Revealing the effect of plasma-chemical treatment of propane-butane fuel on the environmental characteristics of the internal combustion engine

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2022.259477

Keywords:

gas mixture, needle electrodes, propane-butane, plasma-chemical treatment, exhaust gases, environmental indicators

Abstract

One of the key problems of modern engine construction is the improvement of environmental performance while ensuring a competitive price of produced engines. This is achieved using state-of-the-art control systems, expensive fuel equipment, and complex exhaust gas neutralization systems. The search for ways to improve the environmental performance of transport engines without significant complication of their structure is a priority area of modern research.

Plasma chemical treatment of gas makes it possible to reduce the level of harmful substances in exhaust gases by 1.5‒4 times relative to operation on propane-butane without processing. This paper considers the possibility of using a plasma dynamic stabilization technique and conducting an electric discharge without contact with metal electrodes for the implementation of endothermic reactions whose implementation requires energy from an external source. During test experiments, volt-ampere characteristics of the system with needle electrodes were established, the distance between which was 2‒5 mm at different feed pressures of propane-butane gas mixture (75 % propane and 25 % butane). At the outlet of the plasma-chemical reactor, a hydrogen-containing gas mixture is obtained, which is subsequently supplied to the combustion chamber through the regular gas fuel system of the engine. Next, when such a gas mixture burns in the combustion chamber, hydrogen acts as a catalyst for chemical reactions, which reduces the thickness of the flame extinguishing front, increases the speed and completeness of combustion of the gas mixture. Based on the results of comparative motor studies, it was found that plasma-chemical treatment of propane-butane has almost no influence on the effective efficiency of the engine and specific fuel consumption. It should also be noted that the use of plasma-chemical reactors on board a vehicle allows them to be integrated into regular gas fuel engine systems with minimal changes in their structure, which has almost no effect on the mass-size indicators and maintenance conditions of the gas fuel system

Author Biographies

Andrii Avramenko, A. Pidhornyi Institute of Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University

Senior Researcher, Head of Department

Department of Hydrogen Energy

Associate Professor

Department of Internal Combustion Engines

Nataliia Vnukova, Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University

Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Head of Department

Department of Ecology

Oleksandr Kozlovskyi, Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University

Postgraduate Student

Department of Ecology

Mykola Zipunnikov, A. Pidhornyi Institute of Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University

PhD, Senior Researcher

Department of Hydrogen Energy

Associate Professor

Department of Ecology

Nina Hradovych, Stepan Gzhytskyi National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies Lviv

PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Ecology

Eleonora Darmofal, Kharkiv State Academy of Physical Culture

PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Medical Disciplines and Health Protection

Katarina Khaneichuk, Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University

