The EU has set out an ambitious strategy (by Regulation EC 443/2009) to reduce CO2 emissions from road vehicles: for new passenger cars requires a fleet average emission of 130 gCO2/km to be fully achieved by 2015 and for 2020 a target of 95 gCO2/km. Region of Lombardy in Italy, by Mygas Project (2009-2013), has tested a intermediate solution towards a low carbon sustainable mobility: a 20 vehicles Panda fleet fuelled with hydrogen/natural gas blends (hydro-methane, HCNG, up 30%vol H2 in Natural Gas). Centro Ricerche Fiat (CRF) has delivered the experimental fleet; the project also included the construction of a HCNG refuelling station in Milan. Hydro-methane is cheaper than pure hydrogen and it can be easily refuelled in vehicles powered by natural gas (NG); NG technologies represent a significant opportunity to make the H2 carrier enter the transportation sector. Due to the hydrogen properties the HCNG blend, in comparison with natural gas, has higher H/C ratio, higher combustion velocity, and less ignition energy. This means that the combustion will result more complete, fast and stable. The aim of this experimental fleet was to provide the necessary data to verify the advantages in terms of both environmental performance and energy consumption. This paper is aimed to illustrate some results obtained, within Mygas project, in activities carried on at Istituto Motori of National Research Council of Italy. The FIAT Panda fleet was fully monitored during a twelve months period out of the 3 years fleet use: several parameters were investigated in order to assess the effect of the hydro-methane on an everyday usage. GPS data were inferred along with the typical engine ECU parameters (inlet manifold pressure, injection time, fuel volume injected, car speed, etc). The overall distance covered, travel time and total CO2 emission of the fleet were obtained. The average speed was about 40 km/h with a autonomy of about 180 km by using the blend at 30% H2 in volume. The entire fleet has overcome more than 440.000 km without any direct issues related to the use of the natural gas/hydrogen blend. The emissive behaviour of a sample of this fleet was investigated over chassis-dynamometer tests. Type-approval and real driving cycles were executed in order to measure the vehicle performance in terms of drivability, exhausts emissions and fuel consumption related to the use of conventional fuels and HCNG blends. Apart from the natural reduction in CO2 tailpipe emissions, CO and HC emissions and engine efficiency also take advantage from the H2 fraction. NOx emissions tend to increase with hydrogen content in NG but, with some adaptations to the software of engine control and to the calibration dataset, it's possible to control them. Nevertheless an adaptation of the storage/injection system materials is needed to guarantee full compatibility to hydrogen.
The use of hydrogen/natural gas blends as low carbon fuel in road transport. A case-study in Regione Lombardia (Italy).
Maria Vittoria Prati;Maria Antonietta Costagliola;Vincenzo Moccia;Jacopo D'Alessio;
2015
Abstract
The EU has set out an ambitious strategy (by Regulation EC 443/2009) to reduce CO2 emissions from road vehicles: for new passenger cars requires a fleet average emission of 130 gCO2/km to be fully achieved by 2015 and for 2020 a target of 95 gCO2/km. Region of Lombardy in Italy, by Mygas Project (2009-2013), has tested a intermediate solution towards a low carbon sustainable mobility: a 20 vehicles Panda fleet fuelled with hydrogen/natural gas blends (hydro-methane, HCNG, up 30%vol H2 in Natural Gas). Centro Ricerche Fiat (CRF) has delivered the experimental fleet; the project also included the construction of a HCNG refuelling station in Milan. Hydro-methane is cheaper than pure hydrogen and it can be easily refuelled in vehicles powered by natural gas (NG); NG technologies represent a significant opportunity to make the H2 carrier enter the transportation sector. Due to the hydrogen properties the HCNG blend, in comparison with natural gas, has higher H/C ratio, higher combustion velocity, and less ignition energy. This means that the combustion will result more complete, fast and stable. The aim of this experimental fleet was to provide the necessary data to verify the advantages in terms of both environmental performance and energy consumption. This paper is aimed to illustrate some results obtained, within Mygas project, in activities carried on at Istituto Motori of National Research Council of Italy. The FIAT Panda fleet was fully monitored during a twelve months period out of the 3 years fleet use: several parameters were investigated in order to assess the effect of the hydro-methane on an everyday usage. GPS data were inferred along with the typical engine ECU parameters (inlet manifold pressure, injection time, fuel volume injected, car speed, etc). The overall distance covered, travel time and total CO2 emission of the fleet were obtained. The average speed was about 40 km/h with a autonomy of about 180 km by using the blend at 30% H2 in volume. The entire fleet has overcome more than 440.000 km without any direct issues related to the use of the natural gas/hydrogen blend. The emissive behaviour of a sample of this fleet was investigated over chassis-dynamometer tests. Type-approval and real driving cycles were executed in order to measure the vehicle performance in terms of drivability, exhausts emissions and fuel consumption related to the use of conventional fuels and HCNG blends. Apart from the natural reduction in CO2 tailpipe emissions, CO and HC emissions and engine efficiency also take advantage from the H2 fraction. NOx emissions tend to increase with hydrogen content in NG but, with some adaptations to the software of engine control and to the calibration dataset, it's possible to control them. Nevertheless an adaptation of the storage/injection system materials is needed to guarantee full compatibility to hydrogen.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
