Saving the World with hydrogen just took a step closer

Horizon Educational -STEAM education on renewable energy via middle & high school competitions, science kits and curriculums. 2023 Dakar Rally – Rally Truck Ran on Hydrogen Power Let's engineer our future!

A truck did most the Dakar on a 50/50 hydrogen/diesel blend, IIRC it didn't finish not as it blew up but due to a roll over.

Also in the race were a few green cars. Sebastien Loeb's Prodrive Hunter is the 1st alternative fuel car to win a stage.

Eco wars: the battle to be Dakar's first 'green' winner - Motor Sport Magazine

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RANDLOVER

A truck did most the Dakar on a 50/50 hydrogen/diesel blend, IIRC it didn't finish not as it blew up but due to a roll over.

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Not a lot different to LPG fumigation for diesels as was popular about 10 years ago.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 101RRS

Not a lot different to LPG fumigation for diesels as was popular about 10 years ago.

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Interestingly they say they can go to 90% Hydrogen, which isn't doable with LPG and diesel, obviously 100% in petrols is.

$$$$ "Australia, Germany collaborate on green hydrogen with A$110 million in funding for four projects

" Link

The bump in some share prices was clear. _ NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE!

German " it targets to import 10 million tonnes by 2030."

Shipping winner +++ for me[bigwhistle] _ NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE!

I did some numbers of how much energy is used /needed based on another countries very good work on this.

I still think German numbers have a huge shortfall. Its helpful of course.

The race to make diesel engines run on hydrogen
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20 hours ago

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Climate change
Coal Mine in South Kalimantan - Indonesia
IMAGE SOURCE, DOMINIK VANYI
Image caption,
Converting mining industry vehicles to hydrogen could mean big savings in CO2 emissions
By Phil Mercer
BBC News, Sydney
It's a new hydrogen-diesel hybrid engine affectionately known as "baby number two" that could help to decarbonise some of Australia's heaviest industries.
The test rig is large - it has its own room adjoining a lab and looks at first glance like many other large motors, but beneath its metallic skin could lie game-changing technology.
Engineers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) say they have successfully modified a conventional diesel engine to use a mix of hydrogen and a small amount of diesel, claiming their patented technology has cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 85%.
It's the work of Prof Shawn Kook and his team at the university's School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.
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"The interest in converting an existing diesel engine into a clean-burning hydrogen engine is extremely high," Prof Kook tells the BBC at his laboratory in Sydney. Enquiries have come from Germany, South Africa, Brazil, Japan and China.
"We mount the hydrogen direct injection system into existing diesel engines, which can be applied to any conventional engine," he adds.
What makes their system unique, according to Prof Kook, is the way it mixes the hydrogen and diesel and then introduces it to the engine cylinder for combustion.
Professor Shawn Kook, University of New South Wales
Image caption,
Prof Kook says there is an "extremely high" level of interest in making diesel engines run on hydrogen
Unlike fossil fuels, hydrogen does not produce CO2 when burnt, so it has long been seen as a greener fuel source.
About 90% of fuel in the UNSW hybrid diesel engine is hydrogen but it must be applied in a carefully calibrated way.
If the hydrogen is not introduced into the fuel mix at the right moment "it will create something that is explosive that will burn out the whole system," Prof Kook explains.
He says that studies have shown that controlling the mixture of hydrogen and air inside the cylinder of the engine can help negate harmful nitrogen oxide emissions, which have been an obstacle to the commercialisation of hydrogen motors.
The Sydney research team believes that any diesel trucks and power equipment in the mining, transportation and agriculture sectors could be retrofitted with the new hybrid system in just a couple of months.
Prof Kook doubts the hybrid would be of much interest in the car industry though, where electric and hybrid vehicles are already advanced and replacing diesel cars.
However, he says Australia's multibillion-dollar mining industry needs a solution for all its diesel-powered equipment as soon as possible.
The diesel engine converted to run on hydrogen at the University of New South Wales
Image caption,
It's an ordinary diesel engine but runs on 90% hydrogen
"We have so many established diesel-powered generators, mega-trucks and underground machines. How do we decarbonise all those existing diesel engines? One way is to shut down everything and get new technology in, which will take decades," he says.
The plan is for the hybrid to run off a hydrogen-diesel mix or, in the absence of hydrogen, it can revert to diesel only.
Prof Kook hopes his new generation engine will become a commercial product within two years.
Tim Buckley, the director at Climate Energy Finance, a public interest think-tank in Sydney, believes the technology has the potential to "transform the Australian mining industry dramatically".
"There's always an element of scepticism in the work I do to evaluate what is hype and hope as opposed to reality. Having said that, this University of New South Wales breakthrough does appear to be pretty material. If they can pull it off it is a huge opportunity," he says.
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The Australian team is in a global race to develop hybrid diesel-hydrogen engines. Engineers in other countries are working on their concepts and designs but the Sydney team believes it has an edge.
"I think we have a breakthrough compared to most other research groups in the world where we can actually achieve a higher percentage using hydrogen over diesel," explains Xinyu Liu, a UNSW PhD student from China.
"Emission-wise, CO2-wise we can achieve a higher reduction than the other methods. The concept has been proven using the previous small-scale engine. We are trying to implement this idea into a larger scale, which is more [applicable] to industry."
Xinyu Liu, PhD student (left) and Professor Shawn Kook, University of New South Wales
Image caption,
PhD student Xinyu Liu (left) says the UNSW team's research is ahead of other diesel-hydrogen projects
The bigger version, or the UNSW's "baby number two", has twice the volume of the original prototype and has the potential for a "massive reduction in CO2" emissions, according to Prof Kook.
The vision is laid out in a paper published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
Much of the invention's impact on the environment will depend on where the hydrogen comes from.
While small amounts of hydrogen are being extracted directly from the ground, most hydrogen is manufactured, in a process that emits CO2.
Green hydrogen, produced by using electricity from renewable power to split water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules using an electrolyser, is seen as the answer. But the technology and the electricity needed is costly, so at the moment only a small amount of hydrogen is produced this way.
But the costs are likely to come down and with abundant sunshine and wind, Australia has a lot of potential to produce renewable electricity, which could one day be used to make more green hydrogen.
The Climate Council, an independent organisation, believes that sustainable hydrogen gives Australia the chance to end its reliance on fossil fuels.
"Australia is one of the world's largest coal exporters and the largest liquefied gas exporter," the Council wrote in a 2021 briefing. "Both are polluting fossil fuels, and Australia is paying a high cost for that with more severe and frequent extreme weather events like bushfires, heatwaves, and drought."
Wind Turbines at Capital Wind Farm, the largest wind farm in New South Wales, 30 kilometres north east of Canberra
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
Australia has great potential for renewable electricity, which could be used to make green hydrogen
For now, the UNSW project remains in the nursery in the laboratory. Academic endeavour needs the financial heft of outside investment and the hands-on input and knowledge of a mining company or engine manufacturer.
"Our vision is to impact Australian mining, agriculture and construction industries first and then move out to the rest of the world to make a bigger impact," says Prof Kook.
Australia has some of the world's biggest resources companies and they have all committed to aggressive decarbonisation targets. Technology is the key.
"The idea of blending hydrogen and diesel together in an existing engine is something of a Holy Grail for decarbonising heavy industry and mining," adds Tim Buckley.
He has this existential question for the engineers at UNSW: "Can they actually deploy it in a commercial setting and replicate it outside the university?"

