Study of Spark-Ignition Engine Fueled with Hydrogen Produced by the Reaction Between Aluminum and Water in Presence of KOH

Abstract

Hydrogen is seen as one of the important energy vectors of the century. There are several alternatives procedures to produce it in high purity; aluminum corrosion could be considered as one of the most attractive ones. The use of hydrogen derived with this process in spark-ignition engines forms a promising approach to decarbonize hydrogen production and secure domestic energy supply. This study describes the development of an experimental setup for hydrogen production and testing a SI engine in the hydrogen-fueled mode. This paper investigates the effect of aluminum thickness (specific surface) and alkali concentration on the reaction rate. The experimental results show that an increase in alkali concentration and a reduction in aluminum thickness increase hydrogen production rate. The produced hydrogen was used as fuel for a single-cylinder spark-ignition engine. The experiments were conducted under various engine speeds. It is found that hydrogen combustion produces a lower exhaust gas temperature than gasoline, although $$\hbox {NO}_{{x}}$$ emissions decrease about 11 times compared to gasoline. It was expected that CO, $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$ and HC levels are zero when the engine is supplied with hydrogen, but it is found that there is a slight trace of CO, $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$ and HC due to combustion and evaporation of lubricant on cylinder walls.