A study on the hydrogen-ethyl alcohol dual fuel spark ignition engine

Hydrogen blending with ethyl alcohol has been suggested as a potential non-petroleum derived substitute for current reciprocating engine fuels. The usage of hydrogen as a supplementary fuel to the ethyl alcohol-air mixture for spark ignition engines results in a considerable improvement of the engine performance and reduction of the toxic components in the exhaust gases in comparison with the conventional spark ignition gasoline engine. The indices of the engine have been studied at various ratios of hydrogen and ethyl alcohol in the mixture. The results show that the supplemental hydrogen in the ethyl alcohol-air mixture improves the combustion process and hence, improves the combustion efficiency, increases the effective efficiency and power of the engine, reduces the specific fuel consumption and reduces toxic emissions. The results were compared to those with gasoline fuel at the same engine conditions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.