Quantitative assessment of small-bore gasoline direct injection engine for homogenous stoichiometric lean condition with hydrogen addition in dual fuel mode

Abstract

The global hunt for the sustainable fuel for the energy and transportation has reached the newer dimensions. The advancement in the engine technology makes the viable solution to fit the hydrogen as the working fuel for both CI and SI engines. The physio-chemical chemical properties of hydrogen have the apt fitment for the SI engine. With the advancement in the automotive electronics and precision control of the fuel handling system makes hydrogen a workable option for the replacement for the conventional fuels. In this research hydrogen was inducted into the intake manifold and Gasoline is injected directly into the cylinder of the small-bore Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) Engine at wide open throttle condition. The intake manifold is slightly modified to accommodate the hydrogen induction system (0–8 Litres Per Minute), where premixed mixture of hydrogen and air is formed in the intake manifold; the equivalence ratio of 1.0, 1.02 and 1.08 was set for the given hydrogen induction. The engine conditions were set as 3000 rpm with five hydrogen addition fractions of 0 %, 1.5 %, 2.8 %, 4.2 % and 5.8 % respectively. The hydrogen induction improves the combustion rate and mean effective pressure; shorten the flame propagation, maximize the heat release rate and peak pressure attainment. Maximum of 16 % increase in the peak pressure is attained for the λ = 1 for the 5.8 % hydrogen addition fraction. On the emission side, consistent decrease in CO and HC emission; and increase of NO emission, since the mean gas temperature has increased.