Development and feasibility assessment of on-board catalytic reforming system for LPG engine to produce hydrogen in the transient state

Abstract

Despite tightening greenhouse gas regulations and the trend of electrification of power train, if hybrid systems are considered, internal combustion engines are expected to be used consistently. Therefore, research on low-emission engines that can be instantly applied should be continued. Liquefied petroleum gas is a low pollutant fuel applicable to spark ignition engines as an alternative fuel. In this study, to maximize the advantages of liquefied petroleum gas, a catalytic reforming system was applied to an internal combustion engine and tested under actual operating conditions. A catalytic reforming system is a technology that reforms a part of the fuel supplied to the engine through a reforming catalyst and supplies it to the intake manifold. When properly controlled, fuel efficiency and pollutant emissions can be improved. To effectively operate the system, the engine was controlled by dividing operating conditions into a general driving zone, a lean burn zone, and a catalytic reforming zone. finally, the fuel efficiency and NOx emissions were evaluated. As a result of the evaluation under the modified FTP-72 condition, NOx emission was reduced by 22.83%, and fuel efficiency was improved by 3.01%.