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Water-injected 2.0-liter turbo-four hydrogen engine spits out 410 hp
Austrian mobility technology company AVL had a pretty good day for itself earlier this month, when it confirmed simulations that showed its prototype 2.0-liter turbo hydrogen race engine developing over 200 hp-per-liter. AVL uses a water-injection system alongside its turbocharger to moderate combustion for safer burn and improved power production ... and so far it's working like a charm.
Most of the fanfare around automotive hydrogen has been related to fuel cell-electric powertrains, but hydrogen combustion engines have slowly been entering the serious phase of discussion. They're not without their own set of obstacles, however, even in a motorsport setting in which the non-existent roadside H2 fueling infrastructure isn't an issue.
As AVL points out, the typical hydrogen ICE suffers from low performance numbers owing to lean burn, combustion that involves a high air-to-fuel ratio. While lean burn can be a positive that improves fuel economy and lowers emissions, it also leads to lower power output, an issue particularly problematic for a race engine.
When AVL announced last year that its motorsport division AVL Racetech was developing a hydrogen racing engine, it explained that the design would use a water injection system to boost power. It says its intelligent PFI water injection system boosts water into the engine's intake air, thwarting the possibility of premature ignition and lowering the air-fuel ratio from a lean burn to a stoichiometric level. A wastegate turbocharging system supplies the air.
AVL's setup system takes care of lean burn and the low output issues thereof, resulting in a hydrogen ICE with more power production. This month's testing of the prototype 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder verified the top values from AVL's earlier simulations, seeing the engine develop 410 hp (302 kW) at 6,500 rpm and 369 total lb-ft (500 Nm) between 3,000 and 4,000 rpm. AVL has previously noted that an output of roughly 201 hp-per-liter (150 kW per) would make the engine competitive in modern close-to-production race classes.
"The results achieved by our H2 racing engine confirm that we are able to deliver an extremely competitive package with this technology," said AVL motorsport director Ellen Lohr after testing. "The goal of AVL Racetech is to lead motorsport into a sustainable future. With the development of the first racing engine developed under our own name, we have taken another step closer to achieving this vision."
Hydrogen combustion does not release any carbon emissions, but it does still release nitrous oxides (NOx), particularly at stoichiometric level – lean-burn engines help lower these emissions. While a hydrogen fuel cell would, therefore, be a cleaner, zero-emissions way of proceeding, AVL believes that a hydrogen combustion engine will ultimately prove more economical for motorsport teams because of the simpler adaptation when making the transition from gasoline ICEs. And they'll still have all the mechanical noise and feel of classic motorsport.
AVL's next step will be to test the 2.0-liter H2 turbo unit in an actual car on the racetrack.
注释：
hp-per-liter: n
表示" 每升的马力(功率单位)"，means "horsepower per liter "，如：The specific output of 109 hp per liter sets a new benchmark in diesel technology. 在每公升109马力的具体产出树立了柴油技术的新基准。
turbocharger: n
表示" 涡轮增压器"，如：he engine is equipped with one turbocharger per cylinder bank. 引擎被装备每气缸焖火一个涡轮增压器。
fanfare: n
表示"〈非正式〉炫耀"，means "a gaudy outward display"，如：Despite all the fanfare by Federal regulators over recent bailouts of sick savings institutions, evidence is mounting that the deals are merely papering over the severe problems plaguing the industry. 不论联邦监管人员最近如何大张旗鼓挽救一蹶不振的储蓄行业，越来越多的证据显示：政府所做仅仅在掩饰困扰该待业的严重问题。
powertrain: n
表示"动力系"，means "wheelwork consisting of a connected set of rotating gears by which force is transmitted or motion or torque is changed;"，如：Powertrain Control System is a key technology of hybrid electronic vehicle. 动力传动控制系统是混合动力汽车的关键技术。
thwart: v
表示" 阻遏"，means "hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of"，如：She intends to thwart his plans, and be revenged on him. 她要破坏他的计划，以图报复。
stoichiometric: adj
表示" 化学计算的；化学计量的"，means "of or relating to stoichiometry"，如：When the equivalence ratio of the premixed flow is exactly stoichiometric, the combustion temperature reaches the highest. 预混气流的当量比为化学恰当比时，燃烧温度最高；
中文简要说明：
为了净零碳排，汽车必然要走入历史，改为电动车。不过电动车仍然有许多不方便的地方，因此有些汽车研究单位认为，「只要改用无碳燃料，汽车依然可以继续跑」。奥地利行动技术公司 AVL 就是这样想的，他们设计了一款以氢气为燃料的2.0升涡轮赛车引擎，它仍然有引擎的轰鸣声，但是废气只有水蒸气...呃…还有一些少量的氮氧化物。
新阿特拉斯(New Altas)报导，讨论非碳燃料的时候，氢是最常被提及的(其次是氨燃料)，不过与氢有关的宣传，大多与燃料电池动力系统有关，也就是说，仍然是一种电池车。但是，单纯的氢燃烧引擎，也慢慢进入严肃的讨论阶段，它最大的优点就是几乎不需要更改现有的引擎设计，而且驾驶感受也差不多。
不过氢燃料也有该克服的问题，否则不会直到现在才被讨论。事实上早在1970年代的石油危机期间，也有氢燃料的研究。当时就发现，受限于氢气的储存量，稀薄燃烧技术比较合理，但是它也会导致功率输出降低，这对于赛车引擎来说尤其成问题。
奥地利AVL决定修改涡轮增压器，利用注水系统来调节燃烧，从而实现更安全的燃烧并提高动力，在模拟中，它的工作表现非常出色。
AVL 的设计，解决了稀薄燃烧，以及低功率输出问题，从而使具有更多的动力值，本月对原型2.0 升涡轮四缸引擎的测试，引擎在6,500 rpm(每分钟转速) 时，可输出410 hp(马力，相当于302 千瓦)，在3,000 至4,000 rpm 时，可输出总扭力369 lb-ft (磅-呎，相当于500 牛顿-公尺) 。这样的表现相当不错，已具有赛车等级的水平。
我们都知道，氢气燃烧后的生成品是H2O的水，不会有任何碳排放，但是这不意味着它毫无有害废气，其实在高温燃烧环境期间，氮气也会与氧气作用，形成氧化亚氮 (NOx)，这也是一种温室气体，因此不能说毫无污染。然而，数量并不多，稀薄燃烧引擎有助于降低这些排放。因此，氢燃烧引擎仍然是值得研究的，它更容易适应，而且它仍然具有经典的引擎轰鸣声与驾驶的振动感。
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