Project data

Project name:	Zero-emission engine for stationary storage solutions - experimental investigations
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Project management:	Johannes Haller, Thomas Link
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Third-party donors:	Funded by the Free State of Thuringia under the number 2017 FGI 0033 and co-financed by funds from the European Union as part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Summary of the project

In Germany, the electrolytic production of hydrogen from water and subsequent reconversion into electricity is one of the most promising options for the long-term storage of electricity required in the medium term. If the oxygen produced in the process is also used for reconversion into electricity, there are new design options for process control for the utilisation of hydrogen in combustion engines. In a process developed by Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, the classic combustion engine is combined with vapour expansion in an expander and combustion takes place in an oxygen/water vapour atmosphere. In this way, no pollutants other than water vapour are produced and efficiencies and power densities can be achieved that are significantly higher than those of current hydrogen/air engines. The designed concept is characterised by high efficiencies with cost-effective plant technology and thus offers an innovative variant of hydrogen reconversion.

The core of the project is an engine process that promises higher efficiency than conventional diesel or petrol-like hydrogen combustion without emitting pollutants. Based on a modified stationary engine, the process combines the stoichiometric combustion of hydrogen with pure oxygen, which is a by-product of hydrogen production, with a vapour power process. The engine works with a zero-emission process that can be implemented at lower cost and with comparable electrical efficiency to today's fuel cell systems.

The current state of development is based on thermodynamic comparison processes and zero- or one-dimensional models of the cyclic process calculation. The next necessary development steps are based on the design and prototype phase of engine development and include complex 3D flow simulation and the construction of a test rig to analyse charge stratification and the combustion process.

The aim of the experimental investigations is to verify the developed process and the pre-calculated characteristic values as well as to identify possible limits of the process control. In the project, a test rig is to be set up that allows measurements of the cylinder pressure curve on a simple engine geometry and thus provides conclusions on the quality of the combustion process. In addition to the experiment, complex 3D CFD simulations will also be used to design the experiment and transfer the results to other engine geometries and modifications.