i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 7 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 3 2 0 9 e1 3 2 1 8

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Performance of a hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine

at different hydrogen volume fractions in the hydroxygen

Shuofeng Wang, Changwei Ji*, Bo Zhang, Xiaolong Liu

College of Environmental and Energy Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, No. 100 PingLeYuan Chaoyang district, Beijing 100124,
China

article info abstract

Article history: The gasoline engines always encounter the deteriorated thermal efficiency and increased
Received 13 December 2011 toxic emissions at part load conditions. This paper investigated the effect of hydrogen/
Received in revised form oxygen blends (hydroxygen) addition on the performance of a gasoline engine at different
2 March 2012 hydrogen volume fractions in the hydroxygen. The experiment was conducted on a 1.6 L
Accepted 11 March 2012 gasoline engine equipped with a hydrogen and oxygen port injection system. A hybrid
Available online 22 April 2012 electronic control unit was adopted to control the spark timing and the injection timings
and durations of hydrogen, oxygen and gasoline. The test was performed at a typical city
Keywords: driving speed of 1400 rpm, a manifolds absolute pressure of 61.5 kPa and two excess
Hydrogen-oxygen blends oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20. The overall volume fraction of the hydroxygen in the total
Gasoline intake gas was fixed at 3%. The hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen was raised
Combustion from 0% to 100% by changing the injection durations of hydrogen and oxygen. The test
Emissions results demonstrated that the engine thermal efficiency was obviously increased with the
SI engines increase of hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen. The fuel energy flow rate of the
3% hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine was lower than that of the original engine when
the hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen exceeded 70%. Both the flame develop-
ment and propagation periods were shortened after the hydroxygen addition. HC, CO and
NOx emissions were decreased with the increase of hydrogen volume fraction in the
hydroxygen. But NOx emissions of the hydroxygen-blended engine were higher than those
of the original engine for all hydrogen volume fractions in the hydroxygen. Moreover, at an
excess oxygen ratio of 1.00, CO from the 3% hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine was also
higher than that from the original engine. The reduced particulate emissions can be
obtained only at relatively high hydrogen volume fractions in the hydroxygen.
Copyright ª 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights
reserved.

1. Introduction
Concerning the energy security and environmental protec-
tion, improving the combustion and emissions characteristics
of the spark-ignited (SI) engines has attracted more and more
attention in recent years. Hydrogen has been proved to be one
of the most clean and promising alternative fuels that can be
applied on SI engines [1e3]. Compared with gasoline,
hydrogen possesses a lower ignition energy and a wider
flammability which enable the hydrogen engines to run
smoothly at lean conditions [4,5]. As the raised oxygen
concentration at lean conditions permits the fuel-air mixtures

* Corresponding author. Tel./fax: þ86 1067392126.

