Exergy Analysis of Different Propane-Hydrogen Blends in an Internal Combustion Engine

In this article, an exergy analysis was performed for different propane-hydrogen mixtures in an internal combustion engine (ICE), considering an air excess ratio of λ = 1 and real combustion conditions. In the exergy analysis, the pressure and temperature of the exhaust gases from the combustion reaction were set to 1 atm and 420°C, respectively. The reference conditions were set to 1 atm and 25°C. Combustion reactions were formulated for fuel cases of 100% Propane (C3H8), 60% Propane + 40% Hydrogen, 30% Propane + 70% Hydrogen, and 100% Hydrogen (H2), with a total fuel amount of 1 kmol. For each reaction, both physical and chemical energies were calculated separately for the fuel and exhaust gases. The analysis revealed that increasing the hydrogen content reduces total fuel exergy but improves exergetic efficiency and lowers exergy destruction. The study highlights the thermodynamic advantages of hydrogen-enriched fuel mixtures in ICEs and supports the use of hydrogen as a cleaner alternative fuel.