Environment and Economic Assessment of CNG and Gasoline Engines: An Experimental Analysis

Effect of compression ratio on engine knock, performance, combustion and emission characteristics of a bi-fuel CNG engine

Numerical analysis of performance, combustion, and emission characteristics of PFI gasoline, PFI CNG, and DI CNG engine

Simulation of Dual-Fuel-CI and Single-Fuel-SI Engine Combustion Fueled with CNG

A study of spray development and combustion propagation processes of spark-ignited direct injection (SIDI) compressed natural gas (CNG)

The projected increase in the availability of gaseous fuels by growing popularity of household natural gas (NG) filling stations and the increase in the production of gaseous biogas-derived fuels is conducive to an increase in the use of NG fuel. Currently, natural gas in various forms (compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG)) is popular in maritime, rail and road transport. A new direction of natural gas application may be non-road mobile machines powered by a small spark-ignition engine (SI). The use of these engines in the wood chippers can cause the reduction of machine costs and emissions of harmful exhaust gases. In addition, plant material chippers intended for composting in bio-gas plants can be driven by the gas they are used to produce. The biogas can be purified to bio-methane to meet natural gas quality standards. The article presents the design of the natural gas supply system, which is an upgrade of the Lifan GX 390 combustion engine spark ignition engine (Four-stroke, OHV (over head valve) with a maximum power of 9.56 kW), which is a common representative of small gasoline engines. The engine is mounted in a cylindrical chipper designed for shredding branches with a maximum diameter of up to 100 mm, which is a typical machine used for cleaning work in urban areas. The engine powered by CNG and traditionally gasoline has been tested in real working conditions, when shredding cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh. Beitr. Naturk. 4:17. 1789 (Gartenkalender4:189–204. 1784)). Their diameter was ca. 80 mm, 3-metere-long, and humidity content ca. 25%. The systems were tested under the same actual operating conditions, the average power generated by the drives during shredding is about 0.69 kW. Based on the recorded results, it was found that the CNG-fuelled engine was characterized by nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions higher by 45%. The other effects of CNG were a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions of about 81%, 26% and 57%, respectively. Additionally, the use of CNG reduced fuel consumption by 31% and hourly estimated machine operating costs resulting from fuel costs by 53% (for average fuel price in Poland: gasoline: 0.99 EUR/L and CNG: 0.71 EUR/m3 on 08 November 2020). The modernization performed by the authors ensured the work of the drive unit during shredding, closer to the value of stoichiometric mixtures. The average (AVG) value of the air fuel ratio (AFR) for CNG was enriched by 1.2% (AVG AFR was 17), while for the gasoline engine the mixture was more enriched by 4.8% (AVG AFR was 14). The operation of spark-ignition (SI) combustion engines is most advantageous when burning stoichiometric mixtures due to the cooperation with exhaust aftertreatment systems (e.g., three-function catalytic converter). A system powered by CNG may be beneficial in systems adapting to operating conditions, used in low-power shredding machines, whose problem is increased HC emissions, and CNG combustion may reduce them. The developed system does not exceed the emission standards applicable in the European Union. For CO emissions expressed in g/kWh, it was about 95% lower than the permissible value, and HC + NOx emissions were 85% lower. This suggests that the use of the fuel in question may contribute to tightening up the permissible emission regulations for non-road machinery.

