Experimental Investigation of Diesel, Aqueous Ammonia, and Compressed Natural Gas Mixtures on Performance and Emissions in a Compression Ignition Engine


Sinkala H., Sarltaş M., Kül V. S., AKANSU S. O., ÜNALAN S.

SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants, cilt.19, sa.3, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 19 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.4271/04-19-03-0011
  • Dergi Adı: SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, Compendex, INSPEC, Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest)
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Ammonia, Compressed natural gas, Emissions, Engine, Performance
  • Erciyes Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study investigates and evaluates systematically the combustion, performance, and emissions characteristics of heavy-duty diesel engines fueled by diesel-ammonia-compressed natural gas triple blends. While dual-fuel systems are well-documented, the interactive effects of ammonia and CNG within a single compression ignition (CI) engine remain largely unexplored. Experiments were conducted on a 300 Nm, 660 rpm diesel engine by testing pure diesel, diesel-ammonia blends (10-20 wt.% aqueous ammonia), and triple-fuel mixtures containing 10% of the total energy from compressed natural gas. Pure diesel was first tested to provide baseline data, and subsequently blends were tested for a comparative study. The primary contribution of this work is the identification of a synergistic effect of the fuel triple blends on engine performance and emissions. Results indicate that all fuel blends improve thermal efficiency and reduce fuel consumption compared to conventional diesel. The blend containing 20% aqueous ammonia, 80% diesel, and 10% of the total fuel energy supplied by compressed natural gas achieved the highest thermal efficiency of 39.7% (7% higher than diesel) and the lowest brake specific fuel consumption of 211.22 g/kWh. Furthermore, emissions analysis revealed that carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions were significantly reduced with this triple blend. The blend decreased carbon dioxide by 26.6% and nitrogen oxide emissions by 32.1%, while hydrocarbon emissions were also lowered by up to 29.2%. Carbon monoxide emissions increased slightly for the triple blends, reaching a maximum value of 3.9028 g/kWh for the A20D80CNG10 mixture, compared to diesel operation. The slight increase in carbon monoxide emissions for triple blends highlights a trade-off in emission behavior. These findings address the combined utilization of diesel-ammonia-compressed natural gas triple-fuel mixtures in heavy-duty engines, demonstrating that strategic blending can simultaneously improve efficiency while mitigating environmental impact.