Hydrogen-fuelled engines

The system efficiency r)syst of a hydrogen fuelled combined fuel cell-heat cycle is plotted over the cell temperature lie in Figure 2.14 on the right side. The exergetic efficiency of the fuel cell fc is varied between 0.7 and 1 and the exergetic efficiency of the heat engine he is constant at 0.7. 

Recently, Ford in the USA has announced that it is starting production of a supercharged 6.8 litre hydrogen engine. This is a VI0 model intended for use in hydrogen-fuelled shuttle buses, first in Florida and then across the country. 

The prognosis, then, for road transportation is for a varied mix of propulsion systems and fuels as conventional petroleum becomes less plentiful and prices rise. Internal combustion engines operating with synthetic liquid fuels (hydrocarbons, alcohols and bio-diesel) are expected to appear in increasing numbers, often supported by hybrid electric drives to reduce fuel consumption. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles may become popular when more durable and affordable batteries become available. This would allow the power source to be part liquid fuel and part mains electricity. Some of the major obstacles to be overcome with hydrogen-fuelled vehicles are ... 

The technical problems could be overcome by a displacement of hydrogen fuelling infrastructure and mass vehicle purchases under government support, and over time, the cost of fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen would be comparable or even lower than current IC engine vehicles [24, 26]. However, a hydrogen fuelling... 

Rama, P. et al. 2008 A review of performance degradation and failure modes for hydrogen fuelled polymer electrolyte fuel cells, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A Journal of Power and Energy, vol 222, no. 5, 4214—441. 

Galloni, E. and M. Minutillo, Performance of a spark ignition engine fuelled with reformate gas produced on-board vehicle. Int.. Hydrogen Energy, 32(13), 2532-2538,2007. 

The biggest attraction of fuel-cell-powered vehicles for car manufacturers is the fact that they no longer emit nitrogen oxides or hydrocarbons (or carbon dioxide if they are fuelled with pure hydrogen). (Burning hydrogen in internal combustion engines results in NOx emissions fuel-cell vehicles emit only water.) This effectively does away with one of the main environmental discussion points about traffic. In California, these zero-emission cars have been demanded since the foundation of the California Fuel Cell Partnership in 1999. 

A hydrogen-based economy in the long term where hydrogen is the final product (transportation fuel used in combustion engines or fuel cells, hydro gen-fuelled power plants to regulate electrical grids with intermittent power sources...). 

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