E-mail address: chwji@bjut.edu.cn (C. Ji).
0360-3199/$ e see front matter Copyright ª 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2012.03.072
13210 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 7 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 3 2 0 9 e1 3 2 1 8
to be combusted more completely, the elevated excess air
ratio benefits increasing thermal efficiency for the hydrogen
engines. Meanwhile, the combustion and diffusion speeds of
hydrogen are also higher than those of gasoline [6,7]. Thus, the
hydrogen engines are able to gain the shortened combustion
duration which avails reducing the cooling and exhaust los-
ses. But, the volume energy density of hydrogen is obviously
lower than that of gasoline. Therefore, the hydrogen engines
tend to encounter the dropped power output at high loads [8].
Besides, the high flame temperature of hydrogen also leads to
the increased NOx emissions for hydrogen engines [9,10].
Although the application of lean combustion could reduce
NOx emissions to some extent, the dropped fuel energy flow
rate at lean conditions tends to further decrease the engine
power output.
Orhan and Bauer [11,12] found that the addition of
hydrogen was effective on extending the lean burn limit of
hydrocarbon fuels. Besides, it was demonstrated that the
addition of hydrogen could enhance the flame stability of
hydrocarbon fuels at lean conditions. Wang and Huang et al.
[13e15] carried out a series of numerical and experimental
investigations on the effect of hydrogen addition on the
combustion characteristics of methane-air flames. The results
showed that the addition of hydrogen helped stimulate the
formation of O and OH radicals which availed accelerating the
chain reaction of combustion for the hydrogen-methane-air
blends. They also found that the laminar burning velocity of
methane was increased exponentially with the increase of
hydrogen addition fraction. Besides, it was reported that the
addition of hydrogen was beneficial for improving the ignit-
ability of hydrocarbon fuels [16e18].
Since the addition of hydrogen avails improving the
combustion and physicochemical properties of hydrocarbon
fuels, adding small amount of hydrogen to the engine is also
capable of enhancing the engine performance [19e22]. Ma
et al. [23e26] found that thermal efficiency of the natural gas
engine was effectively improved after hydrogen addition.
Besides, because of the wide flammability of hydrogen, the
engine cyclic variation was mitigated and the lean burn limit
was extended with the increase of hydrogen addition fraction.
Huang and Wang et al. [27,28] carried out experiments to
investigate the effect of hydrogen blending on methane
combustion in SI engines. The experimental results showed
that the engine combustion duration was shortened and the
fluctuations in combustion were reduced with the increase of
hydrogen blending level. Lucas et al. [29] ran an SI engine with
the pure hydrogen at idle, and then with the hydrogen-
gasoline blends when the load was raised. The test results
demonstrated that the engine thermal efficiency was
improved by at least 10% after using this strategy. Ji et al.
[30e33] conducted a series of investigations on the perfor-
mance of the hydrogen-blended gasoline engines. The results
showed that the addition of hydrogen was effective on
reducing HC and CO emissions from the gasoline engines at
cold start. Because of the dropped fuel consumption after
hydrogen addition, NOx emissions from the hydrogen-
blended gasoline engines were also lower than those from
the original gasoline engines at idle condition. Moreover, the
addition of hydrogen was capable of easing the cyclic varia-
tion and extending the engine lean burn limit.
Except for HC, NOx and CO emissions, particulate emis-
sions resulting from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels
are also regarded as carcinogens. Thus, in the new European
test procedures, particulate emissions from the gasoline
engines have been exacted. Zhao and Stone et al. [34] studied
the effect of hydrogen addition on particulate emissions from
the gasoline engines. The experimental results showed that
both the number and mass concentrations of the particulate
emissions were reduced by about 95% when the hydrogen
addition fraction was increased from 0% to 10%. Besides, the
effect of hydrogen addition on reducing the engine particulate
emissions was more pronounced at low loads than at high
loads.
Although many investigations have proved that the
hydrogen addition is able to improve the engine performance,
the hydrogen refilling and on-board storage are still barriers
blocking the application of hydrogen on the vehicles [35]. In
recent years, the on-board hydrogen generator which
produces hydrogen by water electrolysis provides a feasible
solution for the hydrogen supplement on the vehicles. When
the water is electrolyzed, the oxygen is also produced along
with the hydrogen. Since the oxygen is a combustion
promoter, the addition of oxygen to the fuel-air mixtures
seems to be capable of further enhancing the fuel combustion
process [36]. Dulger et al. [37] used a water electrolysis
hydrogen generator to provide the hydrogen-oxygen blends
(hydroxygen) for vehicles. He found that the addition of
hydroxygen was effective on improving the engine thermal
efficiency. Bari et al. [38] also studied the performance of
a diesel engine blended with the hydroxygen at a constant
hydrogen-to-oxygen volume ratio of 2:1. The experimental
results demonstrated that, the engine thermal efficiency was
increased whereas HC and CO emissions were decreased with
the increase of hydroxygen blending fraction.
However, although some researches have investigated the
effect of hydroxygen addition on the performance of SI
engines, the hydrogen and oxygen are generally premixed
before being introduced into the cylinder and the hydrogen-
to-oxygen volume ratio is roughly fixed at 2:1 in those exper-
iments [36e39]. Since hydrogen has a low ignition energy and
the hydroxygen is prepared at the stoichiometric condition,
the premixed hydrogen-oxygen blends are likely to encounter
the backfire in the intake manifolds. Besides, it is not
a necessity to keep the hydrogen-to-oxygen volume ratio at
2:1 if the hydrogen and oxygen could be injected into the
cylinder separately through their own injectors. Moreover, the
effect of hydroxygen addition on the particulate emissions
from the gasoline engines is still not reported publicly. Thus,
there is a strong motivation to quantitatively investigate the
effect of changing the hydrogen volume fraction in the
hydroxygen on the combustion and particulate emissions
characteristics of the gasoline engines. This paper experi-
mentally investigated the performance of a gasoline engine
blended with the hydroxygen with various hydrogen volume
fractions in the hydrogen-oxygen mixtures at an engine speed
of 1400 rpm and an intake manifolds absolute pressure (MAP)
of 61.5 kPa. The hydrogen and oxygen were introduced into
the cylinders separately through their own injectors. A hybrid
electronic control unit was developed to control the opening
and closing of hydrogen, oxygen and gasoline injectors so that
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 7 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 3 2 0 9 e1 3 2 1 8 13211

the hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen and excess
oxygen ratio of the hydrogen-oxygen-gasoline-air mixtures
can be adjusted freely in the experiment. Moreover, a DMS-
500 fast particulate spectrometer was used to measure the
particulate emissions from the hydroxygen-blended gasoline
engines.
2. Experimental setup and procedure
2.1. Experimental setup
The test engine is a 1.6 L, four-cylinder SI engine manufac-
tured by Beijing Hyundai Motors. The engine possesses a rated
power of 82.32 kW at 6000 rpm and a rated torque of 143.28 Nm
at 4500 rpm. To realize the hydrogen and oxygen port injec-
tions, four hydrogen injectors connecting with a hydrogen rail
are mounted on the intake manifolds underneath the original
gasoline injectors, and an oxygen injector is fixed at the intake
plenum. A self-developed hybrid electronic control unit
(HECU) which acquires sensor signals from the engine original
electronic control unit (OECU) and commands from a calibra-
tion computer is adopted to govern the opening and closing of
the gasoline, hydrogen and oxygen injectors, so that the
hydroxygen blending fraction, hydrogen volume fraction in
the hydroxygen and global excess oxygen ratio of the fuel-air
mixtures can be adjusted freely. The hydrogen and oxygen are
stored at 16 MPa in cylinders separately outside the lab. When
the test begins, both the hydrogen and oxygen are supplied to
the hydrogen rail and oxygen injector at 0.3 MPa after pressure
regulation, respectively.
Fig. 1 displays the schematic diagram of the experimental
system. A GW 160 eddy current dynamometer is adopted to
control engine speed by automatically adjusting the load
applied on the engine (measurement deviations: 1 rpm in
speed, 0.28 Nm in torque). An FC2210 fuel mass flow meter
is adopted to measure the gasoline mass flow rate
(measurement uncertainty: < 0.33 g/min). The air, oxygen
and hydrogen mass flow rates are monitored by a 20N060,
a D07-19B and a D07-19BM thermal mass flow meters,
respectively (measurement uncertainties: <0.1 L/min for
air, <0.02 L/min for the hydrogen and oxygen). A Kistler
2613B optical encoder is connected to the crank shaft to
collect crank angle signals (crank angle resolution: 0.2  CA,
measurement deviation <0.01  CA). A Kistler 6117BCD17
cylinder pressure transducer with a spark plug is used to
acquire the cylinder pressure and enforce the ignition of the
fourth cylinder (measurement uncertainty: <0.3 bar). The
crank angle and cylinder pressure signals are recorded and
treated by a Dewetron combustion analyzer to extract some
in-depth combustion information. The exhaust emissions of
NOx, HC and CO are measured by a Horiba MEXA-7100DEGR
emissions analyzer. The measurement sensitivities are
1 ppm for all emissions. NOx emissions are measured by the

Fig. 1 e Schematics of the experimental system. 1. Oxygen cylinder; 2. Oxygen pressure adjuster; 3. Oxygen pressure
indicator; 4. Oxygen flow meter; 5. Hydrogen cylinder assembly; 6. Hydrogen pressure adjuster; 7. Hydrogen pressure
indicator; 8. Hydrogen flow meter; 9. Air flow meter; 10. Throttle; 11. Idle bypass valve; 12. Oxygen injector; 13. Original
electronic control unit (OECU); 14. Hybrid electronic control unit (HECU); 15. Calibration computer; 16. Fuel tank; 17. Fuel
mass flow meter; 18. Fuel pump; 19. Ignition module; 20. Gasoline injector; 21. Flame arrestor; 22. Hydrogen injector; 23.
Pressure transducer with spark plug; 24. Oxygen sensor; 25. A/F analyzer; 26. Sampling pipe; 27. Emission analyzer; 28. Fast
particulate spectrometer; 29. Combustion analyzer; 30. A/D converter; 31. Charge amplifier; 32. Optical encoder; 33.
Crankshaft a. Signals from OECU to HECU b1. Signals from the calibration computer to HECU b2. Signals from HECU to the
calibration computer.
13212 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 7 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 3 2 0 9 e1 3 2 1 8

Table 1 e Combustion and emissions characteristics of the original gasoline engine.

