Wankel Engine

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Recent studies on hydrogen usage in Wankel SI


engine

Mustafa Ozcanli, Oguz Bas*, Mustafa Atakan Akar, Safak Yildizhan,


Hasan Serin
Cukurova University, The Faculty of Engineerıng, Automotive Engineering, Adana, Turkey

article info abstract

Article history: In this study, investigations on the hydrogen usage in spark ignition (SI) rotary engines are
Received 28 December 2017 reviewed to assess trend researches. Many scientists conducted various studies to inves-
Received in revised form tigate performance, emission and combustion characteristics of hydrogen technology. The
29 January 2018 studies generally focused on their usage as an additive fuel. It can be seen that hydrogen
Accepted 30 January 2018 usage in SI engine are very promising for their lower emissions, more efficient combustion,
Available online xxx and higher power output. Nevertheless, hydrogen utilization may cause combustion
problems such as back fire, auto and pre-ignition. Moreover, because of their small mo-
Keywords: lecular structure hydrogen storage is another issue. Especially, hydrogen blending is a
Wankel particular solution and this makes hydrogen gas tolerable for storage and transporting
Rotary engine problem. In the recent studies, hydrogen usage in rotary engine is found well suited and
Hydrogen feasible by scientists. Combustion difficulties caused by long and narrow shaped com-
Gasoline bustion chamber and long quenching distance of this type of engine can be solved by
Spark ignition hydrogen addition. However, absence of a light, safe and low cost storage technology are
still bottlenecks for their usage and waiting for solution.
© 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Instead of reciprocating pistons, a Wankel engine has an


Introduction eccentric rotary design to produce less complicated motion
[3,4]. This unique design provides high power/weight ratio
Wankel engine development by Felix Wankel dates back to comparing to similar reciprocating engines [5]. The Wankel
1950s [1]. Although the novel engine was adopted and devel- engine has generally more compact design, produces lower
oped by many manufacturers, only Japanese brand Mazda has noise and their power losses are smaller than a similar
produced in large quantities from 1962 to nowadays. The reciprocating engine [1,6]. Also, torque characteristics of these
brand met this relatively small and powerful engine by their engines are generally flat [7]. This type of engines can be uti-
engine designer Kenichi Yamamoto [2]. Despite risks of lized in hybrid vehicles or as a range extender for battery
Wankel engine, Yamamoto and his team achieved to design a electric vehicles [8,9]. Three combustion phases take place for
stylish rotary engine and start to use it in a commercial each full rotation of the rotor result in high power especially at
vehicle. Today, Mazda is the leading car manufacturer which high speed operation of the engine. Simultaneous occurrence
has been improving and using the Wankel engine for their of these phases yields higher performance with a smooth
different models in the market.

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [email protected] (O. Bas).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.01.202
0360-3199/© 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Please cite this article in press as: Ozcanli M, et al., Recent studies on hydrogen usage in Wankel SI engine, International Journal of
Hydrogen Energy (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.01.202
2 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 x x x ( 2 0 1 8 ) 1 e9

