Investigation of An Ammonia Diesel Dual-Fuel Combustion Process on a Heavy-Duty Single Cylinder Research Engine for the Development of Suitable Simulation Tools for Maritime Applications

This paper discusses the adaption of a single cylinder research engine for a retrofit application with an ammonia diesel dual-fuel combustion process and the build of an ammonia fuel system. The gaseous ammonia will be injected in the air intake pipe and the premixed ammonia air mixture will enter the combustion chamber. The diesel injection is carried out via a high-pressure common rail system. All relevant parameters can be freely adjusted via a freely programmable control unit. With the help of experimental data from a single cylinder research engine at the chair of piston machines and internal combustion engines of the University of Rostock (LKV), a dual-fuel combustion model based on detailed chemistry will be developed and optimized. This model will be integrated in a full research engine model, which ensures the best possible representation of the real engine. The combustion model is being developed by LOGE Deutschland GmbH. The full research engine model is developed by FVTR GmbH. The analysis of the combustion process starts with pure diesel operating points and is successively substituted by ammonia in the course of the measurement campaigns. Both the combustion characteristics are relevant, as they significantly influence the resulting performance and engine operation, as well as the exhaust emissions, as the carbon emissions can be reduced, but the nitrogen oxides and ammonia slip increase significantly in relevance due to the ammonia. The results obtained will be used to derive initial recommendations for action and to estimate the potential for application in the inland waterway shipping. In addition, the development of the systematic simulation tools covers a broad spectrum of research questions and aims to increase the efficiency of the necessary R&D.