timing. The slow burning event in the squish region explains the low slope of the burn rate towards the end of combustion in existing studies (hence the longer late-combustion period). In addition, the less-favorable conditions for the combustion in the squish region explained the increased carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbon emissions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Gore ◽  
Kaushik Nonavinakere Vinod ◽  
Tiegang Fang

Abstract The study investigates a fuel mixture with ethane and methane as active species and a high dilution of CO2 for application in a spark-ignition (SI) engine. The simplified fuel mixture used is a byproduct of a chemical looping based oxidative dehydrogenation (Cl-ODH) process to convert ethane to ethylene. The byproduct gas mixture has a concentration of 41% CO2, 40% ethane, and 5% methane by weight along with other minor compounds. Varying mixtures of ethane and methane were selected and combined with between 42 to 46 percent by weight CO2 to evaluate the viability and efficiency of this fuel to operate in existing internal combustion engines as a means for reducing emissions and improving the process efficiency of the Cl-ODH process. An experimental test stand was built based on a 13 hp gasoline generator with modified gas induction. The engine was also instrumented for data acquisition from the engine. A gas metering and mixing system was installed to precisely control the mass of gases induced into the engine. Various instrumentation was installed on the engine to monitor in-cylinder pressure, temperature at various locations, emissions, and fuel and airflow rates. Varying loads were applied and flow rates of the gases were induced to simulate different mixtures. It was found that under a high load, the mixed gas was able to generate comparable thermal efficiency and power to gasoline. But under no load or a part load condition the indicated thermal efficiency was found to be lower than that of gasoline. Further, the mixed gas also resulted in lower CO and NOx emissions compared to gasoline. The application of this work is an alternative fuel for existing engines that with little modification can operate effectively and benefit the overall process of ethylene generation.


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