Air management system for hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine – learning from the past
2022-01-0717
03/29/2022
- Content
- The internal combustion engine (ICE) has undergone a drastic technological change in the past 20 years. From downsizing in the 2000s to electrification in the 2010s, all changes aimed to achieve a better fuel economy with lower emissions. However, in the age where a majority of the countries are pursuing carbon neutrality, ICE is facing a whole new challenge ahead – renewable hydrogen fuel. A completely different combustion characteristic means the turbocharger on a hydrogen-fueled ICE (H2ICE) needs to operate in a distinctive condition. Nonetheless, many turbocharger designs learnt in the past two decades are still applicable to this new ICE architecture. This paper presents a preliminary study on the feasibility of using turbine technologies developed in the past for fossil-fueled ICE in a hydrogen-fueled unit. It provides a glimpse of potential air management system configuration that can potentially be used in an H2ICE. The paper begins by understanding the new operating condition through a validated 1D engine simulation model. For the same output from a comparable engine capacity, an H2ICE needs as much as 50% additional air flow rate even as low as 1000 RPM engine speed. As a result, conventional single-stage turbocharging is no longer sufficient to accomplish the task. Multi-stage turbocharging for higher boost pressure and variable geometry turbine that help spools the turbocharger is necessary for H2ICE to satisfy its airflow requirement. Following the same line of thought, an electric turbo-compounding may also be a viable option for H2ICE's air management system. The study also attempted to correlate the potential performance gain from various turbine volute designs, such as a multi-scroll, non-linear A/R turbine volute and different scroll inlet designs, renowned for preserving the pulsating exhaust flow energy. However, these turbines are constantly limited by the compressor's output when operating on an engine, thereby suppressing their full potential. Indirect turbine-to-compressor-coupling such as in electric turbo-compounding may unleash the full potential of these turbine designs. The findings of this study aim to outline the new turbine design direction for the future hydrogen-fueled ICE.
- Citation
- Chiong, M., Rajoo, S., Kim, J., Martinez-Botas, R. et al., "Air management system for hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine – learning from the past," SAE Technical Paper 2022-01-0717, 2022, .