Abstract The possibility of establishing a hydrogen fuelled compression ignition engine has been investigated experimentally using a conventional swirl chamber diesel engine. Two different attempts are included in this work; one dealing with the compression ignition on an air-aspirated engine system, and another with an engine operating with an argon-oxygen charge. In the former, the effect of preliminary fuelling was clarified in detail. It has been suggested that both pilot injection and fuel leakage from the injector can aid ignition of the hydrogen fuel, bringing about a smooth operation. A discussion is given of the mechanism of stabilizing ignition, from the viewpoint of thermal interactions between the engine cycles. In the latter attempt, a closed-cycle engine system is oriented and has been simulated by supplying a 21% oxygen containing mixture to the test engine. The result has indicated that ignition and engine operation are satisfactory without any ignition aid. A considerable gain has also been proved in thermal efficiency of using the argon mixture. Also, the practical feasibility of a closed-cycle compression ignition engine has been discussed.
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