A hydrogen combustion device including a first plate including a plurality of through holes; a second plate approached to the first plate so as to define a chamber between the same plates; a heater of the first plate; an injection system configured to inject hydrogen into the chamber through the holes; and a generator defining a potential difference between the plates so that the hydrogen in the chamber defines an electric arc between the plates.

Method for operating a hydrogen fuelled combustion engine 1 comprising the steps of providing an internal combustion engine 1 having at least one cylinder 2 and a piston 3 supported at a crankshaft 5 for repeated reciprocal movement in the cylinder 2 so as to define a main combustion chamber 21, the internal combustion engine 1 further having an ignition device 4 arranged in said cylinder 2 with an igniter portion 42 and a hydrogen fuel injector 43 which are both arranged at a pre-chamber 41, wherein the pre-chamber 41 has a plurality of orifices 44 for providing fluid communication between said pre-chamber 41 and the main combustion chamber 21; and operating the engine in cycles comprising the following steps: introducing hydrogen fuel in the pre-chamber 41; introducing hydrogen fuel in the main combustion chamber 21; and igniting the introduced hydrogen fuel in the pre-chamber 41 for combusting the introduced hydrogen fuel in the main combustion chamber 21.

The invention relates to an engine having prechamber ignition, in particular a gas engine, that comprises a main combustion space in a cylinder of the engine for combusting an air-fuel mixture and a prechamber having an ignition device arranged therein and a fuel injector arranged therein, wherein the prechamber has at least one transfer port that fluidically connects the prechamber to the main combustion space. The engine is characterized in that the fuel injector arranged in the prechamber is the only fuel injector via which fuel can be introduced into the associated main combustion space.

The invention relates to a method for operating a gas engine having at least one combustion chamber, in particular for a motor vehicle, wherein a gaseous fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber in order to operate the gas engine, the gaseous fuel being injected directly into the combustion chamber within a working cycle of the gas engine during at least two phases spaced apart from each other in time, the at least two phases beginning and ending before the first ignition occurring within the working cycle.

The invention relates to an engine having prechamber ignition, in particular a gas engine, that comprises a main combustion space in a cylinder of the engine for combusting an air-fuel mixture and a prechamber having an ignition device arranged therein and a fuel injector arranged therein, wherein the prechamber has at least one transfer port that fluidically connects the prechamber to the main combustion space. The engine is characterized in that the fuel injector arranged in the prechamber is the only fuel injector via which fuel can be introduced into the associated main combustion space.

The invention concerns a method of detecting hydrogen leakage from a power plant installation using hydrogen as fuel. A rate of supply of hydrogen to the power plant (“the supply rate”) is determined. A rate of change of mass of hydrogen in the tank arrangement (“the rate of mass change”) is determined. The supply rate is compared with the rate of mass change to determine whether leakage is taking place.

The present invention relates to a zero emission propulsion system and generator sets using ammonia (NH.sub.3) as fuel for engines and power plants such as steam boilers (5) for steam turbines (7), piston engines (9), fuel cells (10) or Stirling engines (11). Due to the poor flammability of ammonia (NH.sub.3), a hydrogen reactor (4) can split ammonia (NH.sub.3) into hydrogen (H.sub.2) and nitrogen (N.sub.2). The hydrogen (H.sub.2) can be placed in a hydrogen tank (8) for intermediate storage and the nitrogen can be stored in a nitrogen tank (6). The hydrogen (H.sub.2) could be mixed with ammonia (NH.sub.3) to improve flammability and thus facilitate the ignition of an air/ammonia (NH.sub.3) mixture in engines or power plants (5, 9, 11). Alternatively, hydrogen (¾) may be supplied in a separate fuel system (5-1, 9-5, 11-8) as a pilot fuel for pilot ignition of an air/ammonia (NH3) mixture. The hydrogen (H.sub.2) can also be used in AIP systems along with oxygen (O2) from an oxygen tank (22). The hydrogen (H.sub.2) will then be used for fuel cells (10), for combustion in a steam turbine inlet/high pressure side (7-1), or in a Stirling engine (11). In addition to hydrogen (H.sub.2), other bio and fossil fuels from the fuel tank (12) can be used as pilot fuel for pilot ignition of an air/ammonia (NH.sub.3) mixture. The advantage of using existing bio or fossil fuels for pilot ignition is that engines or power plants (5, 9, 11) will have a pilot fuel system with sufficient capacity to maintain normal operations if ammonia (NH.sub.3) is not available. Alternatively, that engines or power plants (5, 9, 11) have an additional fuel system for existing bio or fossil fuels in order to maintain normal operations if ammonia (NH.sub.3) is not available. The nitrogen (N.sub.2) in the nitrogen tank (6) can be used as a gas in fire extinguishing systems or for submarine ballast tank blows.

The hydrogen production system for internal combustion engines includes an intake air scoop, a vacuum block having an air input port system for receiving air from the intake air scoop, a water reservoir connected to the vacuum block for providing water to be mixed with the air in the vacuum block, at least one primary generator assembly with an inlet port for receiving the air/water vapor mixture from the vacuum block and producing a mixture of hydrogen, produced oxygen, and fine hydrogen production vapor from a partially oxidized water fog, and a plurality of secondary hydrogen generator assemblies connected to the primary generator assembly for receiving this mixture. The engine vacuum draws this mixture into the intake manifold to provide an ideal fuel mixture for the engine.

In order to provide a gas fueling method capable of suppressing overheating of a tank immediately after a start of fueling, in the gas fueling method, an accumulator and a hydrogen tank are coupled to each other with a gas flow passage. In a main fueling control at and after the timing t2, a sensor-based value MAT of a temperature parameter of a measurement position Q1 is calculated on the basis of a detection value of a first station temperature sensor, and the fueling control is performed on the basis of the sensor-based value MAT. In an initial fueling control at the timing t0 to t2, a prediction value MAT_pred of the temperature parameter is calculated at the timing t2 on the basis of an ambient temperature value, a mass flow rate value, and a heat capacity. The fueling control is performed on the basis of the prediction value MAT_pred.

The present invention relates, in general, to systems and methods for generating hydrogen from ammonia on-board vehicles, where the produced hydrogen is used as fuel source for an internal combustion engine. The present invention utilizes an electric catalyst unit to initiate an ammonia cracking process on-board during a cold start of the internal combustion engine, where a heat exchange catalyst unit is utilized once exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine has been heated to a threshold temperature suitable to perform the ammonia cracking process.