In reaction to many requests regarding ArtuPower and other products developed by ABLabs, we publish an overview of our H2O-CH technology. Our products specifically target the problem of retrofitting existing common rail diesel engines to diesel and alkane gas (such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas (CNG, LNG) and their bio-equivalents (BioLPG, BioCNG) or mixtures thereof (e.g. LPG, CNG, LNG, bio-LPG, bio-CNG, bio-LNG) dual-fuel.
The novelty and the invention are in the method and technology how to retrofit common rail diesel engines, so the fuel mix (diesel plus alkane gas) can be burned simultaneously in the engine’s combustions chamber. Our products provide a technical solution to harmonize the combustion process in the combustion chamber of the engine and avoid engine knocking, when the common rail diesel engine is fueled by a mix of diesel and alkane gas.
In diesel engines, the fuel is injected into the engine cylinder near the end of the compression stroke. During a phase known as ignition delay, the fuel spray atomizes into small droplets, vaporizes, and mixes with air. As the piston continues to move closer to top dead center, the mixture temperature reaches the fuel’s ignition temperature, causing ignition of some premixed quantity of fuel and air. Combustion is triggered by contact of the diesel vaporization with the hot air. The temperature of the air in the phase of maximum compression can reach a temperature of 700 and 900°C depending on the compression ratio. The problem is within the fact, that diesel and alkane gases have different ignition temperatures.
With our technology and products, we can introduce alkane gas into the intake manifold, (for instance, LPG where auto-ignition average temperature is around 470C° or CNG where auto-ignition average temperature is around 540C°).
The H2O-CH technology is based on the concept to make the alkane gas mixture suitable for withstanding the compression temperatures and therefore igniting only at the appropriate moment of diesel vaporization, so, avoiding diesel engine knocking due to self-ignition. The novelty is in the method, system and technology how to make the fuel mix, inject it into the engine, so the combustion process is harmonized to burn diesel and alkane gases simultaneously without any potential harm to the engine, including diesel engine knocking.
Furthermore, mixing alkane gas and water vapor and injecting it to the engines air intake manifold our method and technology ensures more efficient combustion process of the fuel mixture in the engine. At this point the vaporization of the diesel by means of the injector mounted on the engine triggers the combustion reaching the instantaneous temperature of over 2500°C causing the splitting of the water vapor into hydrogen oxygen called Thermolysis, which allows total combustion (normally not possible) and increases total efficiency of the diesel engine.
It ensures optimal engine performance under different load conditions, and allows to take full advantage of common rail technology in diesel engines, resulting in reduction of diesel, GHG emissions and harmful emissions, like NOx, CO, HC, PM. It allows to reduce diesel consumption by at least 50% to 70% and GHG emissions as well as other harmful emissions, like NOx, CO, HC, PM, even by 80%. The use of our technology does not require rebuilding the engines. The installation of the system is relatively simple which requires the connection to vehicles CAN port, battery, water container and engines air intake manifold.
The project is supported by Norway through the Norway Grants.
Within the project the “ArtuPower” product will be developed up to the level of TRL8 technology readiness level, and the project duration is expected to be 18 months. The total project budget is 132,400 EUR, with a support of 92 680 EUR is intended with the support of the “Norwegian Financial Mechanism’s small grant scheme”.
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