The use of hydrogen as a fuel in road transport on the Polish path to climate neutrality - a literature review

Abstract

Hydrogen is expected to be one of the most important fuels meeting stringent emission standards shortly. Using hydrogen as a fuel in an internal combustion engine (ICE) is an alternative application to replace hydrocarbon fuels that, when burned, produce harmful gases such as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, particulate matter, and greenhouse gases. This work provides an overview of the latest research results and future challenges and opportunities related to the use of hydrogen to power ICEs. The article presents the work of various research centres describing the technical use of hydrogen as a fuel in motor vehicles with combustion engines. Specific chemical and physical properties of hydrogen used in combustion engines were presented. The article presents modern research on a hydrogen-powered ICE. First, the basics of hydrogen engines are described, examining the engine-specific properties of hydrogen, followed by a review of the existing literature. Attention was paid to the fundamental importance of optimising the air composition from the point of view of combustion quality, NOx emissions, engine efficiency, and performance. Another issue under consideration is cleaning exhaust gases to meet future emissions regulations for hydrogen-fuelled combustion engines.

Keywords

• internal combustion engine
• alternative fuel
• hydrogen
• emissions