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415769

Enhancing Diesel Generator Efficiency and Emissions with CNG and Green Hydrogen: A Sustainable Solution for Power Plants

Article

Last updated: 09 Mar 2025

Subjects

-

Tags

Mechanical power engineering

Abstract

The integration of CNG and green hydrogen as supplementary fuels in diesel engines presents a significant opportunity to enhance the sustainability of power generation, particularly in electric generator power plants. This study investigates the dual-fuel operation of diesel engines using a blend of CNG and green hydrogen, focusing on the performance metrics and environmental impacts. Quantitative findings show that replacing up to 40% of diesel with CNG and hydrogen leads to a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions, a 25% reduction in particulate matter (PM) emissions, and up to a 15% decrease in nitrogen oxides (NOx) compared to diesel-only engines. Additionally, hydrogen's zero-carbon combustion contributes to a 40% reduction in overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, when the hydrogen is produced through renewable electrolysis. Efficiency improvements of up to 10% were recorded, largely due to hydrogen's high flame speed, which enables faster and more complete combustion. Despite challenges such as hydrogen storage, distribution infrastructure, and engine modifications, the dual-fuel approach retains the operational flexibility of conventional diesel generators while offering significant environmental advantages. Power plant adopting this approach is the Karaganda power plant in Kazakhstan, where a CNG-hydrogen-diesel blend has been tested in diesel generator units. This pilot project reported a 20% improvement in fuel efficiency and a 35% reduction in carbon emissions, proving the commercial viability of this technology in industrial-scale power generation. Furthermore, in regions like Germany, where green hydrogen production is becoming more widespread, similar applications are emerging as part of broader strategies to decarbonize energy systems.

DOI

10.21608/pesj.2025.353885.1013

Keywords

Dual-fuel diesel engine, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Particulate matter (PM), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Greenhouse gas reduction

Authors

First Name

Medhat

Last Name

Elkelawy

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Mechanical engineering department, Faculty of Engineering, Pharos University in Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt Department of Mechanical Power Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

Email

medhatelkelawy@f-eng.tanta.edu.eg

City

-

Orcid

0000-0002-4191-9772

First Name

Ahmed

Last Name

Draz

MiddleName

Mohamed

Affiliation

Mechanical engineering department, Faculty of Engineering, Pharos University in Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt

Email

ahmed.draz@pua.edu.eg

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Ahmed

Last Name

Antar

MiddleName

Mohammed

Affiliation

Mechanical engineering department, Faculty of Engineering, Pharos University in Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt

Email

202001576@pua.edu.eg

City

-

Orcid

-

First Name

Hussein

Last Name

Seleem

MiddleName

Eltaibee

Affiliation

Electronics and Communications Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tanta University

Email

hussein.eltaibee@pua.edu.eg

City

Tanta

Orcid

0000-0002-2936-5447

Volume

2

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

54245

Issue Date

2025-06-01

Receive Date

2025-01-18

Publish Date

2025-06-01

Page Start

47

Page End

57

Online ISSN

3009-6197

Link

https://pesj.journals.ekb.eg/article_415769.html

Detail API

http://journals.ekb.eg?_action=service&article_code=415769

Order

415,769

Type

Case studies

Type Code

3,164

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Pharos Engineering Science Journal

Publication Link

https://pesj.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Enhancing Diesel Generator Efficiency and Emissions with CNG and Green Hydrogen: A Sustainable Solution for Power Plants

Details

Type

Article

Created At

09 Mar 2025