Performance and Emission Analysis of Hydrogen-Enriched Palm Biodiesel Blends in a Diesel Generator

¹ Laboratory of Mechanical Modeling, Energy and Materials (LM2EM), National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes, Tunisia.
² higher Institute of Industrial Systems of Gabes (ISSIG), University of Gabes, Tunisia.

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

This work investigates how combining palm oil biodiesel-diesel blends with hydrogen affects the performance and emissions of a single-cylinder diesel generator. The generator ran at 3000 rpm with loads up to 4 kW. Four fueling strategies were evaluated: pure diesel (B0), pure diesel with hydrogen (B0+H), 25% biodiesel with hydrogen (B25+H), and 50% biodiesel with hydrogen (B50+H). The data suggest that hydrogen increases how well fuel burns and offsets the lower energy content of biodiesel mixes. Compared to B0, B0+H saw a 6-10% increase in brake thermal efficiency (BTE), while B50+H had a 4-8% increase at medium to full load. Brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) went down with hydrogen, with B0+H dropping 12% and B25+H dropping 9% at low to medium loads. Emission tests showed that adding hydrogen cut CO emissions by up to 50% and CO₂ by 20-30%, especially with B25+H. NOx emissions also fell by 18-35%, likely because the combustion was more stable and the fuel mixtures were leaner. In general, B25+H seemed to offer the best mix of better efficiency, lower emissions, and less vibration, making it a option for cleaner, more efficient small power generators.