Don

Ballard F-C Wave suggest "Putting Fuel Cells To Work
Vessels and marine applications powered by Ballard’s fuel cells:

MF Hydra – The world’s first zero-emission liquid hydrogen powered ship, build for Norled in Norway

https://www.uib.no/sites/w3.uib.no/f...rdselsfoto.jpg


HySEAS – The first passenger ferry to run on fuel cells and locally produced renewable hydrogen. The vessel will be deployed on a regular lifeline ferry service in the Orkney Islands, Scotland Might still just be a project?

FPS Waal and Zulu – The two commercially operated hydrogen fuel cell vessels will be deployed in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and Paris, France- being refitted now

ELEKTRA – The world’s first hydrogen and fuel cell push boat for inland waterway cargo transport in Germany. The heavy duty barge will sail from Berlin to Hamburg
https://maritime-executive.com/media...a-1.24b96f.jpg

H2Ports – Hydrogen and fuel cell solutions for port handling equipment at the port of Valencia, Spain"

Mean while I can the my E-boat motor from Norway but cannot fit 1000KG+ of batteries in my little boat- Boo Hoo still :) A fuel cell is needed for me.

This is big for me at least. Wanting a hydrogen Generator for work and my boat


Sales of Panasonic's stand-alone fuel cells have already begun in Europe, where the company is working with German heating systems maker Viessmann to bring the first systems online in April.The fuel cells went on sale in Japan in October 2021, and have been installed in a housing development in the Harumi district of Tokyo along with such facilities as research laboratories.

Panasonic to sell pure hydrogen fuel cell generators in China


"There are about 100 companies operating hydrogen fuel cell businesses in China. Most of them are involved in automotive fuel cells rather than stand-alone types for homes or businesses, said Dohno."

The huge advantages for static standby back up power hydrogen has over batteries is clear to me. I wont list them again or I would be repeating myself

One of these would fit for my vaccine fridges now. I hope they get here soon! https://www.ft.com/__origami/service...source=nar-cms

Have a great day all.

There is a hydrogen fueling network that runs from Germany to Switzerland for trucks and there are 12 hydrogen refueling stations in the UK which are mostly used by taxi as battery has not proven to be economically viable due to down time recharging. There is though little support by government for hydrogen refueling stations but plenty of cash for battery charging points

What they are working on and are yet to crack is the miniaturization of the process so the hydrogen can be made in the vehicle as it is used so no storage of the gas. Once the miniaturization of the process is achieved it will have many applications across energy users