Postgraduate Student

Department of Ecology

References

  1. Langshaw, L., Ainalis, D., Acha, S., Shah, N., Stettler, M. E. J. (2020). Environmental and economic analysis of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for heavy goods vehicles in the UK: A Well-to-Wheel and total cost of ownership evaluation. Energy Policy, 137, 111161. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.111161
  2. Solovey, V., Vnukova, N., Grytsenko, A., Kanilo, P. (2014). Influence of energy-environmental factors on the competitiveness of hydrogen as a motor fuel (in transport energy installations). Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 5 (8 (71)), 41–46. doi: https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2014.27657
  3. Faris, A. S., Al-Naseri, S. K., Jamal, N., Isse, R., Abed, M., Fouad, Z. et. al. (2012). Effects of Magnetic Field on Fuel Consumption and Exhaust Emissions in Two-Stroke Engine. Energy Procedia, 18, 327–338. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2012.05.044
  4. Wolf, A. J., Righart, T. W. H., Peeters, F. J. J., Groen, P. W. C., van de Sanden, M. C. M., Bongers, W. A. (2019). Characterization of CO2 microwave plasma based on the phenomenon of skin-depth-limited contraction. Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 28 (11), 115022. doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/ab4e61
  5. Bromberg, L., Rabinovich, A., Alexeev, N., Cohn, D. (1999). Plasma Reforming of Diesel Fuel. Proceedings of the 1999 U.S DOE Hydrogen Program Review NREL/CP-570-26938. Available at: https://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/pdfs/26938n.pdf
  6. Bromberg, L. Cohn, D., Hadidi, K., Heywood, J., Rabinovich, A. (2005). Plasmatron Fuel Reformer Development and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle Applications. MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/94127
  7. Kohse-Höinghaus, K. (2021). Combustion in the future: The importance of chemistry. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 38 (1), 1–56. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proci.2020.06.375
  8. Yao, S., Nakayama, A., Suzuki, E. (2001). Methane conversion using a high-frequency pulsed plasma: Discharge features. AIChE Journal, 47 (2), 419–426. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.690470218
  9. Vialetto, L., van de Steeg, A. W., Viegas, P., Longo, S., van Rooij, G. J., van de Sanden, M. C. M. et. al. (2022). Charged particle kinetics and gas heating in CO2 microwave plasma contraction: comparisons of simulations and experiments. Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 31 (5), 055005. doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/ac56c5
  10. Gritsuk, I. V., Pohorletskyi, D. S., Adrov, D. S., Bilai, А. V. (2021). Peculiarities of determination of fuel consumption and emissions of harmful substances of engines of vehicles operating on gas fuel. Internal Combustion Engines, 1, 25–35. doi: https://doi.org/10.20998/0419-8719.2021.1.04
  11. Rusanov, A., Solovei, V., Zipunnikov, M., Shevchenko, A. (2018). Thermogasdynamics of physical and energy processes in alternative technologies. Kharkiv: PC TECHNOLOGY CENTER, 336. doi: https://doi.org/10.15587/978-617-7319-18-3
  12. Bruggeman, P. J., Kushner, M. J., Locke, B. R., Gardeniers, J. G. E., Graham, W. G., Graves, D. B. et. al. (2016). Plasma–liquid interactions: a review and roadmap. Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 25 (5), 053002. doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/0963-0252/25/5/053002
  13. National Research Council (2011). Assessment of Fuel Economy Technologies for Light-Duty Vehicles. The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/12924
  14. Van Rooij, G. J., van den Bekerom, D. C. M., den Harder, N., Minea, T., Berden, G., Bongers, W. A. et. al. (2015). Taming microwave plasma to beat thermodynamics in CO2 dissociation. Faraday Discussions, 183, 233–248. doi: https://doi.org/10.1039/c5fd00045a
  15. Kosarev, I. N., Kindysheva, S. V., Momot, R. M., Plastinin, E. A., Aleksandrov, N. L., Starikovskiy, A. Y. (2016). Comparative study of nonequilibrium plasma generation and plasma-assisted ignition for C2-hydrocarbons. Combustion and Flame, 165, 259–271. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.combustflame.2015.12.011
  16. Holota, V. I., Karas, V. I., Pashchenko, I. O., Taran, H. V., Shylo, S. N., Kochetov, I. V. et. al. (1998). Doslidzhennia heneratsiyi ozonu v obiemnomu peremishchenomu rozriadi pry atmosfernomu tysku. Pytannia atomnoi nauky ta tekhniky. Ser. Plazmova elektronika ta novi metody pryskorennia, 1, 60–64.
  17. Frank-Kamenetskiy, D. A. (1968). Lektsii po fizike plazmy. Moscow: Atomizdat, 289.
  18. Golota, V. I., Zavada, L. M., Kadolin, B. B., Karas', V. I., Paschenko, I. A., Pugach, S. G., Yakovlev, A. V. (2003). Issledovanie nestatsionarnykh mod v igla-ploskost' gazovom razryade pri atmosfernom davlenii v razlichnykh N2-O2 smesyakh. Voprosy atomnoy nauki i tekhniki, 4, 258–262. Available at: http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/111171

Downloads

Published

2022-06-30

How to Cite

Avramenko, A., Vnukova, N., Kozlovskyi, O., Zipunnikov, M., Hradovych, N., Darmofal, E., & Khaneichuk, K. (2022). Revealing the effect of plasma-chemical treatment of propane-butane fuel on the environmental characteristics of the internal combustion engine. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 3(10 (117), 14–20. https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2022.259477