A Numerical and Experimental Study of Marine Hydrogen–Natural Gas–Diesel Tri–Fuel Engines

Maritime shipping is a key component of the global economy, representing 80–90% of international trade. To deal with the energy crisis and marine environmental pollution, hydrogen-natural gas-diesel tri-fuel engines have become an attractive option for use in the maritime industry. In this study, numerical simulations and experimental tests were used to evaluate the effects of different hydrogen ratios on the combustion and emissions from these engines. The results show that, in terms of combustion performance, as the hydrogen proportion increases, the combustion ignition delay time in the cylinder decreases and the laminar flame speed increases. The pressure and temperature in the cylinder increase and the temperature field distribution expands more rapidly with a higher hydrogen ratio. This means that the tri-fuel engine (H₂+CH₄+Diesel) has a faster response and better power performance than the dual-fuel engine (CH₄+Diesel). In terms of emission performance, as the hydrogen proportion increases, the NO emissions increase, and CO and CO2 emissions decrease. If factors such as methane escape into the atmosphere from the engine are considered, the contribution of marine tri-fuel engines to reducing ship exhaust emissions will be even more significant. Therefore, this study shows that marine hydrogen-natural gas-diesel tri-fuel engines have significant application and research prospects.