Hydrogen-Assisted IC Engine Combustion as a Route to Hydrogen Implementation

Andre Boehman ; Daniel Haworth

关键词: AUTOMOBILES;    BUSES;    COMBUSTION;    COMPRESSION;    DIESEL ENGINES;    EFFICIENCY;    ELECTROCHEMICAL ENERGY CONVERSION;    ENGINES;    FUEL CELLS;    HYDROGEN;    IGNITION;    IMPLEMENTATION;    MARKET;    MIXTURES;    NATURAL GAS;    OPTIMIZATION;    SPARK IGNITION ENGINES;    TRANSPORTATION SECTOR;   

DOI  :  10.2172/950700
RP-ID  :  None
PID  :  OSTI ID: 950700
Others  :  TRN: US200911%%51

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

The 'Freedom Car' Initiative announced by the Bush Administration has placed a significant emphasis on development of a hydrogen economy in the United States. While the hydrogen-fueled fuel-cell vehicle that is the focus of the 'Freedom Car' program would rely on electrochemical energy conversion, and despite the large amount of resources being devoted to its objectives, near-term implementation of hydrogen in the transportation sector is not likely to arise from fuel cell cars. Instead, fuel blending and ''hydrogen-assisted'' combustion are more realizable pathways for wide-scale hydrogen utilization within the next ten years. Thus, a large potential avenue for utilization of hydrogen in transportation applications is through blending with natural gas, since there is an existing market for natural-gas vehicles of various classes, and since hydrogen can provide a means of achieving even stricter emissions standards. Another potential avenue is through use of hydrogen to 'assist' diesel combustion to permit alternate combustion strategies that can achieve lower emissions and higher efficiency. This project focused on developing the underlying fundamental information to support technologies that will facilitate the introduction of coal-derived hydrogen into the market. Two paths were envisioned for hydrogen utilization in transportation applications. One is for hydrogen to be mixed with other fuels, specifically natural gas, to enhance performance in existing natural gas-fueled vehicles (e.g., transit buses) and provide a practical and marketable avenue to begin using hydrogen in the field. A second is to use hydrogen to enable alternative combustion modes in existing diesel engines, such as homogeneous charge compression ignition, to permit enhanced efficiency and reduced emissions. Thus, this project on hydrogen-assisted combustion encompassed two major objectives: (1) Optimization of hydrogen-natural gas mixture composition and utilization through laboratory studies of spark-ignition engine operation on H{sub 2}-NG and numerical simulation of the impact of hydrogen blending on the physical and chemical processes within the engine; and (2) Examination of hydrogen-assisted combustion in advanced compression-ignition engine processes. To that end, numerical capabilities were applied to the study of hydrogen assisted combustion and experimental facilities were developed to achieve the project objectives.