Combustion and specific fuel consumption evaluation of a single-cylinder engine fueled with ethanol, gasoline, and a hydrogen-rich mixture

Abstract

This study evaluates the effects of adding a hydrogen gaseous mixture (HGM) to primary fuel in a single cylinder research engine (SCRE). Storage and transportation of high-purity hydrogen limit the application of this gas. With the development of fuel reforming methods, using hydrogen-enriched mixtures in spark-ignited internal combustion engines is a convenient option to fossil fuels. Ethanol and gasoline were used as primary fuel by direct injection (DI), and gaseous mixture was added by fumigation system (FS). The experimental analysis was developed in Spark Ignition (SI) four-stroke engine 4 valves and 0.45 L of cubic capacity. For each operation condition and primary fuel, spark timing and amount of HGM were adjusted in order to keep air-fuel ratio stochiometric (λ = 1,00). However, the spark timing and the percentage of gas varied, aiming to evaluate the behavior of the air-fuel mixture. It was evaluated the specific fuel consumption and the evolution of the combustion process. The results showed that the addition of reformed gas promotes acceleration of the combustion process ethanol and gasoline. Results were expressive when using ethanol. A reduction in fuel-specific consumption - for this fuel - with combustion centralized, which did not occur when gasoline was employed.