Advanced automotive technology today shows the capability of companies within the industry to take internal combustion engines to the next level. One new product that has caught the eye is a 2.0-liter turbocharged hydrogen engine that AVL, an Austrian-based automotive engineering company, launched.
This engine operates at 90°C and adds water to the combustion chamber. Some might consider it a taboo in physics, but this new technology innovates and performs in harmony with science despite breaking conventional engine norms.
Understanding the innovative science of AVL’s hydrogen combustion with water injection
AVL’s hydrogen engine runs with hydrogen as the primary fuel and has water injection. Conventional engines consume gasoline or diesel and emit sulfur dioxide and carbon emissions. Combustion of hydrogen does not release CO₂, but it does release nitrous oxides (NOx), which is a difficult-to-combat pollutant.
Through water injection into the engine intake air, AVL’s system cools the combustion chamber, thus minimizing the formation of NOx. It also enables the engine to run at high temperatures without reaching the critical boiling point or reaching high combustion temperatures.
Water injection also reduces the air-fuel ratio from a lean burn to a stoichiometric level, thus increasing the power output. This modification allows AVL’s hydrogen engine to be tuned to achieve performance figures akin to a standard gasoline engine – up to 410 horsepower.
It is counter-intuitive that for the engine, the air-fuel mixture is best at a lower amount than that of a car engine due to the physics of controlled hydrogen combustion.
The unique advantages of hydrogen combustion engines compared to fuel cell technology
Almost all the vehicles using hydrogen as fuel today use fuel cells, which splits the hydrogen into electricity for powering an electric motor. However, AVL’s hydrogen combustion engine has been developed to provide the same feel as the good old internal combustion engines using hydrogen fuel and retaining engine noises.
This setup is unique because it allows using the benefits of hydrogen as a fuel source and gives drivers a familiar feeling behind the wheel. But hydrogen engines also have their drawbacks. A lean burn characterizes hydrogen combustion, which burns more air than fuel and gives less power.
AVL’s water injection solution erases this problem by increasing the power and efficiency of the engine. This approach makes the engine ideal for motorsport due to the need to produce energy and high performance. According to AVL, hydrogen combustion engines are cheaper than fuel cell systems, particularly when integrating hydrogen into gasoline engines.
How AVL’s hydrogen engine maintains optimal performance at a lower operating temperature
Another feature of AVL’s hydrogen engine is its operating temperature of only 90ºC, while a traditional engine can rise to 200ºC. AVL achieves this through water injection and accurate fueling, thus sustaining this temperature, eliminating engine knock, and minimizing NOx emissions.
This has proven to be true. After all, when temperatures are low, they benefit engines because they decrease erosion, increase durability, and make the engines more efficient.
Although 90ºC is possible, it is not easy to maintain this temperature in actual technology applications. This new engine design has been proved through AVL’s prototype testing, which now opens the door for hydrogen combustion in high-performance conditions.
FCPA may appear, at first sight, to go against some of the definitive expectations of physics, as seen in the controlled interaction with hydrogen and water, which conforms to thermodynamics.
The future of motorsport: Overcoming challenges with hydrogen combustion engines
An exclusive focus on hydrogen combustion by AVL can potentially change the face of motorsports. The 2.0-liter hydrogen turbo engine with 320hp is quite powerful and can open a new era in motorsport, which is environmentally friendly.
Hydrogen combustion still results in NOx formation, but at least it moves away from carbon in an industry that depends on fossil fuels. Hydrogen combustion engines are much cheaper for the teams than developing entirely new technologies.
Unlike fuel cell technology, AVL’s engine can be quickly developed from a gasoline engine with fewer changes because of its simplicity and flexibility. Besides, hydrogen power preserves the noise and movement of ordinary combustion engines, which may attract motorsport lovers who appreciate conventional engine qualities.
To sum up, water-injected hydrogen combustion engines developed by AVL offer fresh concepts to automotive engineering, high performance interconnected with care for environmental issues.
It does not violate any physical laws, but it does bend conventional engineering thinking regarding racing car design and subsequently creates prospects for future eco-friendly racing cars. With hydrogen steadily becoming more popular as a clean energy source, AVL’s developments may usher in a new generation of motorsport and beyond.