comparatively small quenching distance and high flame


Nomenclature speed of the hydrogen remove flame quenching problem of
Wankel engine significantly.
mm millimeter
m meter
ºC Celcius
Hydrogen as a fuel
K Kelvin
mmHg millimeter of mercury
Characteristic fuel properties of hydrogen and gasoline fuel
kJ kilo joule
have shown in Table 1. Unique properties of hydrogen such as
MJ Mega joule
flammability limits, low ignition energy, high burning rate etc.
kW kilowatt
lead to more stable combustion process even for ultra-lean
kmol kilo moles
mixtures increasing the combustion limits [26].
n engine speed in rpm
rpm revolution per minute
Flammability limits
List of abbreviations
H2 Hydrogen Hydrogen usage at stoichiometric conditions speeds up NOx
SI Spark ignition formation due to increment in cylinder pressure. On the other
CO Carbon monoxide hand hydrogen has wider flammability range in air to allow
CO2 Carbon dioxide rich or lean mixtures. Hence, the lean operation provides
NOx Nitric oxides better fuel economy because of more complete combustion of
HC Hydrocarbons the fuel and results in lower NOx emission due to lower
AIT Auto-ignition temperature combustion temperature [27,28].
l Excess air ratio
COV Coefficient of variations Quenching distance
BTE Brake thermal efficiency
BSEC Brake specific energy consumption The distance between cylinder wall and the place that flame
CA10-90 Flame propagation, it is the crank angle extinguishes is called quenching distance. The quenching
duration from 10% to 90% heat release of the distance of hydrogen fuel is 0.6 mm whereas the gasoline has
total fuel 2 mm of quenching distance [29]. In comparison with gaso-
LHV Lower heating values line, it is more difficult quenching flame of the hydrogen
RE Rotary engine which may cause abnormal combustion such as backfire,
LPG Liquefied Petroleum Gas knock etc. [30]. However, hot surfaces like spark plug and
exhaust port/valve which are potential sources of these
abnormal combustions are in physically separated chambers
operation. Nevertheless, the Wankel engine is disadvanta- in Wankel engine. This makes Wankel engines more resis-
geous in some aspects like: sealing and lower power output at tant to misfire.
low speeds [10]. Also, a rotary engine generally has lower
thermodynamic efficiency due to the long shape of their Flame velocity
combustion chamber. They also emit higher CO, CO2 and HC
emissions [3,5,11,12]. These drawbacks are generally results of A hydrogen engine approaches thermodynamically ideal cycle
larger quenching area and long geometry of them [13]. Be- more, because of high flame velocity when stoichiometric
sides, unburned gas leakage to the exhaust chamber from conditions are performed. The features like flame velocity and
seals causes additional emissions [14]. adiabatic flame temperature affect the engine parameters
Recent studies about hydrogen enrichment have been such as combustion stability, thermal efficiency, emissions
focused on improvement of combustion of Wankel type rotary etc. Due to fast burning features of hydrogen the engine can
engine. Scientists are giving their attention to eliminate some run with high speed operations which results in higher power
major drawbacks of these engines. Studies conducted through output with sacrificing the lean operation [31].
the years on hydrogen utilization in reciprocating engine have
shown that the Wankel engine is more promising and suitable Minimum ignition energy
for hydrogen enrichment. Because of the wide flammability
limits of hydrogen, lean operating conditions of the rotary It is defined as the minimum energy needed to initiate com-
engine can be extended [15e21]. So, the hydrogen existence bustion of the fuel. Air e hydrogen mixture needs lower
can make a remarkable improvement in emissions and per- ignition source comparing with gasoline e air mixture. Mini-
formance parameters [22e24]. On the other hand, the physical mum ignition energy of the hydrogen-air mixture is 0.02 MJ
separation of exhaust and combustion chambers and absence while gasoline-air mixture needs 0.24 MJ. Hence, hot spots and
of the exhaust valve which is a potential hot area for pre gases in chambers can be potential for an ignition which can
ignition and backfire in reciprocating engines make the cause misfire. Because of low minimum ignition source even a
Wankel engines more resistant to misfire and knock. Also, resistance hot wire or glow plug can start the combustion
more turbulent combustion chamber of the rotary engine process [31]. So, spark ignition characteristics of the hydrogen
leads to extend lean operation limit [25]. Moreover, fuelled Wankel engine must be improved from the points of

Please cite this article in press as: Ozcanli M, et al., Recent studies on hydrogen usage in Wankel SI engine, International Journal of
Hydrogen Energy (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.01.202
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Table 1 e Comparative combustion properties of hydrogen and gasoline fuel [data derived from Ref. [36]].
Property Gasoline Hydrogen
Molecular Mass [kg/kmol] 114 2.016
Theoretical air-fuel ratio [kg/kg] 14.5 32.32
Density t 0  C and 760 mmHg [kg/m3] % vol. 0.735e0.760 0.0899
l 1.48e2.3 4.1e75.6
Flammability limits in air at 20  C and 760 mmHg 1.1e0.709 10.12e0.136
Flame velocity in air (l ¼ 1), at 20  C and 760 mm Hg 0.12 2.37
Octane Number 90e98 >130
Min. Ignition energy in air [mJ] 0.2e0.3 0.018
Auto-ignition temperature [K] 753e823 848e853
Lower Heating Value (gas at 0  C and 760 mmHg) stoichiometric fuel-air mixture [kJ/m3] 3661 3178
[kJ/kg] 42690 119600

