THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY SCHREYER HONORS COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING SCIENCE AND MECHANICS DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ELECTRONIC FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM FOR A HYDROGEN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE IN A HYBRID VEHICLE WADE MCCORKEL Spring 2010 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a baccalaureate degree in Engineering Science with honors in Engineering Science Reviewed and approved* by the following: Joel Anstrom Research Associate, Larson Transportation Institute Thesis Supervisor Christine Masters Assistant Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics Honors Advisor Judith A. Todd P. B. Breneman Department Head Chair Professor, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics *Signatures are on file in the Schreyer Honors College and the Engineering Science and Mechanics office. ABSTRACT With the current oil crisis looming, the search for an alternative fuel is one of the most pressing issues for modern day society. A realistic option is the use of hydrogen as a fuel in an internal combustion engine. According to Argonne mechanical engineer Steve Ciatti, “Hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines (H2ICEs) are a low-cost, near-term technology. They can be the catalyst to building a hydrogen infrastructure for fuel cells.” Using hydrogen as a combustion fuel can be implemented relatively quickly and successfully. Although the conversion from gasoline to hydrogen is rather simple, optimizing the engine for efficiency is quite challenging. One necessary addition is an electronic fuel injection system in order to control the air/fuel ratio, which directly affects engine efficiency and performance. i TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ...............................................................................................................iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .....................................................................................................v Chapter 1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................1 Chapter 2 Literature Review..................................................................................................2 2.1 Properties of Hydrogen When Used as an ICE Fuel............................................ 2 2.2 Difficulties with Hydrogen ..................................................................................6 2.2.1 Preignition.............................................................................................6 2.2.2 Backfiring .............................................................................................7 2.2.3 Decreased Power Output.......................................................................8 2.3 Fuel Delivery Techniques....................................................................................8 2.3.1 Carburetion ...........................................................................................8 2.3.2 Port Fuel injection.................................................................................9 2.3.3 Throttle Body Injection.........................................................................11 2.3.4 Direct Fuel Injection .............................................................................11 2.4 Components of a Fuel Injection System ..............................................................12 2.4.1 Engine Control Unit (ECU) ..................................................................12 2.4.2 Injection Method Choice and Injector Selection ..................................13 2.4.3 Sensors ..................................................................................................14 2.4.4 Throttle Body and Fuel Lines ...............................................................16 Chapter 3 Engine Background...............................................................................................18 3.1 Engine Specifications...........................................................................................18 Chapter 4 EFI System ............................................................................................................19 4.1 Market Study........................................................................................................19 4.1.1 Engine Control Unit - Megasquirt ........................................................19 4.1.2 Injector ..................................................................................................21 4.2 Injection Method Decision...................................................................................23 4.3 Assembly..............................................................................................................23 4.4 Software – Megatune ...........................................................................................27 Chapter 5 Future Recommended Work .................................................................................28 5.1 Source an Injector ................................................................................................28 5.2 Installation and Tuning with Turbocharger .........................................................28 5.3 Emissions Control................................................................................................29 5.4 Test Power Output ...............................................................................................29 ii Chapter 6 Conclusion.............................................................................................................30 BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................................................................. 31 APPENDIX ........................................................................................................................34 A. 1 Calculation of Engine Fuel Flow Rate...............................................................34 iii LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Chapter 2 Table 2.1 Relevant properties of Hydrogen and gasoline .........................................2 Table 2.2 The properties of Hydrogen and their significance as an ICE fuel ...........6 Figure 2.1 Port fuel injection setup............................................................................9 Figure 2.2 The power output of the same engine.......................................................10 Figure 2.3 A side-feed gasoline injector....................................................................13 Figure 2.4 A complete EFI system using Megasquirt circuit boards.........................17 Chapter 3 Table 3.1 Engine Specifications ................................................................................18 Chapter 4 Table 4.1 Megasquirt model comparison table..........................................................21 Figure 4.1 Gaseous fuel injectors...............................................................................22 Figure 4.2 Relay board assembled.............................................................................24 Figure 4.3 The stimulator board assembled...............................................................25 Figure 4.4 Testing the CPU socket connections on MS-I with the stimulator ..........25 Figure 4.5 MS-I assembled on the V3.0 main board .................................................26 Figure 4.6 MS-I connected to a computer with Megatune running...........................27 iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First off, I would like to thank my parents for raising me to believe in myself, set goals and dream big. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without them. I would like to thank my brother, Kyle. He was always been there to guide me along throughout college and I’ve learned a lot from him. I would like to thank Dr. Joel Anstrom for giving me the opportunity to work with him. His vast knowledge has helped me throughout the study. My only wish is that I had more time to work on the project. I would like to thank Christine Masters for being the best academic advisor that I could ask for and always lending a helping hand. Her guidance led me to where I am today with no regrets. I would like to thank graduate students Bryan Marcovich and Tim Cleary for their guidance and help. They were always willing to give me useful advice. Finally, I would like to thank Dan Klodowski. Working on this project with him has been a phenomenal experience. v Chapter 1 Introduction The present oil situation does not have a bright outlook. Oil prices have been at all time highs in recent years with no end in sight. Whether oil supplies run out or environmental policies make oil production too expensive, there needs to be alternative fuel research in order to find a solution. A realistic short-term option is the use of hydrogen as a fuel in an internal combustion engine (ICE). Switching an engine from gasoline to hydrogen is rather straightforward and simple. Almost all of the internal combustion engines in cars can be converted. When operating under the proper conditions, an H2ICE produces almost no pollutants. The only thing necessary would be a hydrogen fuel infrastructure, which could be constructed now with the expectation of hydrogen fuel cells being a long-term option for alternative energy vehicles. The focus of this research study is the design and assembly of an electronic fuel injection (EFI) system for an H2ICE. In conjunction with this research, another study is exploring the implementation of a turbocharger. 1 Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Properties of Hydrogen When Used as an ICE Fuel This chapter