Catalytic fuel reformer for emission reduction in diesel engine

Diesel engines, due to their dominant advantages of high thermal efficiency, rigid and simple structure, and fuel economy, are the major power sources for marine and inland transportation and industrial power plants. But at the same time pollutions from the diesel engine is appreciably marked. The present investigation is aimed to reduce the emission and to improve the performance of diesel engine, the fuel reformer technique has been employed. This investigation relates to fuel reformer used in diesel engine. The fuel is also supplied through alumina balls which kept in the fuel reformer and heated upto 400°C. Based on the experimental investigation it is observed that the maximum reduction of 22% in NOx, 18% in hydrocarbon and around 7% in the smoke density and performance wise there is slight increase in the brake thermal efficiency.