Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Influence of Hydrogen Addition to Hydrocarbon Fuel on Wankel Rotary Engine Performance

Recently, hydrogen has been considered as an alternative for conventional fuels which is used for a transportation sector. The Wankel rotary engine is more adaptable for running on hydrogen fuels than traditional reciprocating engines possessing lower preignition and backfire probability. Experimental and numerical data are presented for the Wankel rotary engine performance on hydrogen blends with hydrocarbon fuel. For the experimental study of the hydrogen addition effect on the engine performance, the Wankel engine test bench VAZ-311 (Russia) was used. The hydrogen and gasoline supply were carried out by injectors mounted in the Wankel rotary engine inlet manifold. The experiments showed that a 5% hydrogen mass fraction in the fuel mixture increases peak pressure in the Wankel rotary engine combustion chamber for partial loads. For the theoretical study, a numerical model of the flame propagation in the Wankel rotary engine combustion chamber was developed. Numerical research revealed the possibility of a complete air–fuel mixture combustion due to hydrogen addition for a number of operating conditions.