 
hi/% Ef/103J/min CA0-10/ CA CA10-90/ CA Tmax/K Tevo/K HC/ppm CO/ppm NOx/ppm

l ¼ 1.00 35.25 1860 25.13 21.86 2159 1246 1929 3474 2859
l ¼ 1.20 35.80 1600 31.27 24.95 1935 1145 1849 840 1812

chemiluminescent method, HC emissions are determined by
the hydrogen flame ionization detection method, and CO
emission is detected by the nondispersive infrared method.
The measurement uncertainties are less than 1% of the
measured values for all emissions. The number and diameter
of the particulate emissions are measured by a DMS500 fast
particulate spectrometer (measurement uncertainty: < 10%
of the measured values in both size and number of the
particulate emissions).
2.2. Experimental procedure
During the experiment, the coolant and lubricant oil

temperatures were kept at (90  1) and (95  1) C, respec-
tively. A typical city-driving speed of 1400 rpm was selected
as the testing speed [40]. The intake manifolds absolute
pressure (MAP) was maintained at 61.5 kPa by adjusting the
opening of the main throttle in all testing conditions. The
volume fraction of the hydrogen-oxygen blends in the total
intake gas was kept at 3%. At a given hydroxygen volume
fraction in the total intake gas, the hydrogen volume frac-
tion in the hydroxygen was increased from 0% to 100% by
adjusting the injection durations of the hydrogen and
oxygen. For the specified hydroxygen volume fraction in
the intake and hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxy-
gen, the gasoline injection duration was adjusted to keep
the global excess oxygen ratios of the fuel-air mixtures at
1.00 and 1.20, respectively. The spark timings for the
maximum brake torque (MBT) were adopted to permit the
engine to gain the best performance in all testing condi-
tions. The hydroxygen volume fraction in the total intake
gas (a), hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen (g),
global excess oxygen ratio (l) and the fuel energy flow rates
(Ef) of the hydroxygen-gasoline-air mixtures are defined as:
heating values of hydrogen and gasoline (LHVH2 ¼ 120 kJ/kg,
LHVgas ¼ 44 kJ/kg).
For the comparison purpose, the original gasoline
engine’s performance was also tested at the same condi-
tions. Table 1 shows the combustion and emissions charac-
teristics of the original gasoline engine at 1400 rpm, a MAP of
61.5 kPa, MBT spark timing and two excess oxygen ratios of
1.00 and 1.20.
For each testing point, the in-cylinder pressures for over
200 consecutive cycles were collected and analyzed through
the Dewe-CA combustion analysis software to obtain the
profiles of in-cylinder pressure versus crank angle, and then
deduce the curves of CA0e10 and CA10e90, etc against
hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen.
3. Results and discussions
3.1. Indicated thermal efficiency and fuel energy flow
rate
Indicated thermal efficiency (hi) is an important parameter
reflecting the engine fuel economy. Fig. 2 shows the varia-
tions of hi with hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen
at two excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20. It can be found
from Fig. 2 that the engine indicated thermal efficiency is
generally heightened after the hydroxygen addition, except
for that at an excess oxygen ratio of 1.00 when the hydrogen
volume fraction in the hydroxygen is lower than 10%. This is
because the high flame speed of hydrogen stimulates the
combustion of the hydroxygen-gasoline mixtures, and

a ¼ ½ðVH2 þ VO2 Þ=ðVH2 þ VO2 þ Vair Þ  100% (1)

g ¼ ½VH2 =ðVH2 þ VO2 Þ  100% (2)

l ¼ ð0:21Vair þ VO2 rO2 =ðVH2 rH2 OFst;H2 þ mgas OFst;gas Þ (3)

Ef ¼ VH2 rH2 LHVH2 þ mgas LHVgas (4)

