The Technology
Internal combustion engines (ICE) will remain main propulsion technology for various applications for many years. However the challenges are security of energy supply, climate change issues and air pollution.
Combined electro-thermo-chemical technology goal is to deal with all those issues by reduction of energy consumption, pollution mitigation and use of renewable energy sources. The new system combines a reformer, an ICE and optionally also a fuel-cell. The fuel for the new proposed engine is an electro-fuel such as ethanol, methanol and ammonia. The synergetic effect of the engine components allows up to 70% efficiency.
Advantages
- High efficiency
- More environmentally friendly than battery electric propulsion, with lower emissions of GHG, lower air pollution, lower toxicity and lower ecologic impacts.
- Avoiding the engine power loss, backfire, pre-ignition, and ensuring the charge stratifying possibility
- Dramatic reduction of mechanical energy investment to reformate compression with the subsequent gain in energy efficiency
- Enabling engine and fuel-cell feeding with reformate under cold start, idle, low-load and transient operation regimes, even when the reformer cannot produce sufficient quantity of the reformate fuel
- Optimized waste heat utilization from both engine and fuel cell if used
Applications and Opportunities
- Internal combustion engines add-on or replacement
- Hybrid systems combining fuel cell, internal combustion engine and onboard hydrogen production
- On board hydrogen production from alcohols, ammonia for heavy-duty vehicles, UAVs and stationary units
- Marine transport
Business Development Contacts