Numerical Analysis of the IC Engine Working Cycle with Gaseous Fuels (Compressed Natural Gas – CNG and Hydrogen)

Abstract

The reduction of oil reserves and ecological problems, are a threat the sustainability of IC engines. Alternative fuels can be very good way to maintain the existence of IC engines, as well as to reduce the emission of harmful components. The promising gaseous fuels are compressed natural gas – CNG and Hydrogen. Gaseous fuels are much better from the aspect of mixture formation and complete combustion. The simulation of the IC engine working cycle for these two fuels was performed by usage of ANSYS software package. In order to compare the results, the same boundary conditions were used in both analyses. Results have shown great differences in the working cycle for different fuels. The hydrogen as fuel gives better performances, but it can cause greater mechanical loads of the engine, as well as because of the high combustion temperatures it have tendency for nitrogen oxides NOx formation. It was concluded that is necessary to work on the optimization of injection and ignition parameters, in order to improve performances and emission for both fuels. It is not adequate to use the same parameters because of differences of chemical and physical characteristics of used fuels.

Keywords: IC engine, gaseous fuels, ANSYS, CNG, hydrogen