HYDROGEN AS ENGINE

FUEL
Thameem Abbas

Change what we burn

Hydrogen
Atomic Number 1
Mass Number 1,2,3
Color - Colorless
General Phase Gas
Melting Point 13.99 K
Boiling Point 20.271 K
Density (STP)-.08988 gL -1
Density (l) -.07099 g/cm 3
Calorific Value 593,661 Kcal/Kg

Why Hydrogen ?

Hydrogen is light (very light)

Has a very high calorific value (an order
of magnitude higher than petrol)
Produces Water (Steam)
Requires non usage of platinum spark
plugs

Calorific Values of Various

Fuels
Petrol

Coal

Hydrogen

KJ/Kg

141790

34000
11300

Ways to
Hydrogen
canuse
be used
in either of the ways:
Hydrogen
Directly
In

burn H2 in the engine in place of gasoline

the form of electricity from a hydrogen fuel cell

The

latter is more commonly used due to its

convenience
But

the former can provide much better results if

the required modifications are made to the engine

Fuel Cell

Fuel cells are a safe

and more practical
way to use hydrogen
as fuel
But they are not as
powerful as IC
engine powered
vehicles

Advantages

High safety
Zero harmful
emissions
Can achieve very
high efficiency

Disadvantages

Hydrogen fuel cells are highly expensive

due to construction materials
Require high purity of fuel and oxygen
Replacement costs can be very high
Has not penetrated growing markets yet

Hydrogen IC Engines

As weird as it sounds,
hydrogen based IC
engines do exist
They have existed
since 1806
It was the De Rivaz
engine

De Rivaz Engine

The De Rivaz engine was very primitive.

It had no timing mechanism but relied on
manual operation
Hydrogen was stored in a balloon connected
by a pie
Oxygen was supplied to the air inlet
A Volta cell was used for ignition

De Rivaz Engine Schematic

A = Cylinder
B = Spark Ignition
C = Piston
D = Hydrogen Balloon
E = Ratchet
F = Inlet and exhaust
piston
G = Handle for second
piston

Hydrogen IC Engines

Hydrogen IC engines
merely replace
gasoline with
Hydrogen
This requires a
number of
modifications to be
made to the engine

Modifications

Hardened Valves and Valve seats

Stronger connecting rods
Non platinum tipped spark plugs
Higher Voltage ignition coil
Fuel injectors designed for gas
Larger crankshaft dampener
Stronger head gasket material
Modified intake manifold
Positive pressure supercharger
High temperature Oil

Modifications

The cause for the requirement of all

these modifications is:

Very high calorific value of hydrogen

High efficiency burning of hydrogen

Gaseous phase of Hydrogen

Chemistry

The chemistry of the hydrogen engine is

fairly simple:

2H2 O2

2H2O

But at high temperatures, they do

produce a small amount of Nox due to
oxidation of nitrogen in the air(applies
only for air breathing engines).

Power Output

The power output of the modern hydrogen

internal combustion engine vehicle is 20 % of
a direct injection gasoline engine
In hydrogen IC engines , themselves , a
direct injection engine is 42% more powerful
than a carburetor fitted engine. This is due to
higher efficiency of combustion.

Disadvantages

Hydrogen cannot be stored as a gas and thus a liquid

Liquid Hydrogen is not feasible at room temperatures.

Thus it can merely be stored at high pressure

This also requires the use of stronger fuel tanks
Hydrogen is also explosive
Platinum should be avoided near Hydrogen

Hydrogen Tank
Hydrogen
tank by a
German
manufactur
er