Injecting hydrogen into a diesel engine is not only conceivable, but also advantageous, since it reduces diesel consumption, particulate matter emissions, and CO2 emissions, as well as increasing the engine’s life and lowering maintenance costs.
The tightening of emissions regulations, as well as growing concern about the impact of road traffic, has resulted in the emergence in recent years of a variety of technologies that promise to reduce emissions from internal combustion engines and, as a result, to try to extend the life of diesel engines.
The electric car is unavoidably the way of the future, and next-generation batteries and hydrogen will be critical in eventually replacing the internal combustion engine.
Hydrogen infusion, in combination with diesel, offers better combustion and lower emissions, particularly particulate matter and carbon monoxide.
Diesel engines with hydrogen injection
In recent months, we’ve looked at a variety of situations in which hydrogen, not just as a fuel for fuel cells but also as a fuel for regular engines, appears to be a viable option. But now we’d like to talk to you about a different approach, hydrogen injection in diesel engines, which, although not eliminating harmful gas emissions, greatly decreases them.
For decades, hydrogen injection for diesel engines has been known for its benefits, such as cleaner combustion. Hydrogen, for example, is utilized in the decarbonization of diesel engines.
The idea behind hydrogen injection is to introduce a combination of diesel and hydrogen into the typical functioning of a diesel engine, with hydrogen contributing to cleaner combustion. When we look at the need for a hydrogen-injection engine, we can see that it will need, at the very least, a device to deliver hydrogen and, of course, a mechanism to regulate the injected hydrogen based on the circumstances.
In order to inject hydrogen into a diesel engine, a system that controls the injected hydrogen as well as a device that delivers the requisite hydrogen are both required.
Keeping hydrogen on hand to feed into diesel engines
The biggest issue with this technology is the requirement for hydrogen, which necessitates the use of a pressurized tank, a hydrogen distribution network, and, of course, an additional expense for each kilometer. Perhaps this is why this solution has begun to be applied to diesel commercial vehicles, which are attempting to reduce their environmental impact and comply with emission regulations, rather than passenger cars, whose manufacturers have preferred to devote all of their resources to fully electric vehicles based on batteries or fuel cells.
The British company ULEMCo proposes the conversion of diesel industrial and heavy transport vehicles in which a mixture of diesel and hydrogen is used in the combustion chamber with a hydrogen tank and a specific injection system, which, according to its tests, can reduce CO 2 emissions from a fleet of Euro VI diesel vehicles by 20% to 40%. ( transportengineer.org ).
The availability and cost of hydrogen are evident disadvantages that, according to the inventors of this technology, are acceptable if it is feasible to retain outdated cars in circulation while minimizing harmful gas emissions.
With a built-in hydrogen generator, you can travel with ease
If possible, the proposal of HYDI Hydrogen, an Australian company with a system that does not require hydrogen storage, is more interesting. It is based on a device that uses the electrical energy supplied by a heavy transport vehicle’s electrical system, as well as distilled water, to produce small amounts of hydrogen that are injected into the diesel vehicle’s combustion chamber. In essence, it entails driving a vehicle that has a hydrogen generator incorporated into it.
This approach is intriguing since it addresses the issue of hydrogen availability – and expense – while also requiring distilled water and an energy cost – the power consumed by the hydrolysis system – that, according to the proposal’s developers, is lowered and hence acceptable.
HYDI Hydrogen assures a 14 percent decrease in consumption, a 70 percent reduction in particle emissions, a 25 percent reduction in carbon monoxide, and a 25 percent reduction in maintenance expenses.
For years, HYDI Hydrogen has been installing a device in transportation vehicles that does not require a pressurized hydrogen tank since it produces it through hydrolysis using energy and purified water.
This is a transitional technology that is not suited for passenger vehicles.
As we have stated, the future is inextricably linked to the electric automobile. Vehicles using internal combustion engines will be phased out by 2035, which is why manufacturers are abandoning diesel and gasoline car development in favor of electric, battery, and fuel cell vehicles. As if that weren’t enough, the hydrogen injection solution necessitates the use of large, bulky equipment, making it only suitable for industrial and transportation vehicles.
However, hydrogen injection into diesel engines, such as those seen in industrial and transportation vehicles, is still a developing technology. Even these cars will have to adapt to emission-free mechanics over time, relying on electric motors and batteries for last-mile and local transportation, or fuel cells and hydrogen for long-distance travel.
