5 Hydrogen Combustion Engines Set to Break the Mold

June 25, 2024

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by Gaurav Roy (Securities.io) Hydrogen combustion has emerged as one of the most promising fuel options, offering significant environmental value and performance. At a design level, these engines date back more than four decades.

In 1970, inventor Paul Dieges patented a modification that enabled gas-powered internal combustion engines to run on hydrogen. Since then, this technology has advanced greatly in its ability to power vehicles, cars, and buses. Its potential is so great that future commercial aircraft may also adopt hydrogen as their primary fuel.

In Hydrogen Combustion Engines, either liquid or gaseous hydrogen burns in a modified gas turbine engine to generate thrust. This process mirrors traditional internal combustion but with hydrogen replacing its fossil fuel counterpart.

With its growing use and importance, speculations are rife about which HCE has the most exciting future. In the following segments, we look at five hydrogen combustion engines that are all set to break the mold.

Cummins 15-Litre Hydrogen Engine

Cummins's 15-liter engine platform, which, which we discuss,, is fuel-agnostic at its core. It is compatible with hydrogen, natural gas, and diesel. But when deployed with hydrogen, it can truly break the mold by becoming the best version of its low-to-zero carbon fuel capability range and accelerating the decarbonization of heavy-duty off-highway applications to their optimum.

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The version is expected to be in full production by 2027. The company will produce these engines with 15-liter and 6.7-liter displacements.

The engine has been getting validation from industry stakeholders from its very early days. In January 2022, Werner Enterprises (Nasdaq: WERN), a premier transportation and logistics provider, decided to begin validating and integrating Cummins' 15-liter hydrogen internal combustion engines in its vehicles.

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Yamaha's 5.0-litre V8 100% Hydrogen-Powered Engines for Toyota

Toyota Motor Corporation commissioned Yamaha Motor to develop the hydrogen engine of the future. The five companies—Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Subaru Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation, Mazda Motor Corporation, and Yamaha Motor—decided to conduct collaborative research into exploring and expanding the range of fuel options for internal combustion engines suited for carbon neutrality.

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The Engine for BMW iX5 Hydrogen

BMW has been testing its future vehicle since 2023. From temperatures of up to 45°C to sand, dust, various inclines, and fluctuating humidity levels, the company has tested it all. The company also finds its hydrogen fuel cell technology suitable for everyday use in extreme sub-zero temperatures.

In terms of specifics, the BMW iX5 Hydrogen's fuel-cell system can consistently deliver a high output of 125 kW/170 hp.

Toyota Motor Corporation has been commissioned to manufacture the individual cells for the BMW Group. The BMW Group Plant, Landshut, makes the casing for the stack, which comes second in the two-step manufacturing process. The first step involves stacking the cells and fitting the other components.

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Volvo's Hydrogen Combustion Engines with High-Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI) Technology

The Volvo trucks set to come with a hydrogen combustion engine will have high-pressure direct injection (HPDI) technology, which means that a small amount of ignition fuel, injected with high pressure, can enable compression ignition even before hydrogen is added. One of the many benefits of this technology is that it retains high levels of energy efficiency with lower fuel consumption. It ensures that engine power is not compromised in the process.

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Customer tests with Volvo trucks that use hydrogen in combustion engines will begin in 2026, and the trucks will become commercially available towards the end of this decade.

HPDI technology is a transformative addition to how our transport systems will work in the future. It addresses the challenges of meeting the regulatory requirements of Euro 7 and the US EPA for trucking and off-road equipment manufacturers globally.

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Hydrogen Combustion Engine Developed in Collaboration by Kia and Hyundai

In a latest move that could prove pioneering, Kia and Hyundai, two Korean automobile giants, have teamed up to design a hydrogen combustion engine. The engine may become ready for passenger cars by 2025.

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Reports suggest this engine can potentially solve all the problems of durability and large-scale viability that hydrogen engines have faced until now. The prototype is that of a 180-200 horsepower 2-liter hydrogen engine with torque and power curves comparable to the equivalent gasoline engines in size. The benefit is that the hydrogen engine does far better when it comes to fuel consumption. The engine can sustain high thermal efficiency throughout its operation by infusing hydrogen into the combustion chamber at a pressure of 30 bar.

To augment the production of the engine, Hyundai and Kia have also struck partnerships with a couple of vendors. For example, it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Next Hydrogen Corporation, a Canadian company that specializes in water electrolysis technology. The development of an alkaline water electrolysis system will improve the price competitiveness of clean hydrogen for Hyundai and Kia.

The company has also signed an agreement with W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) to jointly develop advanced polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) for hydrogen fuel cell systems. The PEM facilitates the transfer of protons between electrodes in the fuel cell. As the PEM blocks the direct combination of incoming hydrogen and oxygen, selective conduction of protons happens, and, in turn, an electrical current is generated to power a vehicle. READ MORE

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Hydrogen Combustion Engines Look Increasingly Viable with the Transportation Sector in Flux (Securities.io)

Excerpt from Securities.io: Hydrogen, unlike liquid gasoline, is a gas that necessitates a special fuel delivery system. For this purpose, high-pressure storage tanks hold the hydrogen gas, ensuring sufficient fuel storage to meet the demand of a journey.