energy analysis, gap of spark plug, spark plug geometry, hydrogen vehicles with hydrogen Rotary Engines (RE) from the
insulation material etc. early of 1990s. Recently, the company has delivered the RX-8
Hydrogen RE powered since 2006. In order to achieve high
Diffusivity power density, injectors are installed on the top of the housing
for direct injection and other injectors are placed on air intake
Hydrogen is very diffusive and its dispersion into air occurs ports. Schematic layout of the Mazda's hydrogen fuelled ro-
faster than gasoline. Because of that hydrogen is advanta- tary engine is shown in Fig. 1. The combination of the direct
geous in two aspects; mixture formation is perfect and in case and port injection has brought simultaneous achievement of
of any leakage, hydrogen disperses into the air quickly in high power, NOx reduction and better thermal efficiency. Lean
terms of preventing unsafe conditions. burn operation is used for further improvement in fuel effi-
ciency in this engine.
Auto ignition temperature (AIT) Wakayama et al. [13] presented the technical specifications
and details of hydrogen fuelled Mazda RX8 rotary engine.
Minimum temperature to ignite the fuel without using igni- According to their study, Mazda is using dual fuel mode for
tion source externally is defined auto ignition temperature extending the driving range and getting high power output.
[32]. The AIT of hydrogen is higher than other fuels and about The Japanese brand could manage to extend driving range
585  C. Because of that it is difficult to initiate hydrogen from 100 km up to 649 km. In the engine, both direct and port
combustion with rising heat only and also an external ignition injection is used to optimize combustion and obtain high
source is required. Besides, auto ignition temperature is the power, NOx reduction and better thermal efficiency. For
key point for determining the maximum compression ratio of further improvement to achieve these goals, lean operation, 3-
an engine [33e35], since temperature increment is only way catalyst and exhaust gas recirculation are main strategies
related to compression ratio of the engine during compression of the hydrogen fuelled rotary engine of the Mazda.
process. Because of its high auto-ignition temperature, greater Morimoto et al. [40] investigated causes of abnormal
compression ratio can be applied for hydrogen fuelled engine combustion in hydrogen fuelled rotary engine and revealed
comparing to gasoline engine. that the hydrogen fuelled rotary engine can operate in a wide

Hydrogen utilization methods in rotary engine

Hydrogen usage in rotary engine alone

Only hydrogen usage in rotary engines decreases emissions


and improves efficiency however, they may trigger abnormal
combustions and lower driving range. Cichanowicz and
Sawyer [37] are the scientists who considered hydrogen usage
in rotary engine in earlier times. They managed to extend lean
ratio as much as 0.49 equivalence ratio. This extension
allowed reduction in NOx emissions as well as CO emission.
Following, Stutzenberger et al. [38] conducted a research
program by Audi (NSU) and FEV to evaluate suitability of
hydrogen for rotary engine. They noticed that performance
density of rotary engine could be as high as conventional
gasoline reciprocating engine. Beside they stated hydrogen
usage can be suitable with minor modification in these en- Fig. 1 e Schematic layout of the hydrogen rotary engine of
gines. Mazda [39] is the only brand that is developing the Mazda [13].

Please cite this article in press as: Ozcanli M, et al., Recent studies on hydrogen usage in Wankel SI engine, International Journal of
Hydrogen Energy (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.01.202
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range by optimizing the fuel supply method, spark plug rating fractions results were shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 from their
and spark plug cavity volume. Salanki and Wallace [8] studied research respectively. They carried out three different (0%, 3%
experimentally hydrogen fuelled Wankel engine for hybrid and 6%) energy fraction of hydrogen and leaned the engine
vehicle applications. They performed a 2.2 kW Wankel engine from stoichiometric air fuel ratio of mixture to the lean
at wide open throttle and the lean side of stoichiometry con- operation limit of the engine. They could manage to extend
ditions. They achieved to lower NOx emissions of hydrogen lean operation of the engine up to 17% by the highest volume
fuelled rotary engine by leaning the combustion out. They fraction of hydrogen that which they performed. Conse-
proposed this kind of engine for hybrid applications due to quently, by extending the lean operation limit, they also
increased brake thermal efficiency, lowered emissions and reduced the NOx emissions up to 61% without sacrificing the
high power output per weight ratio of the hydrogen fuelled
rotary engine. Jaber et al. [41] focused to optimize combustion
of hydrogen in rotary engine by enhancing burning rate, NOx emission versus H2 Energy Fracon
0.8
increasing the turbulence and varying combustion location.

