Experimental investigation of higher flow rate of hydrogen fuel in CRDI Diesel Engine

Abstract

In the current scenario, fossil fuels will probably be depleted soon due to higher vehicular growth and fossil fuel consumption. Moreover, there is increased risk of global warming by the continued release of greenhouse gases by fossil fuel combustion. Therefore, it is crucial to replace fossil fuels at the earliest stage. Among the many alternate fuels that have been successfully identified and tested in the existing engines, hydrogen and ethanol have many benefits over others and secure a special place in the alternative fuels group due to their eco-friendly and renewable nature. These fuels are used in conventional SI and CI engines with and without any modifications. Since hydrogen has a low Cetane Number (CN) and higher auto-ignition temperature, it cannot auto-ignite when used in a CRDI engine. However, appropriate engine modification supports the autoignition of higher hydrogen flow rates in a CRDI engine. Considering the properties of hydrogen, the research work is carried out in a CRDI engine with five different phases to utilise maximum replacement of diesel energy share by using hydrogen as fuel. newlineThe prime intention of this work is to reduce diesel fuel consumption in a CRDI engine using hydrogen. The experiment was conducted up to 6.08 bar BMEP at constant speed (1500 RPM) in a water-cooled CRDI engine. The first phase was investigated with a maximum of 15 liter per min (LPM) of hydrogen induction in the CRDI engine. At 15 LPM of hydrogen induction, desirable outcome was not acquired. Therefore, in the second phase, the intake-controlled flow rate of hydrogen up to 36 LPM was achieved by injecting it into the inlet manifold. newline