A control valve, meanwhile, regulates the flow of gas into the engine's intake manifold, ensuring an optimal air-fuel mixture for efficient combustion. During the intake process, the fuel is mixed with air and introduced into the cylinder.

To achieve clean and efficient combustion, a proper air-fuel mixture is needed. Hydrogen combustion engines employ sophisticated fuel injection systems to minimize harmful emissions and optimize power output.

The piston compresses the appropriate mixture of fuel and air, and high-energy spark plugs then ignite it, resulting in combustion. As hydrogen burns rapidly and releases significant heat, the combustion gases expand quickly.

These expanding gases push the piston, whose motion is converted into rotation power through the crankshaft. This force then propels the wheels, moving the vehicle forward.

This process illustrates the cleaner and more powerful driving experience that hydrogen combustion engines can provide, promising a more sustainable transportation future. However, the rapid speed and high temperatures in hydrogen internal combustion engines (HICEs) are achieved through hydrogen-friendly materials, advanced engine design, and innovative fuel injection technology.

How is it Different From Hydrogen Fuel Cells?

Hydrogen is used in the transportation sector in two distinct ways: through fuel cells and combustion engines. Although both processes use zero-carbon fuel hydrogen, they harness it in different ways to power vehicles.

As mentioned above, hydrogen combustion engines produce power by burning hydrogen, much like traditional engines. Here, hydrogen is mixed with air to create a controlled explosion, generating mechanical energy to propel the vehicle.

Fuel cells and hydrogen vehicles, meanwhile, convert hydrogen into electricity through a chemical process. In this process, an electrochemical device converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, heat, and water vapor. More specifically, it generates electricity by splitting hydrogen into a proton and an electron. This electricity then powers an electric motor that drives the vehicle.

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Fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) are more efficient at lower loads, while hydrogen combustion engines perform better under heavier loads. This makes HICEs a better choice for heavy trucks that haul large loads most of the time. In contrast, cars, buses, and tow trucks may benefit more from fuel cells, as they usually operate under much lower loads.

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Because they operate at a lower temperature than combustion engines, fuel cells also have a lower risk of fire or explosion. However, as they are a relatively new technology, fuel cells are a more expensive option than hydrogen combustion engines.

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Another big benefit of HICEs is that they can be built using existing internal combustion engine technology, so there is no need for additional infrastructure or retraining the workforce. Moreover, the element itself can be produced from various sources such as biomass, water electrolysis, and natural gas, hence capable of meeting the rising demands for clean energy.

The case for hydrogen as a fuel is certainly strong, but that doesn't mean there aren't any issues involved. In fact, hydrogen combustion engines face several challenges that need to be addressed.

For starters, we need large storage space for hydrogen tanks, which adds a substantial amount of weight to the vehicle. This, of course, increases the risk of wear and tear, hence reducing the life of the vehicle. The fuel also burns pretty easily, which means there are dangers to engine parts. Harnessing hydrogen is not easy either. It is a time-consuming and energy-intensive process.

Meanwhile, its energy density is less, meaning the power generated is relatively less than that of conventional combustion engines. Compared to other fuels like petrol, which need a compression ratio of 8:1, hydrogen combustion engines need 40:1, which presents another issue. Not to mention, mass-producing these engines is an expensive task.

While hydrogen is chosen for its lower emissions, the combustion engine still creates a carbon footprint as it involves some NOx emissions, negating the very purpose of these engines. As such, managing the heat and any remaining emissions through after-treatment systems is important.

Click here to learn the safety concerns around hydrogen vehicles.

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Recently, researchers at the University of Alberta have come up with a new coating material that looks promising for hydrogen combustion engines. The new complex concentrated alloy, AlCrTiVNi5, has superior thermomechanical properties, including low expansion, high stability, fracture tolerance, and the ability to withstand high temperatures as well as high-pressure environments.

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Earlier this month, Toyota also announced that in an effort to make hydrogen combustion viable, it has created an internal combustion engine that can run on synthetic fuel, biodiesel, gasoline, and hydrogen. To make this happen, engineers used a 1.6-liter engine from the GR Corolla race car, which helped the company overcome the challenge of balancing thermal efficiency. Its new engines are 10% to 20% smaller but are more powerful.

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Late last year, India's largest automobile company, Tata Motors, unveiled R&D facilities that involve an engine test cell for the development of HICEs as well as the infrastructure for storage and dispensing of hydrogen fuel.

This year, Tata collaborated with US giant Cummins for a manufacturing facility in India for HICEs for both medium and heavy commercial vehicles. This comes after the joint venture announced last year that it would spend $424 mln on the factory to produce 4,000 H2 engines a year and 10,000 battery systems.