Hydrogen Boosted Gasoline Engines For The Vehicle Of The Future
Together with soaring gas prices, car manufacturers are working hard to improve the fuel efficiency of their cars. For the time being, they are unable to neglect tough emission standards that are currently in place for gasoline engines. Incorporating hydrogen in the fuel/air mixture is one hopeful possibility of improving gas engine mileage.
Before now, no hydrogen boosted engine has existed given that hydrogen is not on the market today at fueling stations. Since introducing hydrogen could be the ideal way for better fuel performance, that may soon be changing. Hydrogen improved gas engines are beneficial due to the low amounts of NOX emission gas. As a result, the necessity of managing external NOX emissions may be totally phased out. NOX pollutants elimination creates a huge money issue for diesel engines as they require costly traps to help them comply with current emissions standards. Particulate pollutants are discharged from diesel engines and must be accrued using a filter that needs to be switched out regularly.
The advantage to utilizing a hydrogen boosted engine is the fact that it does not require NOX or particulate control. Using just an inexpensive oxidation catalyst, the engine can control the amount of exhaust that is released while the car is starting and warming up. When the engine starts cold, there is the possibility of only using a clean hydrogen fortified charge; therefore, even more cuts can be made in wastes control requirements as emissions tests are typically done during this warm up period.
With the new technology, an existing engine compartment can have a reformer added, basically giving the car a hydrogen boost system. According to system developers, this is even less expensive than adding diesel. Sport utility vehicles are currently being used to test prototype hydrogen boosted engines as they are large enough to deal with the reformer system. Prior to the system being more completely developed, further evaluation has to be done with regard to performance, durability, and reliability. The key contenders for this technology will in all probability be four-cylinder gasoline engines. The economy designs that are trying to be the frontrunners in miles per gallon fuel efficiency will have lots of competition, due to the continued increase in fuel prices.
Hydrogen enhanced fuel engines are a way to get reduced fuel bills, even with the rising prices at the pumps, because of getting a lot more miles per gallon. Using a hydrogen boosted device allows you to save on fuel without having to invest in a diesel car or truck. When considering permanent solutions, the hydrogen boost system may provide probably the greatest answers to the world's energy problems.