A Study on the Optimization of Combustion and Emission Performance in a Heavy-duty HCNG Engine

Although CNG is able to meet the current emission standards, it is expected to be impossible to satisfy the requirements of the next EURO-6 emission regulation without an additional after-treatment device. Hydrogen is known to be a gaseous fuel which features the wide flammability limit and the fast reactivity. A certain amount of hydrogen addition to CNG is able to extend the lean combustion range and produce lesser amounts of harmful emissions. In this research, the combustion and emission characteristics of HCNG(mixture of Hydrogen and CNG) fuel were experimented in an 11-liter heavy duty lean burn engine varying hydrogen contents, air-to-fuel ratio and spark timing. The optimization of this HCNG engine for a city bus was performed through the evaluations of oxidation catalyst characteristics.