A team of engineers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia have developed a diesel-hydrogen hybrid engine that could help decarbonise some of Australia’s heaviest industries. The team has successfully modified a conventional diesel engine to use a mixture of hydrogen and a small amount of diesel, and they claim their patented technology has reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 85%.
The technology consists of a hydrogen direct injection system that is fitted to existing diesel engines and can be applied to any conventional engine. 90% of the fuel in UNSW’s diesel-hydrogen hybrid engine is hydrogen, but it must be applied in a carefully calibrated manner. If the hydrogen is not introduced into the fuel mixture at the right time, “it will create something that is explosive that will burn the whole system,” explains Professor Shawn Kook, leader of the research team.
The team believes that any diesel truck and power machinery in the mining, transport and agriculture sectors could be fitted with the new hybrid system in just a couple of months. The goal is for the hybrid to run on a hydrogen-diesel mix or, in the absence of hydrogen, revert to diesel alone. The team expects its new engine to be a commercial product within two years.
Interest in converting an existing diesel engine to a clean-burning hydrogen engine is ‘extremely high’, says Professor Kook, and he has received inquiries from countries including Germany, South Africa, Brazil, Japan and China. Unlike fossil fuels, hydrogen does not produce CO2 when burned, which is why it has been considered a more sustainable fuel source.
However, Professor Kook doubts that the hybrid will be of much interest in the automotive industry, where electric and hybrid vehicles are already advanced and replacing diesel vehicles. However, he believes that the Australian mining industry needs a solution for all its diesel equipment as soon as possible.
The development of this hybrid diesel-hydrogen engine is part of a global race to find sustainable solutions for the mining and transport industries, as these sectors are responsible for a large amount of CO2 emissions. In addition to the UNSW team, there are engineers in other countries working on their own concepts and designs. However, the UNSW team believes that it has a competitive advantage in its development.
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