HydroMAR-E - Hydrogen Monofuel Advanced Recuperated Engine

HydroMAR-E will develop a mono-fuel Hydrogen version of the Recuperated Split Cycle Engine. This highly innovative thermal engine can be used in a range of heavy duty applications for land and sea. It offers very high efficiency (competitive with a PEM fuel cell), very low emissions (SULEV with aftertreatment), and ease of transition (existing ICE manufacture and installation requirements; moderate capital cost increase). Uniquely, and unlike a standard ICE, the RSCE has demonstrated ability to use Diesel, Methane and Hydrogen in the same core engine (and has potential for the same with Ammonia or Methanol) with the same high efficiency and low emissions, enabling a rapid transition as future fuels become more widely available.

HydroMAR-E will use a laboratory single cylinder engine, which has already demonstrated starting and running, to develop this spark-guided system to TRL4. A multi-cylinder prototype will be designed and built in readiness for future development and application demonstration in marine (and other) environments. Supporting work will develop an improved recuperator system, and review marinization, installation, vessel systems and regulatory aspects.

The project brings together the technology developer Dolphin N2 (Part of the Iveco Group, a global supplier of marine engines in the 100-600kW range), Brighton University (the UK APC's Thermal Propulsion Efficiency spoke), leading marine architects BMT, and recuperator technology developer Hiflux.