The natural gas as an alternative fuel has economical and environmental benefits. Bi-fuel engines powered by gasoline and compressed natural gas (CNG) are an intermediate and alternative step to dedicated CNG engines. The conversion to bi-fuel CNG engine could be a short-term solution to air pollution problem in many developing countries. In this paper a mathematical model of a bi-fuel four-stroke spark ignition (SI) engine is presented for comparative studies and analysis. It is based on the two-zone combustion model, and it has the ability to simulate turbulent combustion. The model is capable of predicting the cylinder temperature and pressure, heat transfer, brake work , brake thermal and volumetric efficiency, brake torque, brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), brake mean effective pressure (BMEP), concentration of CO2, brake specific CO (BSCO) and brake specific NOx (BSNOx). The effect of engine speed, equivalence ratio and performance parameters using gasoline and CNG fuels are analysed. The model has been validated by experimental data using the results obtained from a bi-fuel engine. The results show the capability of the model in terms of engine performance optimization and minimization of the emissions. The engine used in this study is a typical example of a modified bi-fuel engine conversion, which could benefit the researchers in the field. gas as an automotive fuel may bring a reduction of environmental pollutants and reduce the economic costs of the transportation sector. As an intermediate step, and an alternative to dedicated CNG engines bi-fuel engines, powered by gasoline and compressed natural gas (CNG) provide many opportunities. With regard to the climatic situation of some countries, and considering the existence of broad networks of gas distribution natural gas can be a suitable alternative to conventional fuels. The growth of bi-fuel vehicle usage in some countries is dependent on local strategies for the gasification of vehicles, which can be categorized in different levels, for example: workshop conversion of vehicles (short-term approach), factory production of bi-fuel engines (mid-term approach) designing and producing base CNG engine (long-term approach) (2).Developing bi-fuel engines (gasoline and CNG) in the short and mid-term is a strategy for achieving the emission targets in some countries. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the engine performance in these cases. In support of the development of such engines and to aid analysis and improvement in this study, a four-stroke bi-fuel spark ignition (SI) engine model is developed specifically for simulation of turbulent combustion. Furthermore, a thermodynamics model of a bi-fuel SI engine in Matlab environment has been developed based on mathematical model that it described in section 2, and validated by experimental data. This model modified for CNG and gasoline and it has ability for evaluating of the engine performance and the emissions characteristic.

A comparative energy and exergy analysis was experimentally performed using a bi‐fuel compressed natural gas (CNG) spark ignition engine. The experiments were conducted for gasoline and CNG fuel at 1700 rpm and different operating loads from 5 to 30 Nm. The experiments were performed under stoichiometric air‐fuel ratio and maximum brake torque ignition timing. Quantitative and qualitative analysis were conducted using the first and second law of thermodynamics, respectively. The effect of engine operating load on various energy and exergy parameters was compared for both the fuels. Output energy with respect to engine load was found higher for CNG compared to gasoline. Engine wall heat transfer was also higher in the CNG engine case due to its high combustion chamber temperature and lower burning velocity. The difference in heat transfer energy fraction between gasoline and CNG gradually increased with engine load. The exhaust energy was found maximum in the case of CNG under low operating load and reduced to a minimum at higher engine operating load. The unaccounted energy fraction was found lower for the CNG engine and reduced with respect to engine load. CNG exhibits the highest exergy efficiency (26.80%) compared to gasoline (25.50%) at 30 Nm load. On average, a 2% higher exergy efficiency was observed with the CNG engine at all operating load conditions. This indicates CNG has a higher potential to convert chemical energy present in the fuel into useful work output. CNG shows lower exergy destruction at all operating loads compared to gasoline, and it reduces significantly at higher engine loads. In all operating loads, exergy transfer due to exhaust gas and heat transfer to the wall was higher in the case of CNG.

Performance Analysis of A Spark Ignition Engine Using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as Fuel

Climate change and stringent emission regulations are driving the search for sustainable fuels for internal combustion engines. To address growing urbanization, increased vehicle use, and environmental concerns, researchers are exploring alternative fuels that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Compressed natural gas (CNG) is one of the most promising and ecologically friendly alternative fuels since it can be exploited in both compression ignition and spark ignition engines. Thus, this review article broadly and comprehensively focuses on the global background of CNG usage, aiming to attain the ambition of mitigating greenhouse gases and environmental pollution. Indeed, CNG projects carried out around the world and the suitable properties of CNG for internal combustion engines are critically presented. More importantly, the performance, combustion, and emission attributes of the CNG-fueled engines are evaluated and compared with those of conventional diesel and gasoline engines. The brake thermal efficiency of CNG is greater than that of gasoline, but it drops when compared to diesel because of the disparity in calorific value. Compared with conventional fuels, CNG has a lower peak cylinder pressure and heat release rate because its laminar flame speed is slower. In addition, the effects of operating parameters on CNG-fueled engines are also completely analyzed. Finally, the combustion strategies, limitations, and perspectives of CNG are discussed in detail.