In Eqs. (1)e(4), VH2 , VO2 and Vair represent the hydrogen,

oxygen and air volume flow rates [L/min] (temperature:
273.15 K; pressure: 101.325 kPa); rH2 and rO2 symbolize the
hydrogen and oxygen densities at normal condition [g/L]
(temperature: 273.15 K; pressure: 101.325 kPa); mgas is the
gasoline mass flow rate [g/min]; OFst;H2 and OFst;gas are the
stoichiometric oxygen-to-fuel ratios of hydrogen and gasoline Fig. 2 e hi versus g at 1400 rpm, a MAP of 61.5 kPa and two
(OFst;H2 ¼ 8:0OFst;gas ¼ 3:6); LHVH2 and LHVgas are the lower excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20.
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 7 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 3 2 0 9 e1 3 2 1 8
therefore reduces the exhaust loss for the hydroxygen-
blended gasoline engine. On the other hand, the increased
oxygen concentration after the hydroxygen blending also
enables the fuel-air mixtures to be burnt more completely.
Thereby, the engine indicated thermal efficiency is generally
improved with the hydroxygen addition. However, at the
stoichiometric condition, the raised oxygen concentration
after the hydroxygen addition means more gasoline is
injected into the cylinder. Since gasoline is a liquid fuel, the
raised gasoline flow rate requires the enhanced charge
motion to form the homogeneous fuel-air mixtures. As the
engine speed and the intake manifolds absolute pressure are
kept at the constant values, the charge motion in the
cylinder changes only a little after the hydroxygen addition
at low hydrogen fractions in the hydrogen-oxygen blends.
Thus, the deteriorated homogeneity of the fuel-air mixtures
tends to be encountered with the hydroxygen addition at low
hydrogen fractions in the hydrogen-oxygen blends, which
blocks the fast and complete combustion of the fuel-air
mixtures.
Fig. 2 demonstrates that, for a given hydroxygen volume
fraction in the total intake gas of 3%, the engine indicated
thermal efficiency is roughly raised with the increase of
hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen. When the
hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen elevates from 0%
to 100%, the engine indicated thermal efficiency is increased
by about 5.3% and 6.9% at the excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and
1.20, respectively. This could be explained by the fact that the
hydrogen possesses a higher diffusion speed than oxygen and
gasoline. So, the increased hydrogen volume fraction in the
hydroxygen benefits improving the homogeneity of the fuel-
air mixtures. Moreover, as the hydrogen has a higher flame
speed than gasoline, the increased hydrogen volume fraction
in the hydroxygen also permits the hydroxygen-gasoline-air
blends to gain the shortened combustion duration which
avails reducing the engine cooling and exhaust losses. It can
be seen from Fig. 2 that, for a given g, the engine indicated
thermal efficiency is further improved when the excess
oxygen ratio is increased from 1.00 to 1.20. This can be
attributed to the fact that the raised excess oxygen ratio
symbolizes the dropped fuel flow rate which helps decreasing
the combustion temperature and therefore reduces the engine
cooling loss. Moreover, the increased oxygen concentration
could also promote the complete combustion of the fuel-air
mixtures, and therefore benefits improving the engine
thermal efficiency.
The fuel energy flow rate (Ef) directly affects the engine
power output and working capability. Fig. 3 depicts the vari-
ations of Ef with hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen
at 1400 rpm, a MAP of 61.5 kPa and two excess oxygen ratios of
1.00 and 1.20. Fig. 3 shows that, at a given excess oxygen ratio,
the fuel energy flow rate is steadily decreased with the
increase of hydrogen volume fraction in the intake, due to the
low volume energy density of hydrogen. When the hydrogen
volume fraction in the hydroxygen rises from 0% to 100%, Ef is
decreased by about 16.0% and 16.1% at the two excess oxygen
ratios of 1.00 and 1.20, respectively. Fig. 3 also indicates that,
for a specified excess oxygen ratio, the fuel energy flow rate of
the 3% hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine is lower than that
of the original engine when the hydrogen volume fraction in
13213
Fig. 3 e Ef versus g at 1400 rpm, a MAP of 61.5 kPa and two
excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20.
the hydroxygen exceeds about 70%. Thus, it can be deduced
that the further increased hydrogen volume fraction in the
hydroxygen tends to block the engine power output.
3.2. Combustion analysis
Flame development (CA0-10) and propagation (CA10-90)
periods are important parameters for judging the combustion
process. Fig. 4a and b plot the variations of CA0-10 and CA10-
90 with hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen at
