Abstract
Using hydrogen as an additive for combustion enhancing in conventional diesel engines has been investigated in the last decade, with some promising outcomes. In the present work, hydrogen assisted diesel combustion was experimentally investigated on a 3.7 liters, naturally aspirated tractor engine, with a focus on exhaust emissions. Two types of experiments have been performed: firstly by diesel fuel treatment with hydrogen according to a special procedure at controlled pressure and temperature and secondly by adding hydrogen to the intake air.
Experiments were carried out at partial loads (20%, 40% and 60% of maximum output) and various speeds. The results show significant reductions of smoke. Predominantly CO and CO2 decreased, while NOx increased with higher proportions of hydrogen.
Keywords: assisted combustion, diesel engine, hydrogen, emissions