OPTICAL-GRAPHIC STUDIES OF HYDROGEN ADDITIVES’ EFFECTS ON DIESEL FUEL ATOMIZATION PARAMETERS

Abstract

This paper considers a promising method of enhancing the effectiveness of diesel engines. This method uses the addition of hydrogen in a small amount (up to 2% by mass). The hydrogen additive is added to the high-pressure fuel line before the injector. Based on the experimental findings, a reduction in the engine’s specific fuel consumption of up to 3% was achieved in comparison to the baseline configuration. A research study was conducted at the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding using a newly established experimental setup to assess the impact of hydrogen additives on primary fuel delivery, spray characteristics, and overall engine performance. Among the experiments conducted, one investigated fuel atomization parameters, focusing on how the presence of hydrogen in the fuel influenced the fuel jet’s characteristics. A high-speed camera with a high resolution was used to record the optical-graphic study to isolate and extract individual shots of the torch’s expansion, thus obtaining images devoid of ignition and flickering. After conducting image processing and constructing jet models, along with subsequent analysis, it becomes apparent that the addition of hydrogen to the primary fuel results in an enhancement of spray quality. The torch volume expanded by approximately 10% to 15%, while the jet length diminished by approximately 8% to 10%. Consequently, the average diameter of the atomized fuel droplets decreases by up to 10%, with the extent of reduction contingent upon the initial parameters and configurations.