1400 rpm, a MAP of 61.5 kPa and two excess oxygen ratios of
1.00 and 1.20, respectively. CA0-10 and CA10-90 are defined as
the crank angle durations from the spark discharge to 10% and
from 10% to 90% heat release of the total fuel, respectively. As
it is shown in Fig. 4, for a specified excess oxygen ratio, both
CA0-10 and CA10-90 of the 3% hydroxygen-blended gasoline
engine are obviously shorter than those of the original engine.
This is because the low ignition energy and high flame speed
of hydrogen permits the hydroxygen-gasoline blends to be
combusted faster than the gasoline. Besides, at low hydrogen
volume fractions in the hydroxygen, as the raised oxygen
concentration enables more gasoline to be introduced into the
cylinders, the combustion temperature is raised after the
hydroxygen blending (see Fig. 5). Because the enhanced
cylinder temperature avails the fast burning of the fuel-air
mixtures, the addition of hydroxygen is also capable of
shortening CA0-10 and CA10-90 at low (g)s.
It can be found from Fig. 4a that, at an excess oxygen ratio
of 1.00, CA0-10 is slightly prolonged with the increase of
hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen. However, when
the excess oxygen ratio is increased to 1.20, the elevated
hydrogen fraction in the hydroxygen contributes to the
decreased CA0-10. The possible explanation could be attrib-
uted to the fact that the fuel can be burnt well at the stoi-
chiometric condition. But the increased hydrogen volume
fraction in the hydroxygen leads to the dropped fuel energy
flow rate which results in the decreased combustion
13214 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 7 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 3 2 0 9 e1 3 2 1 8
Fig. 4 e (a) CA0-10 versus g at 1400 rpm, a MAP of 61.5 kPa
and two excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20. (b) CA10-90
versus g at 1400 rpm, a MAP of 61.5 kPa and two excess
oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20.
temperature. Thereby, CA0-10 is gradually prolonged with the
increase of hydrogen blending fraction at the stoichiometric
condition. Comparatively, since the gasoline has a narrow
flammability, the burning speed of the gasoline-air mixtures
tends to be decreased at lean conditions. As the addition of
hydrogen promotes the formation of O and OH radicals which
benefit stimulating the chain reaction speed of combustion
[13,14], CA0-10 is slightly shortened with the increase of
hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen at lean
conditions.
Fig. 4b demonstrates that, at a specified excess oxygen
ratio, CA10-90 is generally prolonged with the increase of
hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen for the 3%
hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine. This is because the
flame speed is directly related with the combustion temper-
ature [41]. As the increased hydrogen volume fraction in the
hydroxygen causes the dropped combustion temperature (see
Fig. 5), CA10-90 is generally prolonged with the increase of a.
When hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen rises from
Fig. 5 e (a) Tmax versus g at 1400 rpm, a MAP of 61.5 kPa
and two excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20. (b) Tevo
versus g at 1400 rpm, a MAP of 61.5 kPa and two excess
oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20.
0% to 100%, CA10-90 is increased by about 3.9% and 6.2% at the
excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20, respectively.
The maximum cylinder temperature (Tmax) directly affects
the formation of NOx emissions and the cylinder temperature
at the exhaust valve opening (Tevo) indicates the engine
exhaust loss. Fig. 5a and b display the variations of Tmax and
Tevo with hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen at
1400 rpm, a MAP of 61.5 kPa and two excess oxygen ratios of
1.00 and 1.20, respectively. It can be seen from Fig. 5 that,
because of the decreased fuel energy flow rate, both Tmax and
Tevo are steadily decreased with the increase of hydrogen
volume fraction in the hydroxygen at a given excess oxygen
ratio. Fig. 5a shows that, since the wide flammability and low
ignition energy of hydrogen enhance the combustion of the
hydroxygen-gasoline blends at lean conditions, Tmax of the
3% hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine is higher than that of
the original engine at an excess oxygen ratio of 1.20. At
a specified excess oxygen ratio of 1.00, Tmax of the 3%
hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine is higher than that of the
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 7 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 3 2 0 9 e1 3 2 1 8
original engine only when the hydrogen volume fraction in
the hydroxygen is smaller than about 70%. This is because the
