Browse Topic: Hydrogen engines
Backed by a consortium of companies, Southwest Research Institute's demonstrator vehicle aims to prove the commercial viability of hydrogen engines for on-road trucks. For decades, the running joke around hydrogen being a viable fuel for commercial trucks has been that it's “ten years away from being ten years away.” Though hydrogen-fueled rigs operating at scale has long seemed like a pipe dream, shifting winds around the globe blowing towards decarbonization have finally pushed this technology to be ready for the road. With the demand for the development of new propulsion technologies rising, organizations such as the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) have ramped up R&D efforts to make this tech commercially viable. SwRI is an independent provider of research services and can rapidly assemble teams to tackle problems. SwRI's main mission is to push the boundaries of science and technology to develop innovative solutions
Letter from the Focus Issue Editors
The societies around the world remain far from meeting the agreed primary goal outlined under the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change: reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to keep global average temperature rise to well below 20°C by 2100 and making every effort to stay underneath of a 1.5°C elevation. In 2020 direct tailpipe emissions from transport represented around 8 GtCO2eq, or nearly 15% of total emissions. This number increases to just under 10 GtCO2eq when indirect emissions from electricity and fuel supply are added, for a total share of roughly 18%. Following the current trend, direct and indirect emissions in transport could reach above 11 GtCO2eq by 2050. Roughly 76% of transport emissions are related to land-based passenger and freight road transport. Emissions from aviation and shipping account for the remaining 24% of 2020 emissions. Hydrogen (H2) is in this scenario considered to play a key role as a carbon-free and versatile energy carrier. Combustion of hydrogen
Heavy duty engines for long-haul trucks are quite difficult to electrify, due to the large amount of energy that should be stored on-board to achieve a range comparable to that of conventional fuels. In particular, this paper considers a stock engine with a displacement of 12.9 L, developed by the manufacturer in two different versions. As a standard diesel, the engine is able to deliver about 420 kW at 1800 rpm, whereas in the compressed natural gas configuration the maximum power output is 330 kW, at the same speed. Three possible alternatives to these fossil fuels are considered in this study: biodiesel (HVOlution by Eni), bio-methane and green hydrogen. While the replacement of diesel and compressed natura gas with biofuels does not need significant hardware modifications, the implementation of a hydrogen spark ignition combustion system requires a deep revision of the engine concept. For a more straightforward comparison among the alternative fuels, the same engine platform has
Current GHG emissions are rebounding from an intermediate decline during the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. To get back on track to support the realization of the formulated goals of the Paris Agreement, scientific communities suggest that worldwide GHG emissions should be roughly halved by 2030 on a trajectory to reach net zero by around mid-century. Carbon neutrality imposes substantial changes in our energy mix. Hydrogen (H2) is considered to play a key role as a carbon-free and versatile energy carrier for all kinds of applications and use cases. Considering the high technological maturity of internal combustion engines (ICEs), the interest in ICEs powered by hydrogen as a CO2-free solution is rising worldwide. The content of this publication displays the necessary engineering steps to successfully convert a diesel-based engine to H2 DI operation. In this context, upfront simulations work dictated the newly designed combustion system layout and the associated
Argon power cycle hydrogen engine is an internal combustion engine that employs argon instead of nitrogen of air as the working fluid, oxygen as the oxidizer, and hydrogen as the fuel. Since argon has a higher specific heat ratio than air, argon power cycle hydrogen engines have theoretically higher indicated thermal efficiencies according to the Otto cycle efficiency formula. However, argon makes the end mixture more susceptible to spontaneous combustion and thus is accompanied by a stronger knock at a lower compression ratio, thus limiting the improvement of thermal efficiency in engine operation. In order to suppress the limitation of knock on the thermal efficiency, this paper adopts a combination of experimental and simulation methods to investigate the effects of port water injection on the knock suppression and combustion characteristics of an argon power cycle hydrogen engine. The results show that the port water injection can effectively reduce the knock intensity of the argon
North America and Europe are implementing alternate fuels meet the goals of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and creating a sustainable environment. India too has promised to cut down emissions and become CO2 net neutral by 2070. One alternate fuel which has gained importance recently is hydrogen. With the announcement of National Hydrogen Mission by the Government of India in 2023, there has been an increased attention on the hydrogen fuel-based mobility. Technologies like H2-Fuel cell and a hydrogen fueled internal combustion engine (H2-ICE) are finding wider acceptance depending on the application and both offer an opportunity to meet targets of reduced carbon footprint in India and reduce reliance on fuel imports. A key advantage of H2-ICE is that its implementation requires little mod+ification to the conventional ICE. However, the internal combustion engine, even fueled with H2, still emits NOx and therefore must meet current and future regulations. NOx can be removed using
India striving for carbon neutrality influences futures powertrain architecture of commercial vehicles. The use of CO2-free drives as battery electric have been demonstrated for various applications. The productivity still is a challenge due to missing high power charging infrastructure or limited range. This draws the attention to the use of sustainable fuels due to lower refueling times. The hydrogen engine got highest attention in the last couple of years. For markets as the EU the driver for hydrogen is the CO2 emission reduction, whereas for markets as India hydrogen offers the additional opportunity for more independence from fossil imports. Different OEMs all over the world have converted diesel engines to hydrogen operation with strong focus on performance and emission demonstration, so far with limited technology readiness of different key components. As of a strong market pull, AVL will show how to ensure SOP readiness in 2025 by effective use of simulation, verification
The use of green hydrogen as a fuel is a promising solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from our current fleet of petrol-fueled vehicles. However, achieving zero emissions remains a challenge due to the higher relative air-to-fuel ratio (lambda) required to avoid NOx formation during periods of increased load demand. On the other hand, the capability of hydrogen combustion to use a lean mixture with lower combustion variability presents a great advantage. In such cases, thermal efficiency can be improved by reducing pumping work through leaning the mixture and dethrottling to maintain the same load. This study investigates the efficiency and combustion parameters of hydrogen spark ignition operation while maintaining a constant load at several intake pressure conditions. Tests were conducted on a Ricardo Proteus spark ignition single-cylinder research engine to evaluate the impact of throttle aperture on pumping work and combustion parameters. The results of this study
One of the most promising applications for the use of hydrogen in vehicles is in the combustion engine. According to the legislation proposal being considered by European Union, hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2ICE) are zero emissions solution. Among the existing solutions, H2ICE is becoming the preferred one on long haul trucks and offroad applications. This is due to the high durability of the powertrain, the lower initial investment when compared to other alternatives, and the possibility of using low purity hydrogen. However, despite the high potential use of hydrogen, because of it is the smallest known chemical element, its use can result in the penetration of hydrogen into metallic materials, with the undesirable effect of embrittlement. This effect occurs mainly when the material surface is exposed to high temperatures and pressures, or under corrosion. By diffusing into the crystal lattice, hydrogen is accumulated in the interstices and crystalline defects, reducing the
In the past three months, at least four major announcements have detailed the kickstart of development programs or real-world demonstrations of hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines (ICE). As OEMs and fleets look to accelerate the decarbonization of their product portfolios, engine makers are ramping up efforts to provide another alternative. “Hydrogen internal combustion engines are emerging as a key technology to eliminate carbon emissions from heavy-duty sectors, while retaining the power density and operational range typical of diesel engines,” Jim Nebergall, General Manager - Hydrogen Engines at Cummins, said in an October statement detailing a collaboration with Terex Advance Mixer, end user Edge Materials and hydrogen producer PCC Hydrogen
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