Hydrogen & Fuel Cell

As a carbon-free energy carrier, hydrogen is a very interesting and promising way of transporting and converting energy without greenhouse gas emissions. However, the challenges are the sustainable production, transport and storage of hydrogen. Since pure hydrogen is the smallest element, there is still a need for research. In part, hydrogen is converted into other substances, such as ammonia or methanol as an energy carrier, primarily for easier transport and storage, but also for further use. These substances, which can be stored in liquid form with little effort, make handling easier. Both internal combustion engines and fuel cells are used in the energy conversion of hydrogen or its carrier systems.

Accordingly, the Institute of Sustainable Mobile Powertrains devotes its research work to the direct use of hydrogen in combustion engines and fuel cells as well as to the alternative hydrogen carriers methanol and ammonia.

 

Hydrogen internal combustion engines

Due to their robustness, internal combustion engines have the advantage of being able to serve as a bridging technology for the widespread use of hydrogen, whereby both mechanical and electrical energy as well as heat can be generated directly from hydrogen or alternative energy sources. However, the internal combustion engines must be consistently designed and developed for the new fuel so that the highest potential for low-carbon or zero-carbon combustion can be achieved. The research topics of the NMA include the energetic conversion of hydrogen and its energy carriers in the combustion chamber of the engine to the optimization of combustion in order to achieve the lowest possible environmental impact with high efficiency. This is investigated thermodynamically, optically and simulatively with test engines developed in-house, from passenger cars to the large bore engine segment.

 

Fuel cells

Fuel cells can work with a high degree of efficiency in the direct conversion of hydrogen into electrical energy, but research efforts are still needed to be able to represent broad availability. At our chair, questions of the application proximity of the fuel cell in the system network of the drivetrain are to be researched. Here, too, experimental, thermodynamic and simulative investigations play a major role in our research.