Hydrogen as a fuel for spark ignition combustion engines – state of knowledge and concept

Abstract

Accelerating process of the transport and energy sectors increases the interest in fuels derived from renewable sources. The predicted three-fold increase in hydrogen production by 2050, driven by its falling production costs, justifies the direction of research aimed at its popularisation as a fuel for internal combustion engines (H2ICE). Presented article provides an overview of the state of knowledge on hydrogen combustion systems, which are currently the most attractive development path, mainly due to the well-developed production technology and relatively low recycling cost compared with fuel cells. The paper contains a comprehensive analysis of currently available solutions covering issues related to the production, storage, and transmission of hydrogen, with particular emphasis on the Polish market, which is one of the largest in Europe in terms of its production. The authors also propose their own concept of a hydrogen combustion system for application in an internal combustion engine. The presented solution is based on the idea of prechamber introduction in order to improve combustion process parameters and hence overall engine efficiency.