Performance And Emission Characteristics Of A Di Diesel Engine Using Hydrogen And Cotton Seed Methyl Ester Blends

Abstract

Engine Exhaust Emissions Are A Major Environmental Concern, Motivating The Search For Sustainable And Cleaner Alternatives To Conventional Diesel Fuel. While Vegetable Oil–based Fuels Are Renewable And Eco-friendly, Their Direct Use In Diesel Engines Often Results In Higher Smoke Emissions And Lower Thermal Efficiency. One Promising Strategy To Overcome These Drawbacks Is The Induction Of A Clean Gaseous Fuel, Such As Hydrogen, Into The Intake Manifold To Enhance The Combustion Process.In This Study, The Performance, Combustion, And Emission Characteristics Of A Single-cylinder, Four-stroke, Air-cooled, Variable Compression Ratio (VCR) Diesel Engine Were Evaluated Using A Dual-fuel Approach. Cotton Seed Methyl Ester (CSME B20) Was Used As The Primary Fuel, With Hydrogen Inducted At Flow Rates Of 4 LPM And 8 LPM Through The Intake Manifold. The Results Were Compared With Those From Conventional Diesel Operation.The Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE) Improved From 33.35% For Diesel To 33.65% And 35.12% With 4 LPM And 8 LPM Hydrogen Enrichment, Respectively, Under Full-load Conditions. The High Flame Propagation Speed Of Hydrogen Enhanced Air–fuel Mixing And Combustion, Leading To Improved Thermal Efficiency And Reduced Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC), Which Reached 0.24 Kg/kW•hr At 8 LPM. However, A Marginal Rise In NOₓ Emissions (up To 2120 Ppm) Was Observed Due To Elevated Combustion Temperatures. Conversely, Hydrogen Enrichment Significantly Lowered Smoke Opacity (from 66.9% At 4 LPM To 61.7% At 8 LPM), Carbon Monoxide (0.019% At Full Load), And Unburnt Hydrocarbons. Overall, CSME B20 With 8 LPM Hydrogen Exhibited The Best Performance, Indicating Its Potential As A Cleaner And Efficient Alternative Fuel For Compression Ignition Engines.

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