Brake Specific NOx Emission (g/kW-h


They revealed that by varying spark plug positions and 0.7
numbers, local mass fuel burning rate in the lower side of 0.6
combustion chamber only should be increased. Moreover,
0.5
generating turbulence in the lower side of the chamber by a
blade located in the recess was found effective on enhancing 0.4
λ=1
the flame propagation speed. Boretti et al. [12] generated a 0.3
CAD and CAE model of novel design where two jet ignition
0.2
devices per rotor were replaced the traditional two spark plugs
for a faster and more complete combustion. The application of 0.1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
twin spark and jet ignition was found well suited for rotary Hydrogen Energy Fracon (%)
engine by them.
Fig. 3 e Brake specific NOx emission versus H2 energy
Hydrogen e gasoline blending in rotary engines fraction for l ¼ 1 [data derived from Ref. [42]].

Hydrogen blending with gasoline is more practical approach


25
BTE versus λ
than only hydrogen operation in order to extend driving
range, handle the storage problem and prevent misfire of ro- 24
Brake Thermal Efficiency (%)

tary engine. Amrouche et al. [42] investigated hydrogen 23


blending with gasoline in Wankel engine using 0%e10% en- 22
21 6% H2
ergy fractions of hydrogen at lean operation limits of the
20 3% H2
gasoline fuel. Their result shown that BTE (Fig. 2) and BSFC
19 0% H2
increased up to 28% and 38% respectively by adding 10%
hydrogen energy fraction. Up to 85% of HC, 64% of CO and 36% 18
of CO2 reductions in these pollutant emissions were obtained. 17

Yet, due to increment of the temperature and peak of working 16


1.15 1.2 1.25 1.3 1.35 1.4 1.45 1.5 1.55
chamber pressure, the NOx emissions were increased up to by Excess Air Rao (λ)
137% (Fig. 3).
In their next experiment [43], they motivated to extend of Fig. 4 e Brake thermal efficiency versus excess air ratio
lean operation limit of the hydrogen-gasoline blends to reduce with 0%, 3% and 6% H2 energy fractions [data derived from
this dramatic rise of NOx. BTE and brake specific NOx emission Ref. [43]].
versus excess air ratio with different hydrogen volume

NOx versus λ
1.4
BTE versus H2 Energy Fracon
26 1.2
Brake Specific NOx Emisions

1
Brake Thermal Efficiency (%)

24
0% H2
0.8
(g/kWh)

22 3% H2
0.6
6% H2
20 λ=1 0.4
0.2
18
0
1.15 1.2 1.25 1.3 1.35 1.4 1.45 1.5 1.55
16
Excsess Air Rao (λ)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Hydrogen Energy Fracon (%)
Fig. 5 e Brake specific NOx emission versus excess air ratio
Fig. 2 e Brake thermal efficiency versus H2 energy fraction with 0%, 3% and 6% H2 energy fraction [data derived from
for l ¼ 1 [data derived from Ref. [42]]. Ref. [43]].

Please cite this article in press as: Ozcanli M, et al., Recent studies on hydrogen usage in Wankel SI engine, International Journal of
Hydrogen Energy (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.01.202
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 x x x ( 2 0 1 8 ) 1 e9 5

other parameters and treating the exhaust system by a three COVn versus H2 volume fracon
way catalytic converter. 5
Idle, λ=1
4.5
Ji et al. [44] tested hydrogen enrichment in untreated spark
4
ignition engine at stoichiometric excess air ratio. They
3.5
increased hydrogen volume fraction in the intake manifold 3

COVn (%)
gradually from 0% to 5.2%. Their results showed that 2.5
hydrogen addition is very effective for increasing the com- 2
bustion pressure, brake mean effective pressure, cylinder 1.5
1
temperature and thermal efficiency. The hydrogen enrich-
0.5
ment was effective on reducing flame development and 0
propagation periods. The hydrogen blending helped out 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
reducing HC and CO emissions thanks to the small quenching Hydrogen Volume Fracon (%)

