K.A. Subramanian

Reduction of GHGs Emissions in a Biodiesel Fueled Diesel Engine Using Hydrogen

The experimental tests were conducted on a 7.4 kW rated diesel engine fueled with biodiesel-diesel blend (B20) for quantitative evaluation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions. The result indicates that carbon dioxide (CO2) emission did not change significantly with B20 whereas methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions with B20 decreased marginally as compared to base diesel. In order to reduce further these emissions, the effect of hydrogen (H2: 20% energy share) on GHGs emissions in the biodiesel (B20) fueled diesel engine under dual fuel mode is assessed. CO2 emission decreased drastically with H2 due to higher thermal efficiency and lesser carbon content of the fuels than base diesel and B20 whereas CH4 and N2O emissions decreased significantly due to high temperature combustion. At rated load, CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions of the engine decreased about 46%, 22% and 27% respectively with biodiesel (B20)-H2 (20% energy share) under dual fuel mode as compared to conventional base B20 mode. A conclusion is clearly emerged from this study that the formation of CH4 and N2O emissions are dependent on in-cylinder pressure and temperature. Hydrogen addition to the diesel engine is an effective solution to reduce CO2 along with CH4 and N2O emissions.Copyright