Converting diesel engines to run on hydrogen
How UNSW researchers are working to decarbonise heavy industries.
Published on the 27 August 2024
Co-founders of start-up DeCarice: Prof Shawn Kook, Goran Bozic.
A team of researchers from UNSW, led by Professor Shawn Kook, Associate Professor Shaun Chan, and Professor Evatt Hawkes, has made a significant breakthrough in reducing carbon emissions from diesel engines. They’ve developed a hydrogen-diesel direct injection dual-fuel technology, so that that existing diesel engines can run primarily on hydrogen.
The new dual-fuel system has been proven to run using 90% hydrogen and 10% diesel, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 77%. Hydrogen, a new green fuel source produced from renewable feedstock, doesn’t produce CO2 when burned, making it an ideal alternative to diesel.
The system works by maintaining the original diesel injection, while adding a hydrogen fuel injection directly into the cylinder. The hydrogen-air charge is fully controlled before being ignited by a small volume of diesel flames – with advanced diagnostics performed in optical facilities before engine testing revealing how exactly these needed to be controlled.
From inside the lab to commercial industry
Professor Kook highlighted how important this technology in accelerating decarbonization across various heavy industries. “We wanted to accelerate decarbonisation across a range of hard to abate heavy industries such as mining and agriculture,” he explains. “Diesel operators are required to reduce their CO2 emissions, and this is key for their operations – there’s desperate demand for it.”
To bring this technology to life, the UNSW team is collaborating with a start-up company, DeCarice, along with support from the Trailblazer for Recycling & Clean Energy (TRaCE) and the UNSW Founders’ Climate 10x Accelerators program. DeCarice is focused on commercializing the hydrogen-diesel technology, so that it can be actively help decarbonise internal combustion engines.
Australia will be the first market to benefit from this innovation, but Professor Kook has plans to expand internationally. “This has to play out on an international scale,” he explains. “Australia contributes to significant global CO2 emissions, but decarbonisation and implementation of the technology provides great engineering benefits for everyone.”
The team is already preparing for several in-field demonstration projects. Rio Tinto, for instance, is the TRaCE industry partner that is working to scale the technology for future mining applications.
Innovative technology in motion
Having accomplished the decarbonisation of existing diesel engines, the most immediate potential use for Prof. Kook’s research is within industrial locations such as construction, port, agriculture and mining sites. "Our staged approach is to impact Australian non-road diesel machines and then to scale up for on-road diesel engines and international markets to make a bigger impact.”
The immediate potential use of this hydrogen-diesel technology is in industrial locations such as construction sites, ports, agriculture, and mining operations. "Our staged approach is to impact Australian non-road diesel machines and then to scale up for on-road diesel engines and international markets to make a bigger impact”, says Prof. Kook.
While the conversion of diesel engines is a breakthrough with the potential for significant real-world impact, the collaborative nature of the research has been just as rewarding. As Prof. Kook notes – “I’m surrounded by great colleagues, students and many global industry partners. The Faculty of Engineering provides such a supportive environment.”
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