268
Alternative Fuels for Transportation
Among the most recent experiences we cite:
• The HyFleet project proposes to test 14 hydrogen internal combustion buses in Berlin in cooperation with TOTAL, BVG, and Vattenfall
Europe. These buses cost approximately 50% more than a conventional bus. Two types of bus were developed, using different strategies of combustion, an H 2 urban bus equipped with a 150 kW engine
that uses petrol and H 2 in stoichiometric proportion, and an H 2
urban bus equipped with new and a more efficient 200 kW lean burn
engine with exhaust gas turbo charging and inter-cooling.
• The new BMW 12 cylinder hydrogen engine that is able to run on
both hydrogen and petrol.
• A simplified comparison between the use of hydrogen in ICEs and
in FCGs can be based on the following items:
FCGs have much higher efficiencies and pollute much less
(they are low noise and their gaseous emissions are null, for
low temperature FCs, or very low) at present ICEs have much
lower costs and longer useful life.
Hydrogen-IC engines are much cheaper than Hydrogen-FCs, both directly
and in terms of fuel cost (with high fuel purity requirements for the H 2 -FCs).
Furthermore, using IC engines allows bi-fuel operation (engine can run on
gasoline and hydrogen). Though FC vehicles consistently achieve the highest
fuel efficiency, the H 2 -ICE can serve as a bridging technology and might help
in the development of the infrastructure needed for hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen
can be used in SI engines in three ways: manifold induction, direct injection
of hydrogen into the cylinders, and as a supplement to gasoline.
9.10.1 Manifold induction
Hydrogen can be inducted into the engine through carburetion. The engine
was able to operate smoothly within the equivalence range of 0.4–0.8 without
frequent symptoms of backfire. This method allows quality governing,
ultra-lean operation, high thermal efficiency, and low exhaust emissions in
the equivalence range of 0.3–0.5. These carburetted versions of the engine
systems, apart from developing low power outputs (as compared to the gasoline-fueled engines) also exhibited severe operational combustion-related
problems such as backfire, preignition, combustion knock, and rapid rate of
pressure rise (www.imtuoradea.ro).
Das (2002) reported that normal spark plugs sometimes act as a vulnerable
potential hot spot leading to premature ignition. Moreover, it causes backfire
and might be caused by hot spots in the combustion chamber and residual
particulate matter from the oil. Lynch (1983) suggested “Parallel Induction,”
which is similar to intake port injection and has proved successful in getting
Alternative Fuels for Transportation
Among the most recent experiences we cite:
• The HyFleet project proposes to test 14 hydrogen internal combustion buses in Berlin in cooperation with TOTAL, BVG, and Vattenfall
Europe. These buses cost approximately 50% more than a conventional bus. Two types of bus were developed, using different strategies of combustion, an H 2 urban bus equipped with a 150 kW engine
that uses petrol and H 2 in stoichiometric proportion, and an H 2
urban bus equipped with new and a more efficient 200 kW lean burn
engine with exhaust gas turbo charging and inter-cooling.
• The new BMW 12 cylinder hydrogen engine that is able to run on
both hydrogen and petrol.
• A simplified comparison between the use of hydrogen in ICEs and
in FCGs can be based on the following items:
FCGs have much higher efficiencies and pollute much less
(they are low noise and their gaseous emissions are null, for
low temperature FCs, or very low) at present ICEs have much
lower costs and longer useful life.
Hydrogen-IC engines are much cheaper than Hydrogen-FCs, both directly
and in terms of fuel cost (with high fuel purity requirements for the H 2 -FCs).
Furthermore, using IC engines allows bi-fuel operation (engine can run on
gasoline and hydrogen). Though FC vehicles consistently achieve the highest
fuel efficiency, the H 2 -ICE can serve as a bridging technology and might help
in the development of the infrastructure needed for hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen
can be used in SI engines in three ways: manifold induction, direct injection
of hydrogen into the cylinders, and as a supplement to gasoline.
9.10.1 Manifold induction
Hydrogen can be inducted into the engine through carburetion. The engine
was able to operate smoothly within the equivalence range of 0.4–0.8 without
frequent symptoms of backfire. This method allows quality governing,
ultra-lean operation, high thermal efficiency, and low exhaust emissions in
the equivalence range of 0.3–0.5. These carburetted versions of the engine
systems, apart from developing low power outputs (as compared to the gasoline-fueled engines) also exhibited severe operational combustion-related
problems such as backfire, preignition, combustion knock, and rapid rate of
pressure rise (www.imtuoradea.ro).
Das (2002) reported that normal spark plugs sometimes act as a vulnerable
potential hot spot leading to premature ignition. Moreover, it causes backfire
and might be caused by hot spots in the combustion chamber and residual
particulate matter from the oil. Lynch (1983) suggested “Parallel Induction,”
which is similar to intake port injection and has proved successful in getting