It is well known that hydrogen addition to spark-ignited (SI) engines can reduce exhaust emissions and increase efficiency. Micro plasmatron fuel converters can be used for onboard generation of hydrogen-rich gas by partial oxidation of a wide range of fuels. These plasma boosted microreformers are compact, rugged, and provide rapid response. With hydrogen supplement to the main fuel, SI engine...

Bacteria, fungi and protozoa inhabiting the rumen, the largest chamber of the ruminants' stomach, release large quantities of hydrogen during the fermentation of carbohydrates. The hydrogen is used by coexisting methanogens to produce methane in energy-yielding processes. This work shows, for the first time, a fundamental possibility of using a hydrogen-rich fermentation gas produced by selecte...

Coal and biomass are abundant in supply but contain carbon which, to avoid greenhouse gas emissions, needs to be sequestered after the primary energy conversion. A comparison is reported here of the performance of four different coals and biomass in an iron oxide-based direct chemical looping combustion system. The principal aim is to identify the coal and biomass with the highest H2 to CO2 rat...

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) in metallic housings were integrally and locally characterised. The tests were performed in counter flow operation for hydrogen concentrations from 2% to 100%, to identify concentration limitations and to optimise fuel utilisation. Cell characterisations were performed by spatially resolved electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), current density/voltage (i–V...

This study investigates experimentally the effects of hydrogen addition in the intake manifold of a diesel generator operating with a 7% biodiesel-diesel oil blend (B7). An experimental apparatus setup was used to conduct performance and emissions tests in a single cylinder, air cooled diesel engine. This setup consisted of a generator set connected to a wirewound resistor load bank that was us...

Enzymatic fuel cells produce electrical power by oxidation of renewable energy sources. An enzymatic glucose biofuel cell uses glucose as fuel and enzymes as biocatalyst, to convert biochemical energy into electrical energy. The applications which need low electrical voltages and low currents have much of the interest in developing enzymatic fuel cells. An analytical modelling of an enzymatic f...

Since the early 1990s, it seems that the fuel cell might become the new key technology in the automotive sector leading to a change of paradigm in the next decades. Also in scientific discussion, fuel cells are researched on and described more intensively during the last ten years. The perspective to significantly reduce local emissions as well as to gain independence from crude oil has induced...

Fuel properties............................................................................................................................................... 1 Crude oil .................................................................................................................................................... 2 Gasoline .....................................................................

Abstract. In PEM fuel cells pure hydrogen is used as a fuel. Due to its low density, the density of its stored energy is low, too. One of the possible solutions to the problem is production of hydrogen from the energy-reach material, e.g. methanol. Conversion of methanol to hydrogen is made with reformer in a steam reforming process in which besides methanol there is also water needed. On the o...