Impact of Hydrogen Mixture on Fuel Consumption and Exhaust Gas Emissions in a Truck with Direct-Injection Diesel Engine

Hydrogen addition affects the composition of exhaust gases in vehicles. However, the effects of hydrogen addition to compression ignition engines in running vehicles have not been evaluated. Hydrogen-mixed air was introduced into the air intake of a truck equipped with a direct-injection diesel engine and running on a chassis dynamometer to investigate the effect of hydrogen addition on fuel consumption and exhaust gas components. The reduction in diesel consumption and the increase in hydrogen energy share (HES) showed almost linear dependence, where the percentage decrease in diesel consumption is approximately 0.6 x HES. The percentage reduction of CO2 showed a one-to-one relationship to the reduction in diesel consumption. The reduction in emissions of CO, PM, and hydrocarbons (except for ethylene) had one to one or a larger correlation with the reduction of diesel consumption. On the other hand, it was observed that NOx emissions increased, and the percentage increase of NOx was 1.5-2.0 times that of HES. The requirement for total energy supply was more when hydrogen was added than for diesel alone. In the actual running mode, only 50% of the energy of added hydrogen was used to power the truck. As no adjustments were made to the engine in this experiment, a possible disadvantage that could be improved by adjusting the combustion conditions.

Automated summary

Hydrogen addition affects the composition of exhaust gases in vehicles. The study investigated the effects of hydrogen addition on fuel consumption and exhaust gas components in a truck with a direct-injection diesel engine. The results showed a linear dependence between the reduction in diesel consumption and the increase in hydrogen energy share. However, there was an increase in NOx emissions when hydrogen was added.