Exploring Hydrogen–Diesel Dual Fuel Combustion in a Light-Duty Engine: A Numerical Investigation

Francesco Scrignoli, Alfredo Maria Pisapia, Tommaso Savioli, Ezio Mancaruso, Enrico Mattarelli and Carlo Alberto Rinaldini ()
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Francesco Scrignoli: Dipartimento di Ingegneria “Enzo Ferrari”, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Via Pietro Vivarelli 10, 41125 Modena, Italy
Alfredo Maria Pisapia: Dipartimento di Ingegneria “Enzo Ferrari”, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Via Pietro Vivarelli 10, 41125 Modena, Italy
Tommaso Savioli: Atris Engineering s.r.l., Via Luigi Cherubini 5, 41122 Modena, Italy
Ezio Mancaruso: STEMS-CNR, Via Guglielmo Marconi 4, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Enrico Mattarelli: Dipartimento di Ingegneria “Enzo Ferrari”, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Via Pietro Vivarelli 10, 41125 Modena, Italy
Carlo Alberto Rinaldini: Dipartimento di Ingegneria “Enzo Ferrari”, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Via Pietro Vivarelli 10, 41125 Modena, Italy

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-25

Abstract: Dual fuel combustion has gained attention as a cost-effective solution for reducing the pollutant emissions of internal combustion engines. The typical approach is combining a conventional high-reactivity fossil fuel (diesel fuel) with a sustainable low-reactivity fuel, such as bio-methane, ethanol, or green hydrogen. The last one is particularly interesting, as in theory it produces only water and NO x when it burns. However, integrating hydrogen into stock diesel engines is far from trivial due to a number of theoretical and practical challenges, mainly related to the control of combustion at different loads and speeds. The use of 3D-CFD simulation, supported by experimental data, appears to be the most effective way to address these issues. This study investigates the hydrogen-diesel dual fuel concept implemented with minimum modifications in a light-duty diesel engine (2.8 L, 4-cylinder, direct injection with common rail), considering two operating points representing typical partial and full load conditions for a light commercial vehicle or an industrial engine. The numerical analysis explores the effects of progressively replacing diesel fuel with hydrogen, up to 80% of the total energy input. The goal is to assess how this substitution affects engine performance and combustion characteristics. The results show that a moderate hydrogen substitution improves brake thermal efficiency, while higher substitution rates present quite a severe challenge. To address these issues, the diesel fuel injection strategy is optimized under dual fuel operation. The research findings are promising, but they also indicate that further investigations are needed at high hydrogen substitution rates in order to exploit the potential of the concept.

Keywords: dual fuel combustion; hydrogen; 3D-CFD simulation; fuel injection strategy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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