Computational Modelling and Analysis of Hydrogen Combustion in Internal Combustion Engines

Context of Research:
Most countries around the world have promised to act against the increasingly worrying issue of global warming. This has primarily manifested itself as anti-carbon legislation.
Naturally, as transport accounts for a very considerable fraction of the global emissions, it has been set very ambitious goals. The main concern in this sector is the global calling for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) to be exclusively sold from years ~2035 and ~2050, for light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles respectively. This trend is expected to only continue as international pressures increase.
Currently, there are two powertrain solutions that are generally considered to be the answer to the set challenge of 'ZEV': Battery Electric (BE) and Hydrogen (H2) Fuel Cell Hybrid.
However, both of those powertrains raise challenging concerns which question the feasibility of their mass-scale adoption. BE: long charging times, range anxiety, expensive, high emission from the manufacture, lack of infrastructure, un-proved long term reliability, currently no answer to the after-life utilisation. H2 Fuel Cell Hybrid: solves the charging time and range anxiety of the BE, however, it also inherits all the other concerns though much more severely. Even though current research focuses on mitigating these issues, it is very much possible that implementable solutions to these problems will not be developed within the set timeframe.
The utilisation of current internal combustion engine (ICE) based hybrid powertrain systems with zero-carbon energy carrier that is H2, has the potential to deliver a widely adaptable (by industry and customers) 'ZEV' within the set timeframe. This is primarily because H2-ICE is an evolution, rather than a revolution as is the case in the aforementioned powertrains. The comparable disadvantages of H2-ICE are: lower tank to wheel efficiency of ~30% compared to fuel cell's 35%, and nitrous oxides (NOx) production which would have to be mitigated in order to comply with the 'ZEV' standards. However, one of the most notable advantages are: comparably little to no increase of powertrain cost compared to traditional powertrains and superior Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), already achieved global warming potential (GWP) parity with fuel cells as well as the possibility of lower GWP than a BE in the future, able to operate on impure H2 with no detriments, minimal, well understood and controlled system deterioration over time, more reliable especially in harsh environments, better packaging, higher efficiency at high loads, already well implemented after life utilisation and minimal use of precious metals.
Aim: Develop New Modelling and Experimental Insight into the Challenges and Technology Requirements for the Use of H2 Fuel in Internal Combustion Engines.
Objectives:
Obj. 1: Understand and evaluate the limitations and shortcomings of current H2 ICE modelling techniques.
Obj. 2: Advance the understanding of combustion and related phenomena (e.g. mixture preparation and heat transfer) in H2 ICEs.
Obj. 3: Advance H2 ICE modelling techniques, in identified appropriate sectors.
Obj. 4: Computationally optimise the combustion process and related phenomena in H2 ICE for efficiency and NOx emissions.
Obj. 5: Utilise experimental data for validation and to achieve other objectives.
Application and Benefits:
Results of this project could be directly utilised in the development of commercial zero-carbon ICEs, which could provide environmentally and financially sustainable propulsion for a wide range of vehicles.
Research Council:
This project is partially sponsored by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and is incorporated into the "Hydrogen and alternative energy vectors" research area, specifically as "steps towards the application of clean hydrogen technologies in transport" focus, for which £26,785,769 was invested as of October 2021.

Impact Summary

This proposal has been developed from the ground up to guarantee the highest level of impact. The two principal routes towards impact are via the graduates that we train and by the embedding of the research that is undertaken into commercial activity. The impact will have a significant commercial value through addressing skills requirements and providing technical solutions for the automotive industry - a key sector for the UK economy.

The graduates that emerge from our CDT (at least 84 people) will be transformative in two distinct ways. The first is a technical route and the second is cultural.

In a technical role, their deep subject matter expertise across all of the key topics needed as the industry transitions to a more sustainable future. This expertise is made much more accessible and applicable by their broad understanding of the engineering and commercial context in which they work. They will have all of the right competencies to ensure that they can achieve a very significant contribution to technologies and processes within the sector from the start of their careers, an impact that will grow over time. Importantly, this CDT is producing graduates in a highly skilled sector of the economy, leading to jobs that are £50,000 more productive per employee than average (i.e. more GVA). These graduates are in demand, as there are a lack of highly skilled engineers to undertake specialist automotive propulsion research and fill the estimated 5,000 job vacancies in the UK due to these skills shortages. Ultimately, the CDT will create a highly specialised and productive talent pipeline for the UK economy.

The route to impact through cultural change is perhaps of even more significance in the long term. Our cohort will be highly diverse, an outcome driven by our wide catchment in terms of academic background, giving them a 'diversity edge'. The cultural change that is enabled by this powerful cohort will have a profound impact, facilitating a move away from 'business as usual'.

The research outputs of the CDT will have impact in two important fields - the products produced and processes used within the indsutry. The academic team leading and operating this CDT have a long track record of generating impact through the application of their research outputs to industrially relevant problems. This understanding is embodied in the design of our CDT and has already begun in the definition of the training programmes and research themes that will meet the future needs of our industry and international partners. Exchange of people is the surest way to achieve lasting and deep exchange of expertise and ideas. The students will undertake placements at the collaborating companies and will lead to employment of the graduates in partner companies.

The CDT is an integral part of the IAAPS initiative. The IAAPS Business Case highlights the need to develop and train suitably skilled and qualified engineers in order to achieve, over the first five years of IAAPS' operations, an additional £70 million research and innovation expenditure, creating an additional turnover of £800 million for the automotive sector, £221 million in GVA and 1,900 new highly productive jobs.

The CDT is designed to deliver transformational impact for our industrial partners and the automotive sector in general. The impact is wider than this, since the products and services that our partners produce have a fundamental part to play in the way we organise our lives in a modern society. The impact on the developing world is even more profound. The rush to mobility across the developing world, the increasing spending power of a growing global middle class, the move to more urban living and the increasingly urgent threat of climate change combine to make the impact of the work we do directly relevant to more people than ever before. This CDT can help change the world by effecting the change that needs to happen in our industry.