Conversion of a Small-Size Passenger Car to Hydrogen Fueling: Evaluation of Boosting Potential and Peak Performance During Lean Operation
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Stoichiometric Operation and Turbocharger Control Implications
3.2. Lean Operation Potential
4. Conclusions
- Intake pressure target values need to be augmented by around 30% for stoichiometric H2 fueling compared to gasoline, and boosting margins should be enough for most power units that equip passenger cars; another consequence is that the related pedal position–intake pressure correlation needs to be specifically adapted for hydrogen;
- The specific properties of hydrogen that result in reduced volumetric efficiency tend to shift turbocharger operation in a less favorable part of the compressor map, with lower air flow and higher pressure ratios; this shift moves the entire operating range closer to the surge line and causes significant power loss of even up to 40%, especially at low engine rpm; re-engineering the turbo-matching part is most likely to result in minor gains and diminishes the benefits of cost competitiveness of converting gasoline powered vehicles;
- At full load, lean fueling cannot be ensured at high enough air–fuel ratio to mitigate NOx emissions (e.g., reference peak power cannot be ensured for lambda values over 1.4) and can even result in unexpected effects in terms of knock propensity; peak pressure limitations can also hinder obtaining maximum gains in terms of efficiency when leaning the mixture;
- Vehicle top speed could be ensured with lean fueling when combined with updated gearshift control, but with around 10% lower efficiency compared to stoichiometric operation.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
0D/1D | zero-/one-dimensional |
AFR | air–fuel ratio |
ECU | electronic control unit |
EGR | exhaust gas recirculation |
KLSA | knock limited spark advance |
OBD | on-board diagnostic |
OEM | official equipment manufacturer |
PFI | port-fuel injection |
PID | proportional-integral-derivative |
PLSA | pressure limited spark advance |
PWM | pulse width modulation |
SI | spark ignition |
TDC | top dead center |
TLS | Taylor length scale |
WG | waste-gate |
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Displacement | 599 cm3 |
Number of cylinders | 3 |
Rated power | 40 kW @ 5250 rpm |
Rated torque | 80 Nm @ 2000–4400 rpm |
Bore × Stroke | 63.5 mm × 63.0 mm |
Connecting rod length | 114 mm |
Compression ratio | 9.5:1 |
Number of valves | 2 per cylinder |
Intake valves opening/closure | 363/164 deg bTDC |
Exhaust valves opening/closure | 157/349 deg a/bTDC |
Fuel system | port fuel injection (PFI) at 3.5 bar for gasoline and 5 bar for gas H2 |
Ignition | inductive discharge, 2 spark plugs per cylinder |
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Irimescu, A.; Merola, S.S.; Vaglieco, B.M. Conversion of a Small-Size Passenger Car to Hydrogen Fueling: Evaluation of Boosting Potential and Peak Performance During Lean Operation. Energies 2025, 18, 2943. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112943
Irimescu A, Merola SS, Vaglieco BM. Conversion of a Small-Size Passenger Car to Hydrogen Fueling: Evaluation of Boosting Potential and Peak Performance During Lean Operation. Energies. 2025; 18(11):2943. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112943
Chicago/Turabian StyleIrimescu, Adrian, Simona Silvia Merola, and Bianca Maria Vaglieco. 2025. "Conversion of a Small-Size Passenger Car to Hydrogen Fueling: Evaluation of Boosting Potential and Peak Performance During Lean Operation" Energies 18, no. 11: 2943. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112943
APA StyleIrimescu, A., Merola, S. S., & Vaglieco, B. M. (2025). Conversion of a Small-Size Passenger Car to Hydrogen Fueling: Evaluation of Boosting Potential and Peak Performance During Lean Operation. Energies, 18(11), 2943. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112943