This content is not included in
your SAE MOBILUS subscription, or you are not logged in.
A Single-Cylinder Engine Study of Hydrogen-Rich Fuels
Annotation ability available
Sector:
Language:
English
Abstract
Hydrogen-rich fuels, via lean operating ability, potentially offer both emission control opportunities and engine efficiency gains not possible with gasoline. With a single-cylinder engine, the emission characteristics of two types of hydrogen-rich fuels were evaluated.
The first fuel contained various proportions of hydrogen and gasoline. The test objective was to determine whether increasing HEF, the fraction of total fuel energy supplied by hydrogen, would significantly reduce HC emission at ultra-lean conditions. While holding NOx emission comparable to a 0.4 g/mile equivalent, HC emission was reduced 50 percent by increasing HEF from 0.13 to 0.48. However, even with this maximum practical level of hydrogen enrichment, the resulting HC emission was not significantly different than values obtained with richer mixtures of gasoline and still far in excess of a 0.41 g/mile equivalent. Therefore, hydrogen enrichment does not appear to be a sufficient means of reducing HC emission.
The second type of hydrogen-rich fuel was a simulated product of an on-vehicle hydrogen generator that reforms gasoline into a gaseous mixture of CO, H2, CH4, and various diluents. Fueling a single-cylinder engine totally on this mixture at an equivalence ratio = 0.55 resulted in NOx and HC emission levels well below those obtainable with gasoline and possibly consistent with the most stringent future vehicle standards. CO emission was slightly higher than values characteristic of lean operation with gasoline. Major drawbacks to this concept for reducing emissions are: 1) the requirement of precise mixture control, 2) the fuel economy penalties exacted for converting gasoline to hydrogen-rich mixtures, and 3) the power losses in naturally aspirated engines operating on gaseous fuels containing large diluent fractions.
Recommended Content
Authors
Topic
Citation
Parks, F., "A Single-Cylinder Engine Study of Hydrogen-Rich Fuels," SAE Technical Paper 760099, 1976, https://doi.org/10.4271/760099.Also In
References
- Stebar R. F. Parks F. B. “Emission Control with Lean Operation Using Hydrogen-Supplemented Fuel,” Paper 740187 SAE Automotive Engineering Congress Detroit, Michigan February 1974
- Breshears R. Cotrill H. Rupe J. “Hydrogen Injection for Internal Combustion Engines,” Council on Environmental Quality Advisory Committee on Alternative Automotive Power Systems June 1974
- Hoehn F. W. Dowdy M. W. “Feasibility Demonstration of a Road Vehicle Fueled with Hydrogen-Enriched Gasoline,” Paper 749105 Proceedings of the 9th Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference San Francisco, California American Society of Mechanical Engineers 1974 956
- “Basic Considerations in the Combustion of Hydrocarbon Fuels with Air,” N.A.C.A. Report 1300 1957
- Houseman J. Cerini D. J. “On-Board Hydrogen Generator for a Partial Hydrogen Injection I.C. Engine,” Paper 740600 SAE West Coast Meeting Anaheim, California August 1974
- Johnson R. W. Agarwal P. D. Neuman J. G. “Programmable Energy Ignition System for Engine Optimization,” Paper 750348 SAE Automotive Engineering Congress Detroit, Michigan February 1974
- MacDonald J. S. “Evaluation of the Hydrogen-Supplemented Fuel Concept with an Experimental Multicylinder Engine,” SAE Automotive Engineering Congress Detroit, Michigan February 1976
- Hilden D. L. Parks F. B. “A Single Cylinder Engine Study of Methanol - Emphasis on Organic Emissions,” SAE Automotive Engineering Congress Detroit, Michigan February 1976
- Sorensen H. “The Boston Reformed Fuel Car - A Low Polluting Gasoline Fuel System for Internal Combustion Engines,” Paper 729218 Proceedings of 7th Intersociety Energy Conversion Conference San Diego, California September 1972
- Quader A. A. “Why Intake Charge Dilution Decreases Nitric Oxide Emission from Spark Ignition Engines,” Paper 710009 SAE Automotive Engineering Congress Detroit, Michigan January 1971
- Le Chatelier H. “Estimation of Fire-damp by Flammability Limits,” Ann. Mines 19 8 1891