Innovative developments on the use of hydrogen in transport internal combustion engines and power plants

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Innovative technologies and design solutions aimed at using hydrogen in internal combustion engines and hydrogen power plants are reviewed in the paper. The advantages of hydrogen fuel are shown and the main problems that Western automakers face and which determine the ways to solve problems in road transport are identified. In this regard, the method of using hydrogen energy in internal combustion engines and hydrogen power plants becomes a decisive factor.
 AIMS: Search for a reasonable and effective method of using hydrogen in transport.
 METHODS: The technologies of hydrogen production with the electrolysis method and on-board generation of hydrogen using hydrogen-containing components are considered. It is proposed to use ammonia as a hydrogen carrier reagent for operation in dual-fuel diesel internal combustion engines.
 RESULTS: It is noted that ammonia, with a high level of hydrogen content in the molecule, is relatively safe, has a low cost and a significant volume of production. It is easier to store and transport compared to hydrogen. For internal combustion engines operating on hydrocarbon fuel, the use of ammonia and hydrogen, its derivative product, is attractive due to the need to remove highly toxic nitrogen oxides containing in the exhaust gases of diesel internal combustion engines.
 One of the main problems of creating an environmentally friendly diesel engine associated with reducing the NOx content to an environmentally safe level is considered. A positive factor of using ammonia is the on-board production of hydrogen in the thermal reactor, as well as the possibility of organizing an effective process of neutralizing nitrogen oxides in a diesel engine.
 CONCLUSIONS: The use of ammonia to generate hydrogen allows the diesel engine to implement the process of selective reduction of nitrogen oxides when ammonia is injected into the combustion chamber at the exhaust stroke. This method will significantly increase the efficiency of NOx neutralization in a diesel internal combustion engine due to the possibility of temperature regulation of the NOx neutralization reaction directly in the cylinder and in the exhaust system of the internal combustion engine.