• Energy Research

Alternative fuels and energy vectors are becoming increasingly important in terms of technical, geopolitical, economic, and environmental aspects. In particular, gaseous fuels and vectors, such as fossil or synthetic natural gas (NG) blended with hydrogen, commonly help provide optimal strategies to reduce global and toxic emissions of internal combustion engines, owing to their adaptability, anti-knock capacity, lower toxicity of pollutants, reduced CO2 emissions, and costeffectiveness. However, diesel engines still represent the reference category among internal combustion engines in terms of maximum thermodynamic efficiency. The possibility offered by dual-fuel (DF) systems to combine the efficiency and performance of diesel engines with the environmental advantages of gaseous fuels has been the subject of extensive investigations. However, the simple replacement of diesel fuel with gaseous fuel does not allow for optimising the engine performance, owing to the high percentage of unburned gaseous fuel, which compromises the potential reduction of CO2; therefore, more complex combustion strategies should be realised. In this study, with the aim of improving the DF combustion process, an experimental investigation was performed to analyse low-temperature combustion (LTC), using NG and two enriched hydrogen-compressed NG blends as primary fuels. The LTC mode was activated by means of a very early advanced pilot injection and carried out in two close steps. The double pilot injection was used to control the energy release rate in the first combustion stage, thereby minimizing the increase of the rate of pressure and allowing the extension of the operation range under LTC. The experimental activity was also focused on analysing the particle emissions, as it is well known that these emissions, together with those of nitrogen oxide, constitute the main pollutants resulting from diesel fuel combustion. The results demonstrated the potential to reduce the unburned fuel, NOx, and particle emissions simultaneously, while maintaining equivalent CO2 emissions to a diesel-only engine. Both the timing and pressure of the pilot injection proved to be critical parameters for optimising the emissions and performance

In themediumtolongterm,lowfossilfuelavailabilitywillmakeitnecessarytofindalternatives.Mass productionofbiofuelswillnotbeapracticalsolutionbecauseitrequiresstrongcompetitionforland that isusedforgrowingfood.Therefore,itwillbenecessarytorevisetheframeoftransportation energy sources.Thenumberofpurelight-andheavy-dutyelectricvehiclescouldincreaseinurban areas.Instead,itwillbehardtofindaviablealternativetotheinternalcombustionengineforextra- urban transportvehicles,thereforealternativesyntheticfuelscouldbeusedtocompensateforfossil fuel depletion.Asidefromasmallshareobtainablefrombiomass,mostsyntheticfuelsareexpectedto be obtainedfromcoal.Amongthese,syntheticnaturalgasrepresentsaverygoodsolution.Infact, syntheticnaturalgaswillbeadvantageouswithrespecttohydrogen,whoseon-boardstoragewillbean unsolvedprobleminthemediumterm,andwithrespecttosyntheticliquidfuels,whichrequiremore energy intheproductionphase.Moreover,thecarboncontentofliquidfuels,whichishigherthanthat of gaseousfuels,willberesponsibleforhigherCO2 emissionsfromvehicles.Currently,naturalgashas poor diffusioninthetransportsector,andthispaperhighlightsthemotivationsforfavouringapolicy aimedatincreasingtheshareofgaseousfuel-poweredvehicles.Inadditiontothelowenvironmental impact,syntheticnaturalgasalsooffersthepossibilityofoptimisingtheutilisationoffutureresources

Phased injection of natural gas into internal combustion marine engines is a promising solution for optimizing performance and reducing harmful emissions, particularly unburned methane, a potent greenhouse gas. This innovative practice distinguishes itself from continuous injection because it allows for more precise control of the combustion process with only a slight increase in system complexity. By synchronizing the injection of natural gas with the intake and exhaust valve opening and closing times while also considering the gas path in the manifolds, methane release into the atmosphere is significantly reduced, making a substantial contribution to efforts to address climate change. Moreover, phased injection improves the efficiency of marine engines, resulting in reduced overall fuel consumption, lower fuel costs, and increased ship autonomy. This technology has been tested on a single-cylinder, large-bore, four-stroke research engine designed for marine applications, operating in dual-fuel mode with diesel and natural gas. Performance was compared with that of the conventional continuous feeding method. Evaluation of the effect on equivalent CO2 emissions indicates a potential reduction of up to approximately 20%. This reduction effectively brings greenhouse gas emissions below those of the diesel baseline case, especially when injection control is combined with supercharging control to optimize the air-fuel ratio.

