Enhancing idle performance of an n-butanol rotary engine by hydrogen enrichment

Rotary engine generally sustains poor fuel economy and emissions performance at idle condition. Hydrogen has excellent physicochemical properties that can serve as an enhancer to improve the performance of the original engine. In this paper, a modified rotary engine equipped with dual fuel (hydrogen and n-butanol) port injection system and electronic ignition module was developed to explore the influence of hydrogen supplement on enhancing the idle performance of n-butanol rotary engine. In this study, the engine was run at the idle and stoichiometric with the original spark timing. Hydrogen volume percentage in the total intake was gradually increased from 0% to 7.9% by adjusting the fuel flow rate of n-butanol. The experimental results indicated that the engine instability and fuel energy flow rate were both reduced by enlarging the hydrogen supplying level. Combustion periods were shortened thanks to the enrichment of hydrogen. The peak chamber temperature was heightened as hydrogen fraction increased due to the improved combustion. HC and CO emissions were severally reduced by 50.4% and 85.8% when the hydrogen volume percentage was raised from 0% to 7.9%. However, NOx emissions were mildly increased because of the raised chamber temperature by increasing hydrogen fraction.