STM Journals Peer-reviewed research from Consortium e-Learning Network

Journal of Automobile Engineering and Applications

Modeling and Analysis of the Impact of Natural Gas Composition Variations on Combustion in a Dual Fuel Compression Ignition Engine

  1. Matthew Hulbert
  2. Wenbo Sui
  3. Mateos Kassa
  4. Carrie Michele Hall

Abstract

The desire to meet rising energy demands while simultaneously adhering to stringent climate policies has propelled advanced combustion technologies and alternative fuels. Natural gas (NG) is an attractive, domestically-available alternative that has been shown to achieve high efficiencies when used on dual fuel engines. However, the composition of NG can vary significantly depending on the source and these variations may detrimentally impact engine operation. To study these effects, a dual fuel engine simulation model was developed and calibrated against experimental data obtained from a heavy-duty 6-cylinder dual fuel compression ignition engine. Different NG compositions were studied on this simulation model to analyze the impact that composition plays on the combustion process in a dual fuel engine architecture. The results show that composition can play a significant role in the combustion efficiency, peak pressure, and combustion phasing. These impacts were studied in a constant equivalence ratio case in which differences in stoichiometric air-fuel ratios were taken into account. The results reveal that if variations in stoichiometric air-fuel ratio are accounted for, blends with high methane contents and low nitrogen behave similarly.

Keywords

Support