Hydrogen-methane blend fuelling of a heavy-duty, direct-injection engine

Combining hydrogen with natural gas as a fuel for internal combustion engines provides an early opportunity to introduce hydrogen into transportation applications. This study investigates the effects of fuelling a heavy-duty engine with a mixture of hydrogen and natural gas injected directly into the combustion chamber. The combustion system, developed for natural gas fuelling, is not modified for blended hydrogen operation. The results demonstrate that hydrogen can have a significant beneficial effect in reducing emissions without affecting efficiency or requiring significant engine modifications. Combustion stability is enhanced through the higher reactivity of the hydrogen, resulting in reduced emissions of unburned methane. The fuel’s lower carbon:energy ratio also reduces CO2 emissions. These results combine to significantly reduce tailpipe greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the effect on net GHG’s, including both tailpipe and fuelproduction emissions, depends on the source of the hydrogen. Cleaner sources, such as electrolysis based on renewables and hydro-electric power, generate a significant net reduction in GHG emissions. Hydrogen generated by steam-methane reforming is essentially GHG neutral, while electrolysis using electricity from fossil-fuel power plants significantly increases net GHG emissions compared to conventional natural gas fuelling.