distance of hydrogen, more complete combustion and


Fig. 7 e COV in idle speed versus hydrogen enrichment at
reduced carbon molecule fraction in the air-fuel mixture. CO2
idle, l ¼ 1 [data derived from Ref. [47]].
emission was diminished with hydrogen enrichment due to
improved thermal efficiency and carbonless hydrogen fuel. Su
et al. [45] studied combustion and performance characteristic In order to investigate spark timing on performance and
by hydrogen blending in gasoline rotary engine at idle speed. emissions, they performed a study with various spark timing
They governed 0% and 6.8% hydrogen volume fractions in the and hydrogen volume fractions [48]. The result demonstrated
air. As a result they revealed that cyclic variation in idle speed that for a specific hydrogen volumetric fraction, the peak
can be decreased by hydrogen addition since high burning chamber temperature and combustion pressure were
velocity, wide flammability range, low ignition energy and increased, BTE was first increased and then decreased with
high diffusivity velocity of hydrogen makes air-fuel mixture the increase of spark advance. Rising spark timing caused the
more homogenous and stabilize the engine. Carbon based increased flame development period, the decreased flame
emissions; HC, CO and CO2 were cut down significantly due to propagation period and exhaust temperature. Cyclic varia-
more complete combustion and low ratio of carbon in air fuel tion was initially diminished and then worsened after
mixture. In their another investigation [46], they tested increasing spark advance. HC and NOx emissions were
hydrogen enrichment in gasoline rotary engine and leaned the reduced after retarding spark timing. Their result revealed
engine out from 1.00 to 1.20 with an increment of 0.05. When that spark timing had little effect on CO emission. Fedyanov
the excess air was increased they observed dramatic reduc- et al. [49] performed a theoretical research on influence of
tion in carbon emissions and fuel energy flow rate. However, hydrogen addition in gasoline Wankel engine. They found
they faced instability of engine and increment of cyclic vari- out that the nozzle for LPG or methane could be used to fuel
ation in idle speed with the increase of the excess air ratio as the Wankel engine with the same parameters by hydrogen.
can be seen in Fig. 6. In a numerical study, Yang et al. [50] investigated combustion
In their another study [47], cyclic variations of a hydrogen- and emissions parameters in a SI Wankel engine fuelled with
blended gasoline Wankel engine operated under various hydrogen-gasoline blends. They also analyzed flow field
conditions were investigated experimentally. Their results variation and detailed combustion. In the results, they
indicated that the COV in peak pressure, engine idle speed, demonstrated that hydrogen addition can enhance perfor-
flame development period and flame propagation period of mance and emissions parameters of the Wankel engine to
the gasoline Wankel engine were remarkably decreased with some extent, however, air fuel mixture cannot be burned
the increase of hydrogen volume fraction under all the tested completely in the narrow rear region of the combustion
conditions. They achieved to run the engine with more stable chamber. They recommended combining the improvement
operation by hydrogen enrichment, as shown in Fig. 7. of the spark ignition and optimization of combustion

CO emission versus H2 volume fracon


4500
COVn against λ 4000 rpm, MAP=35kPa, λ=1
9 4000
8
3500
7
CO/ppm

6 3000
COVn (%)

5 0% H2 2500
4 2000
3% H2
3
1500
2
1 1000
0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Hydrogen Volume Fracon (%)
1 1.05 1.1 1.15 1.2 1.25
Excess Air Rao (λ)
Fig. 8 e Effect of H2 blending with n-butanol on CO
Fig. 6 e COV in idle speed against excess air ratio with 0% emission versus H2 energy fraction varied from 0% to 6.3%
and 3% H2 volume fractions [data derived from Ref. [46]]. [data derived from Ref. [53]].

Please cite this article in press as: Ozcanli M, et al., Recent studies on hydrogen usage in Wankel SI engine, International Journal of
Hydrogen Energy (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.01.202
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Table 2 e Summary of the experimental hydrogen usage studies in rotary engine [8,37,40,42,44,45,46,51e53,59e61].

Effect Test Condition Performance Emissions


Reference
Positive Negative No information H 2 supply Fuel Used BTE BSFC BMEP Power HC NO x CO CO 2

(Cichanowicz and Sawyer 1976) [37] -


Hydrogen as a fuel alone (Morimoto et al. 1992) [40] -
(Salanki and Wallace 1996) [8] -
(Amrouche et al. 2014) [42] 0-10% Gasoline
(Ji et al. 2016) [44] 0-5.2% Gasoline
(F Amrouche, Erickson, Park, et al. 2016b) [59] 0-6% Gasoline
(Su, Ji, Wang, Shi, et al. 2017f) [60] 0-35% Gasoline
(Su, Ji, Wang, Shi, et al. 2017b) [46] 0-3% Gasoline
Hydrogen as an additional fuel (Su, Ji, Wang, Shi, et al. 2017d) [61] 0-6% Gasoline
(Su, Ji, Wang, Shi, et al. 2017c) [45] 0-6.8% Gasoline
(F Amrouche, Erickson, Park, et al. 2016a) [51] 0-5% Ethanol
(F Amrouche, Erickson, Varnhagen, et al. 2016) [52] 0-18% Ethanol
(Su, Ji, Wang, Cong, et al. 2017) [53] 0-6.3% N-Butanol

