Dual Fuel Use of JP-8 and Hydrogen for Improved Compression Ignition Engine Performance

With the advent of more efficient hydrogen reforming systems, a practical hydrogen source has lead to investigations on the operating characteristics of diesel (JP-8) engines with a hydrogen/syngas additive. Several sources have reported that higher thermal efficiencies and lower pollution occur when hydrogen is added to the fuel stream. The objective of this proposal is to experimentally quantify the advantages of using (reformed) hydrogen to supplement JP-8 in modern CI engines. The results of this project will be used to determine what fuel-hydrogen ratios are most advantageous for engine performance and pollution mitigation. Based on the results of engine performance testing, the integration with available JP-8 reformer hardware will be evaluated.The objective of this project is to determine the effect on engine performance of introducing hydrogen/syngas into a compression ignition engine and develop a means to integrate the in-situ hydrogen/syngas production into a comprehensive system. Specific technical objectives include the experimental determination of the effects of mixing hydrogen and/or syngas with JP-8 on combustion thermal efficiency and emissions, and assessment of system level impacts such as performance, size, weight, safety, scaling and cost.