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CFD Study of Dual Fuel Combustion in a Research Diesel Engine Fueled by Hydrogen

Author

Listed:
  • Maria Cristina Cameretti

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy)

  • Roberta De Robbio

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy)

  • Ezio Mancaruso

    (STEMS—CNR, Viale G. Marconi 4, 80125 Naples, Italy)

  • Marco Palomba

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy)

Abstract

Superior fuel economy, higher torque and durability have led to the diesel engine being widely used in a variety of fields of application, such as road transport, agricultural vehicles, earth moving machines and marine propulsion, as well as fixed installations for electrical power generation. However, diesel engines are plagued by high emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO x ), particulate matter (PM) and carbon dioxide when conventional fuel is used. One possible solution is to use low-carbon gaseous fuel alongside diesel fuel by operating in a dual-fuel (DF) configuration, as this system provides a low implementation cost alternative for the improvement of combustion efficiency in the conventional diesel engine. An initial step in this direction involved the replacement of diesel fuel with natural gas. However, the consequent high levels of unburned hydrocarbons produced due to non-optimized engines led to a shift to carbon-free fuels, such as hydrogen. Hydrogen can be injected into the intake manifold, where it premixes with air, then the addition of a small amount of diesel fuel, auto-igniting easily, provides multiple ignition sources for the gas. To evaluate the efficiency and pollutant emissions in dual-fuel diesel-hydrogen combustion, a numerical CFD analysis was conducted and validated with the aid of experimental measurements on a research engine acquired at the test bench. The process of ignition of diesel fuel and flame propagation through a premixed air-hydrogen charge was represented the Autoignition-Induced Flame Propagation model included ANSYS-Forte software. Because of the inefficient operating conditions associated with the combustion, the methodology was significantly improved by evaluating the laminar flame speed as a function of pressure, temperature and equivalence ratio using Chemkin-Pro software. A numerical comparison was carried out among full hydrogen, full methane and different hydrogen-methane mixtures with the same energy input in each case. The use of full hydrogen was characterized by enhanced combustion, higher thermal efficiency and lower carbon emissions. However, the higher temperatures that occurred for hydrogen combustion led to higher NO x emissions.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria Cristina Cameretti & Roberta De Robbio & Ezio Mancaruso & Marco Palomba, 2022. "CFD Study of Dual Fuel Combustion in a Research Diesel Engine Fueled by Hydrogen," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-21, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:15:p:5521-:d:875743
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Roberta De Robbio & Maria Cristina Cameretti & Ezio Mancaruso & Raffaele Tuccillo & Bianca Maria Vaglieco, 2021. "CFD Study and Experimental Validation of a Dual Fuel Engine: Effect of Engine Speed," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-24, July.
    2. Li, Yu & Li, Hailin & Guo, Hongsheng & Li, Yongzhi & Yao, Mingfa, 2017. "A numerical investigation on methane combustion and emissions from a natural gas-diesel dual fuel engine using CFD model," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 153-162.
    3. Pham, Quangkhai & Park, Sungwook & Agarwal, Avinash Kumar & Park, Suhan, 2022. "Review of dual-fuel combustion in the compression-ignition engine: Spray, combustion, and emission," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
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    Cited by:

    1. Elsayed Abdelhameed & Hiroshi Tashima, 2022. "EGR and Emulsified Fuel Combination Effects on the Combustion, Performance, and NOx Emissions in Marine Diesel Engines," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-22, December.
    2. Maria Cristina Cameretti & Roberta De Robbio & Marco Palomba, 2023. "Numerical Analysis of Dual Fuel Combustion in a Medium Speed Marine Engine Supplied with Methane/Hydrogen Blends," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-22, September.
    3. Saad Ahmad & Ali Turab Jafry & Muteeb ul Haq & Naseem Abbas & Huma Ajab & Arif Hussain & Uzair Sajjad, 2023. "Performance and Emission Characteristics of Second-Generation Biodiesel with Oxygenated Additives," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-33, July.

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