chamber structure with hydrogen induction for obtaining Natural gas e hydrogen blending
higher Wankel engine performance.
Natural gas implementation for rotary gasoline engine was
Hydrogen e alcohol blending in rotary engines studied in Refs. [54e57]. In these studies, side-ported natural
gas-fuelled Wankel engine was considered as a new, clean
In literature alcohol hydrogen blending for rotary gasoline and efficient alternative energy system. Because the side-
engine was rarely studied. Amrouche et al. [51] investigated ported natural gas fuelled rotary engine could bring the ad-
hydrogen-ethanol usage in Wankel engine. Ethanol is known vantages of the side ported rotary engine and natural gas
for heat of vaporization, higher adiabatic flame speed and together in an effective way. However, the flattened, long and
octane number than gasoline that improves the anti-knock narrow combustion chamber of the rotary engine and the
characteristics of the engine and potentially allows applica- low burning speed of natural gas trigger high unburnt hy-
tion of higher compression ratio. However, their low stoi- drocarbon emissions. In order to ameliorate combustion, Fan
chiometric air fuel ratios and LHVs make fuel consumption of et al. [58] studied side ported hydrogen addition to natural gas
the ethanol combustion higher. In their study, hydrogen in the rotary engine by FLUENT simulation software, numer-
added with 0% and 5% energy fractions to extend the lean ically. They reported that the improved combustion rate for
operation limit and overcome these drawbacks of ethanol hydrogen low-pressure early injection allowed an increase in
usage in gasoline engine. As a result, they achieved to extend the peak pressure by 29%, however an increase in NOx emis-
lean operation limit of pure ethanol 5,3% and consequently, sions the compared with no hydrogen induction. Zambalov
hydrogen addition enhanced the BTE 6.64%, decreased the et al. [25] studied numerically laser ignition and hydrogen
BSEC by 14% and lowered the carbon emissions. In following induction for a rotary engine and results have shown the H2
research [52], they altered hydrogen volume fraction and the induced rotary engine with the dual laser ignition system is
results have shown parallelism with their first study on very promising application for automotive industry due to its
hydrogen enriched ethanol usage in Wankel engine. The very low carbon-emissions and high efficiency.
higher burning speed of hydrogen addition helped to improve Summary of the experimental hydrogen usage studies
fuel economy. Numerically, the brake thermal efficiency of conducted in Wankel engine is given in Table 2.
the rotary engine was increased by 14.12% over baseline by
adding 18% energy fraction of hydrogen in the ethanol fuel
mixture, hence reducing the BSEC by 27.91%. Beside when Conclusions
hydrogen energy fraction increases from 0% to 18%, the spe-
cific HC and CO emissions were reduced by 85.5% and 50%,  Hydrogen usage in rotary engine is more suitable due to
respectively, while CO2 specific emissions decreased by 32.6%. characteristics of the rotary engine.
Another study performed by Su et al. [53] with hydrogen  Hydrogen can be implemented in rotary engines without
addition to n-butanol for rotary engine. Comparing to other major modifications in the existing system.
alcohols, n-butanols have some superior properties such as  Using hydrogen in the engine as the only fuel constraints
low corrosivity, high stoichiometric air/fuel ratio and resistant the mileage of the vehicle. Moreover, greater space is
to water contamination. Because of its similar fuel properties occupied by hydrogen tank and storage are the other issues
to gasoline, minor modifications on the engine are needed for when using hydrogen alone. On the other hand, by using
applying n-butanol as the main fuel. For this reasons, they hydrogen fuel for dual fuel mode is more suitable and in
applied n-butanol e hydrogen blending to Wankel engine. As Wankel engine driving range problem can be compensated
a result, they obtained lower COV in CA10-90, increased BTE via this method.
and lower HC, CO and CO2 emissions. CO emission results of  Each combustion phase occurs separately in different
their study are shown in Fig. 8. chambers by the physical separation of Wankel engine.

Please cite this article in press as: Ozcanli M, et al., Recent studies on hydrogen usage in Wankel SI engine, International Journal of
Hydrogen Energy (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.01.202
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