Abstract
The hydrogenation process of petroleum fuels may contribute significantly by combustion process acceleration to the improvement of engines efficiency with beneficial effects on performance and emissions.
The present contribution describes the results of experimental researches carried out on petrol and a diesel engine where gasoline and diesel fuel were mixed with a hydrogen rich gas produced by the dynamic electrical dissociation of water. The hydrogen rich gas analysis shows the presence of hydrogen and oxygen together with high reactive species like OH, HO2, H2O2.
Experiments have been performed at different engine loads and speeds. Detailed results of the measurements are shown, viz. engine torque and efficiency, exhaust emissions, cyclic variability, heat release rates and combustion duration. The possibilities of improving engines performance and emissions in correlation with the amount of hydrogen rich gas and the mixing parameters, the equivalence ratio and the engines operating condition are thus outlined.