gasoline can be burnt well at the stoichiometric condition.
Thus, as the increased hydrogen fraction in the hydroxygen
decreases the fuel energy flow rate, Tmax of the 3%
hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine is dropped lower than
that of the original engine when hydrogen volume fraction in
the hydroxygen exceeds 70%. It can be found from Fig. 5b that,
because of the dropped fuel energy flow rate and high burning
speed of hydrogen, Tevo is also reduced with the increase of
hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen. As it is shown in
Fig. 5b, Tevo is decreased by 10.8% and 10.5% when the
hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen rises from 0% to
100% at two excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20, respectively.
However, because of the obviously increased fuel energy flow
rate (see Fig. 3), Tevo of the 3% hydroxygen-blended gasoline
engine is higher than that of the original engine when the
hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen is smaller than
70%. Since Tevo reflects the engine exhaust loss to some
extent, it can be deduced that the increased hydrogen volume
fraction in the hydroxygen benefits reducing the engine
exhaust loss.
4. Emissions
The gasoline engines exhaust large amounts of HC, CO and
NOx emissions. Besides, because of the incomplete combus-
tion, particulate emissions could also be formed in the gaso-
line engines. This section discusses the effect of hydroxygen
addition on the engine HC, CO, NOx and particulate emissions
before a three way catalytic convertor.
Fig. 6 depicts the HC emissions against hydrogen volume
fraction in the hydroxygen at 1400 rpm, a MAP of 61.5 kPa and
two excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20. It can be seen from
Fig. 6 that HC emissions from the 3% hydroxygen-blended
gasoline engine are lower than those from the original
engine for all hydrogen volume fractions in the hydroxygen at
two excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20. Besides, the
Fig. 6 e HC emissions versus g at 1400 rpm, a MAP of
61.5 kPa and two excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20.
13215
increased hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen avails
further reducing HC emissions from the gasoline engine. At
the stoichiometric condition, HC emissions are decreased
from 1929 ppm of the original gasoline engine to 1437 ppm of
the 3% hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine at a hydrogen
volume fraction in the hydroxygen of 100%. This is because
the hydrogen possesses a short quenching distance which
benefits reducing the HC emissions caused by the crevice
effect. Besides, for a given excess oxygen ratio, the gasoline is
gradually replaced by the hydrogen when the hydrogen
volume fraction in the hydroxygen is increased. Thereby, HC
emissions are markedly reduced with the increase of
hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen. As the raised
oxygen concentration helps the complete combustion of the
fuel-air mixtures, for a given hydrogen volume fraction in the
hydroxygen, HC emissions are further decreased when the
excess oxygen ratio rises from 1.00 to 1.20.
The variations of CO emission with hydrogen volume
fraction in the hydroxygen at 1400 rpm, a MAP of 61.5 kPa and
two excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20 are plotted in Fig. 7.
As it is shown in Fig. 7, since the gasoline is gradually replaced
by the hydrogen with the increase of hydrogen volume frac-
tion in the hydroxygen, CO is decreased after raising the
hydrogen fraction in the hydroxygen. Meanwhile, because the
wide flammability and high flame speed of hydrogen
contribute to the enhanced combustion of the fuel-air
mixtures at lean conditions, CO from the 3% hydroxygen-
blended gasoline engine is roughly lower than that from the
original engine at an excess oxygen ratio of 1.20. However, the
addition of hydroxygen tends to adversely stimulate the
formation of CO emission at the stoichiometric condition. The
possible explanation could be ascribed to the fact that, at low
hydrogen volume fractions in the hydroxygen, the addition of
oxygen-rich air enables more gasoline to be injected into the
cylinders at a specified excess oxygen ratio. Since the engine
speed and MAP are not changed for all testing points, less
improvement in the charge motion could be expected at low
hydrogen fractions in the hydroxygen. Thus, the further
added gasoline can not be well mixed with the air to form the
Fig. 7 e CO emission versus g at 1400 rpm, a MAP of
61.5 kPa and two excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20.
13216 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 7 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 3 2 0 9 e1 3 2 1 8