Natural gas (NG) represents today a promising alternative to conventional fuels for road vehicles propulsion, since it is characterized by a relatively low cost, better geopolitical distribution than oil, and lower environmental impact. This explains the current spreading of compressed natural gas (CNG) fuelled spark ignition (SI) engine, above all in the bi-fuel version, which is able to run either with gasoline or with NG. However, the aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the emission characteristics at idling condition. The vehicle engine was converted to bifueling system from a gasoline engine, and operated separately either with gasoline or CNG. Two different fuel injection systems (i.e., multi-point injection (MPI)-sequential and closed-loop venturi-continuous) are used, and their influences on the formation of emissions at different operating conditions are examined. A detailed comparative analysis of the engine exhaust emissions using gasoline and CNG is made. The results indicate that the CNG shows low air index and lower emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and total hydrocarbon (THC) compared to gasoline.

Simulation of CNG Engine in Agriculture Vehicles. Part 1: Prediction of Cold Start Engine-Out Emissions Using Tabulated Chemistry and Stochastic Reactor Model

The global policy solution seeks to reduce the usage of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and biogas (BG) represents a solutions to these problems. The use of biogas could help cope with increased amounts of waste and reduce usage of fossil fuels. Biogas could be used in compressed natural gas (CNG) engines, but the engine electronic control unit (ECU) needs to be modified. In this research, a spark ignition (SI) engine was tested for mixtures of biogas and hydrogen (volumetric hydrogen concentration of 0, 14, 24, 33, and 43%). In all experiments, two cases of spark timing (ST) were used: the first for an optimal mixture and the second for CNG. The results show that hydrogen increases combustion quality and reduces incomplete combustion products. Because of BG’s lower burning speed, the advanced ST increased brake thermal efficiency (BTE) by 4.3% when the engine was running on biogas. Adding 14 vol% of hydrogen (H2) increases the burning speed of the mixture and enhances BTE by 2.6% at spark timing optimal for CNG (CNG ST) and 0.6% at the optimal mixture ST (mixture ST). Analyses of the rate of heat release (ROHR), temperature, and pressure increase in the cylinder were carried out using utility BURN in AVL BOOST software.

The Impact of Alternative Fuels on Fuel Consumption and Exhaust Emissions of Greenhouse Gases from Vehicles Featuring SI Engines

The basic intent of the present work is to evaluate the potential of using alternative gaseous fuels like compressed natural gas (CNG) and H2/CNG as a spark ignition (SI) engine (lean burn engines) fuel. Computer modeling of internal combustion engine is useful in understanding the complex processes that occur in the combustion chamber. This research deals with quasi-dimensional, two-zone thermodynamic simulation of four-stroke SI engine fueled with CNG and H2/CNG. The fraction of hydrogen in the H2/CNG blend, for simulation was varied from 0–60% by volume. The developed computer model has been used for the prediction of the combustion and emission characteristics of H2/CNG blended fuel in SI engines, which includes the power, thermal efficiency, cylinder pressure-crank angle history, exhaust emissions (NOx and CO), fuel consumption, combustion duration, ignition delay, etc. Predicted results indicate that the presence of hydrogen in H2/CNG blend can improve combustion duration as it has a higher flame speed. There are increases in oxides of nitrogen emissions, but decrease in carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions, when comparing H2/CNG blended fuel to neat CNG. The validity of the model has been carried out by comparing the computed results with experimental data obtained under same engine setup and operating conditions. The results obtained from the theoretical model when compared with those from experimental ones show a good agreement. Also, the effects of the many operating parameters such as equivalence ratio, engine speed, and spark timing have been studied.

Comparison between gasoline direct injection and compressed natural gas port fuel injection under maximum load condition