Synergistic enhancement of jatropha methyl ester combustion via Fe2O3–SiO2 hybrid nano-additives and staged hydrogen enrichment in CI engines

This study investigates a dual-fuel enhancement strategy that integrates Fe2O3–SiO2 hybrid nano-additives with staged hydrogen enrichment to overcome the combustion inefficiencies and emission drawbacks commonly observed in Jatropha Methyl Ester (JME) biodiesel. While previous studies have generally examined either hydrogen enrichment or nanoparticle additiona isolated interventions, this research uniquely evaluates their combined effects under systematically controlled engine operating conditions. Experiments were conducted on a single-cylinder, direct-injection (DI) diesel engine using six fuel configurations, ranging from neat diesel to B20 blends containing 50 ppm Fe2O3–SiO2 and hydrogen injection rates of 2-6 L/min, tested across five discrete load levels. The results demonstrate that the combined nano-additive and hydrogen-enriched fuel promoted enhanced premixed combustion, accelerated flame propagation, and shortened ignition delay, resulting in a peak brake thermal efficiency (BTE) 32.5%, a 15.2% increase over diesel. The optimized blend (B20N50H4) had a 24.7% thru cut in brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and comparable NOx emissions as diesel, with the success of an approximate 24% reduction in smoke amplification. There were also better emission profiles, as the emissions were 24% lighter than that of conventional diesel, which highlights the catalytic quality of the hybrid nanoparticles and the clean-burning nature of hydrogen. These indicate that the combined approach of hydrogen-enrichment and nanoadditive allows clean and more efficient combustion of bio-diesel without the engine architecture requirements. In line with this, this solution is an acceptable avenue to development and implementation of low-carbon dual-fuel technologies.

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