THE EFFECT OF VARIATIONS IN HYDROCARBON RATIO ON THE PERFORMANCE AND EFFICIENCY OF MARINE DIESEL ENGINES

Abstract

Understanding the influence of fuel composition on the performance and environmental characteristics of marine diesel engines has become increasingly crucial amid global efforts to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency in maritime transportation. This study investigates how variations in the hydrocarbon ratio (C/H ratio) of liquid fuels affect the thermodynamic, operational, and environmental indicators of a four-stroke medium‑speed marine diesel engine. A MATLAB-based zero‑dimensional combustion and working-cycle simulation model, previously validated against the technical passport data of the Wärtsilä 6L20 engine, was extended and refined to evaluate a wide range of hypothetical and real fuel formulations. Five baseline fuels-marine diesel, road diesel, flot fuel, biodiesel, and a diesel-biodiesel blend-were analyzed, and their chemical compositions were systematically modified to assess the impact of changing carbon and hydrogen mass fractions on cylinder pressure, temperature, heat release rate, indicated and effective power, brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC), combustion efficiency, and carbon dioxide emissions [1-14]. The results demonstrate that increasing the carbon fraction enhances the lower heating value (LHV) and leads to higher peak pressures and temperatures, thereby increasing effective power output but also raising CO₂ emissions per kilowatt-hour. Conversely, higher hydrogen content generally improves combustion completeness and thermal efficiency but reduces energy density, resulting in lower engine power and higher BSFC. Fuels with embedded oxygen, such as biodiesel, exhibit smoother combustion and lower NOₓ formation tendencies but require increased mass flow rates to compensate for their lower LHV. The study concludes that optimizing the hydrocarbon ratio is a multi-objective problem involving trade-offs between energy efficiency, emissions, and economic feasibility. These findings support fuel reformulation strategies for achieving IMO-compliant environmental performance while maintaining acceptable engine efficiency [15-24].

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