In this experimental work, the influence of some bio-fuels on the spark-ignition engine combustion efficiency and engine-out emissions was investigated. A conventional 1.6 l port injection engine was tested over steady-states, with some bio-ethanol/gasoline blends (0, 10, 20, 30, and 85 vol% of ethanol in gasoline) and with a 10 vol% of n-butanol in gasoline. Study of combustion development was made through the heat release analysis of pressure cycles measured in combustion chamber. Regulated emissions, unregulated organics (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, carbonyl compounds and Volatile Organic Compounds) and particulate were measured. Particulate was characterized in terms of total particle number (PN) and size distribution between 7 nm up to 10 lm. The tests were carried out at stoichiometric conditions in closed loop and spark advance was optimized with a calibration tool software in order to have the same peak pressure position. By fueling the alcohol blends, the engine-out particulate emissions are strongly reduced compared to gasoline. The PN reduction percentage ranges between 60% and 90%. The benefits also concern some gaseous unregulated species very harmful for humans, such as benzene and benzo(a)pyrene (reduction of almost 50% and 70% respectively). The highest oxygen content of alcohol blends, instead, provides an increasing of the total carbonylic emissions.

Biomass, in form of residues and waste, can be used to produce energy with low environmental impact. It is important to use the feedstock close to the places where waste are available, and with the shortest conversion pathway, to maximize the process efficiency. In particular waste vegetable oil and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste represent a good source for fuel production in urban areas. Dual fuel engines could be taken into consideration for an efficient management of these wastes. In fact, the dual fuel technology can achieve overall efficiencies typical of diesel engines with a cleaner exhaust emission. In this paper the feasibility of a cogeneration system fuelled with waste vegetable oil and biogas is discussed and the evaluation of performance and emissions is reported on the base of experimental activities on dual fuel heavy duty engine in comparison with diesel and spark ignition engines. The ratio of biogas potential from MSW and biodiesel potential from waste vegetable oil was estimated and it results suitable for dual fuel fuelling. An electric power installation of 70 kW every 10,000 people could be achieved.

Hydrogen added to natural gas improves the process of combustion with the possibility to develop engines with higher performance and lower environmental impact. In this paper experimental and numerical analyses on a multi cylinder stoichiometric heavy duty engine, fuelled with natural gasehydrogen blends, are reported. Some constrains on hydrogen content and maximum load achievable have limited the scope of investigation. A specific modelling of the reference engine was developed to extend the study at full load condition and at higher hydrogen content. The results showed a higher combustion speed when hydrogen content in the fuel is increased. However, the positive effect of shorter combustion duration on thermal efficiency is mitigated by higher wall heat loss, due to higher combustion temperatures. Therefore lower CO2 emissions are due only to the substitution of natural gas with hydrogen, making crucial the way of hydrogen producing to have a benefit on well-to-wheel CO2 emissions.

An original method for formulating surrogate fuels from actual syngas mixtures is presented and formalised. The method is the first example in the scientific literature of a rather complete tool for planning and setting up a laboratory syngas-fuelled engine test when some components of the syngas mixture are not available. Basically, the method allows a map to be built that provides the composition for a surrogate fuel once the composition of a syngas mixture is assigned, the components of a surrogate fuel are selected and the equivalence parameters are defined. The laminar flame speed, the energy density of the fuel–air mixture and the methane number are identified as equivalence parameters in the study. In particular, the proper laminar flame speed and energy density ensure that an engine fuelled by the surrogate mixture produces the same indicated power as it would when fuelled by the original syngas. Instead, the methane number allows for checking the fact that the tendency of the engine to knock is the same or greater than the knock tendency during syngas operation. In this article, the method is used to determine the hydrogen–methane–nitrogen mixtures corresponding to six five-component syngas mixtures, resulting from actual gasification processes. The laminar flame speed and methane number of each syngas mixture are estimated by means of simple original models aimed at either improving the predicting capabilities of existing models or allowing for a prompt application of the procedure. The results show that four of the six surrogate fuels are equally or more knock-prone than the original syngas mixtures, whereas only one of the two remaining surrogate fuels likely imposes a retardation of the spark advance in the final setup of the engine for actual syngas operation.

Energy sustainability implies the increase of share of renewable sources, as well as the reduction of inefficiencies during generation and distribution. However, a large use of renewable intermittent energy sources, such as solar and wind, in power plants and in small generators distributed could complicate the electrical grid. An important aspect of the impact of electrical networks operating on the distribution system concerns the regulation of voltage. In the case of surplus of electricity decentralized production, energy storage could be a viable solution. In this scenario the production of hydrogen by electrolysis as energy carrier, with oxygen as a byproduct, can become appealing. Hydrogen in urban areas could easily be used in blends with natural gas in urban vehicle fleets. This solution is flexible regarding the amount of hydrogen available and in any case natural gas is the best choice for the internal combustion engine for urban fleets. The use of natural gas in stoichiometric or lean burn engines guarantees a very low level of toxic emissions and zero particulate matter without the need of a trap, even after the vehicle has accumulated a considerable mileage. In particular, only the NOx emissions are harmful, since the emission of hydrocarbons are mainly composed of methane, which is not toxic to human health. In this paper the effect of the addition of hydrogen to natural gas, in the amount of 15% by volume, on the emission of a stoichiometric and a lean burn heavy duty engine was studied. The tests were carried out on the European transient cycle. The results show that with the stoichiometric engine no special attention must be put in the supply change while with the lean burn engine the problem of poor NOx control suggests adjusting the calibration of ignition; with the aim of not ompromising the engine emission.