Abstract
Finding an alternative fuel and solving the environmental pollution are the main targets for the future internal combustion engines. Hythane (Hydrogen – Methane) as a fuel is now considered as one of the alternative fuels due to its low pollutant emissions and high burning rate. An experimental study was carried out to obtain the fundamental data about the combustion and emission characteristics of pre-mixed Hydrogen and Methane in a Constant Volume Chamber (CVC) with various fractions of Hydrogen – Methane blends. A pre-mixed chamber was used to obtain a good mixture of the above gas. Exhaust emissions were measured using Horiba exhaust gas analyzer, for various fraction of Hydrogen – Methane blends. The results showed that the rapid combustion duration was shortened and rate of heat release increases as hydrogen fraction in fuel blends ratio was increased. Moreover, the maximum mean gas temperature and the maximum rate of pressure rises also increases. These phenomena were attributed to the burning velocity which increases exponentially with the increase of hydrogen fraction in fuel blends. Exhaust HC and CO2 concentration decreased while NOX emission increased with the increase of the hydrogen fraction in fuel blends. The knowledge from this experiment will facilitate the application of hydrogen along with Methane as a fuel to the current fossil hydrocarbon based economy and for the strict emission regulations in internal combustion engines.
Keywords: Hythane(Hydrogen-Methane) , Pre-mixed Chamber, Constant Volume Chamber (CVC), Combustion, Emission