formation of NOx emissions at lean conditions when the

hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen is lower than
30%. But when the hydrogen is further added, the decreased
cylinder temperature makes NOx emissions decrease again at
an excess oxygen ratio of 1.20.
Fig. 9a and b display the effect of changing the hydrogen
volume fraction in the hydroxygen on the particulate number
(N) and diameter (Dp) of the gasoline engine at 1400 rpm,
a MAP of 61.5 kPa under two excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and
1.20, respectively. Since the test engine is a naturally-
aspirated gasoline engine, the diameter of the particulate
emissions is relatively smaller than that from the GDI and
diesel engines. It can be seen from Fig. 9 that, the particulate
diameter from the gasoline engine changed little after
hydroxygen blending and raising the excess oxygen ratio. It is
found from Fig. 9 that, for all excess oxygen ratios, the number
of particulate emissions is decreased with the increase of
Fig. 8 e NOx emissions versus g at 1400 rpm, a MAP of hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen. Moreover, at
61.5 kPa and two excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and 1.20. low hydrogen concentrations, the addition of hydroxygen
causes the increased particulate number. This is because the
particulate emissions are generally produced by the incom-
plete combustion of hydrocarbon fuels. Since the gasoline
flow rate is increased after the hydroxygen addition at low (g)
homogeneous fuel-air mixtures and finally results in the
increased CO emission after the hydroxygen addition at low
(g)s. When the hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen is
increased, the low ignition energy of hydrogen enables the
hydrogen to be ignited and combusted earlier than gasoline.
As the hydrogen has a large stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio
and a high flame speed, the combustion of hydrogen tends to
quickly consume the oxygen and result in some lean-oxygen
areas in the cylinder. Thus, since CO can be easily formed in
these fuel-rich areas, CO emission is also increased after the
hydroxygen addition at high hydrogen volume fractions in the
intake. In Ref. [25], Ma et al. also found that adding small
amount of hydrogen may result in the increased CO emission
for the methane engine at the stoichiometric condition.
Fig. 8 displays the variations of NOx emissions with
hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen at 1400 rpm,
a MAP of 61.5 kPa and two excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and
1.20. Fig. 8 shows that, for a given excess oxygen ratio, NOx
emissions are increased after the blending of hydroxygen due
to the elevated cylinder temperature. It is found from Fig. 8
that, at a hydroxygen volume fraction in the intake gas of
3%, NOx emissions are continuously reduced with the
increase of hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen. This
is because NOx emissions are directly influenced by the peak
cylinder temperature. Since Tmax is decreased after
increasing the hydrogen concentration in the hydroxygen (see
Fig. 5a), NOx emissions are reduced accordingly with the
increased of hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen.
Fig. 8 also indicates that, when the hydrogen volume fraction
in the hydroxygen is lower than 30%, the increased excess
oxygen ratio results in the raised NOx emissions for the 3%
hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine at an excess oxygen
ratio of 1.20. The reason could be attributed to the fact that,
besides the peak cylinder temperature, the oxygen concen- Fig. 9 e (a) Particulate number versus Dm at 1400 rpm,
tration in the cylinder also affects the formation of NOx a MAP of 61.5 kPa and an excess oxygen ratio of 1.00. (b)
emissions. Although the peak cylinder temperature is drop- Particulate number versus Dm at 1400 rpm, a MAP of
ped, the increased oxygen concentration stimulates the 61.5 kPa and an excess oxygen ratio of 1.20.
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f h y d r o g e n e n e r g y 3 7 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 3 2 0 9 e1 3 2 1 8
s, the particulate number is raised with the decrease of
hydrogen volume fraction in the intake. Comparatively, as the
addition of hydrogen inhibits the growth of polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons which would develop into particulate
nuclei [42], the particulate number is reduced with the
increase of hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen.
Moreover, it has been reported that either increasing the
combustion temperature or decreasing the exhaust temper-
ature may result in the increased particulate emissions
[43,44]. As it is shown in Fig. 5, the raised Tmax and reduced
Tevo are found for the engine blended with 3% hydroxygen at
a hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen of 66.9%, which
tend to cause the increased particulate emissions for the
hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine at an excess oxygen
ratio of 1.20 and an a of 66.9%. Comparatively, at an excess
oxygen ratio of 1.00, limited differences in Tmax and Tevo are
found between the original engine and the 3% hydroxygen-
blended gasoline engine at an a of 66.9%. As the gasoline
flow rate is slightly reduced after the hydroxygen addition at
an a of 66.9%, the 3% hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine
with a hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen of 66.9%
could expel smaller amounts of particulate emissions than
the original gasoline engine.
5. Conclusions
This paper experimentally investigated the effect of changing
the hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen on
combustion and emissions performance of an SI gasoline
engine at an engine speed of 1400 rpm and a manifolds
absolute pressure of 61.5 kPa. The main conclusions are
summarized as follows:
1. The engine indicated thermal efficiency is increased
after adding 3% hydroxygen in the total intake gas for
nearly all hydrogen volume fractions in the hydroxygen.
The increased hydrogen volume fraction in the
hydroxygen benefits further improving the engine indi-
cated thermal efficiency. When the hydrogen volume
fraction in the hydroxygen elevates from 0% to 100%, the
engine indicated thermal efficiency is increased by about
5.3% and 6.9% at the excess oxygen ratios of 1.00 and
1.20, respectively.
2. When the hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen is
lower than 70%, the fuel energy flow rate of the 3%
hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine is higher than that of
the original gasoline engine.
3. The 3% hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine produces
shorter flame development and propagation periods. Both
CA0-10 and CA10-90 are generally prolonged with the
increase of hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxygen
due to the dropped cylinder temperature, except for CA0-10
at an excess oxygen ratio of 1.20.
4. The maximum cylinder temperature and the cylinder
temperature at exhaust valve opening are decreased with
the increase of hydrogen volume fraction in the hydroxy-
gen, due to the decreased fuel energy flow rate.
5. For all excess oxygen ratios, HC, CO and NOx emissions are
decreased with the increase of hydrogen volume fraction in
13217
the hydroxygen. But NOx emissions are increased after the
hydroxygen addition due to the raised combustion
temperature. Moreover, at an excess oxygen ratio of 1.00,
CO from the 3% hydroxygen-blended gasoline engine is also
higher than that from the original engine. The addition of
3% hydroxygen has less effect on the diameter of the
particulate emissions. The reduced particulate number can
be obtained only at relatively high hydrogen volume frac-
tions in the hydroxygen.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Key Program of Sci & Tech Project
of Beijing Municipal Commission of Education (Grant
No.KZ201210005002), Ph.D. Programs Foundation of Ministry
of Education of China (Grant No.20111103110010), Beijing
Municipal Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 3122006) and
National Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 50976005).
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