DeltaHawk Engines, which received certification in May 2023 for its jet-fueled piston engine for general aviation aircraft, has embarked on a new venture.
The Racine, Wisconsin-based company has recently completed advanced simulation analysis of a new, hydrogen-fueled variant of its engine.
“These tests have demonstrated DeltaHawk’s highly adaptable engine architecture is suitable for hydrogen fuel, and that the company’s patented engine design has applications in a variety of markets in addition to aviation, including zero emission vehicles (ZEV), other commercial power applications, and multiple defense platforms,” company officials said in a press release.
“The use of internal combustion engine (ICE) technology with hydrogen fuel replaces more expensive, highly infrastructure-reliant fuel cell systems. A hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine also has higher tolerance for hydrogen impurities compared to fuel cells and, importantly, allows leveraging of the existing depth of ICE manufacturing knowledge and extensive service networks,” officials noted.
Company officials say they have an advantage in the adoption of hydrogen power as the design of the DeltaHawk engine “has a significantly reduced power degradation curve over time compared to current fuel cell technology, allowing for better fuel economy than fuel cells after the initial period.”
The DeltaHawk design, based on patented two-stroke technology, “makes this new engine family an ideal solution for hydrogen fuel,” company officials added.
For more information: DeltaHawk.com
Will it also run on unicorn gas? Fairy dust? I’m betting this is only of interest as the fools in our government and suckers (aka investors) are throwing millions into yet another claptrap idea that is DOA, just like eVTOLs and EVs. Any consideration of a new fuel must include all related expenses, including that of producing hydrogen, storing and shipping it, special tanks needed for the aircraft to store gas under high pressure, low energy density of hydrogen, etc., etc., etc. The only viable, affordable fuels for GA remain Mogas and Diesel / Jet-A. DeltaHawk was on the right track with its diesel engine, but at $100k per engine it will not have many takers.
Can a wind turbine field be adapted to produce and store hydrogen, this along with hydrogen vehicles would sort out the NIMBYs (not in my back yard-ers). Perhaps the only way to get fuel should be to go to a wind farm!
Question 1
Is how will the hydrogen be stored on the aircraft,either as liquid hydrogen or in pressurised bottles?
Question 2
What will be the aircraft’s range before having to refuel?
Question 3
Will the weight of the structures to retain the Hydrogen gas ,decrease the range, aerodynamic lift,aircraft speed?
Question 4
Passenger safety in what way will the hydrogen be controlled to prevent explosions in everywhere else but the engine?
The main problems for hydrogen being burned in ICE engines is the production of dirty & dangerous NOX gases. That’s why hydrogen ICE engines are not widely being developed. It’s difficult to remove NOX without making the engines very expensive. And in practice, you cannot remove it all. In addition ICE engines running on hydrogen are far less efficient compared to diesel or petrol. The life of the engine is also affected. I know because I’ve been part of a team trying to overcome some of these issues. The other BIG issue is the lack of green hydrogen. If you consider the fact that only 1% of current hydrogen produced is green then you can see a big issue. Hydrogen is & will be produced for years & years to come by burning oil & gas, producing massive amounts of CO2. So you take a relatively efficient fuel ie: oil or gas & turn it into a much less efficient hydrogen fuel, producing lots & lots of CO2 in the process! It’s a nonsense! No wonder Honda & Toyota after ten years of research & development abandoned the idea for hydrogen ICE engines.
Hydrogen like acetaline, pre ignite
At about 30 psi. Conventional engines are not suitable except as an enhancement using HHO systems.
Oh engines are the pulsating force of an aircraft oh in designing such engines we think of safety factors we need four engines in a plane in case of anything
Manufacturers don’t think of degradation or leverage only ergonomics tell Dunga Alice need surgery oh knife sectionings…
excited to see the research developing for hydrogen ICE, I WOULD like to also see the development of a hydrogen conversion kit, if possible, for the older models ICE cars,
there are so many out there!!
Explained above 2 stroke engine, Why not at 4stroke engine ?.
The. Future is exciting can’t understand why more is not being done to explore this posdibility maybe big oil is too powerfull in stifling this progress
I wonder if anybody considdered what our world would be like if no oil or gas was burnt and all engines were Hydrogen
Well, 80+% of the electricity produced is using nat gas and coal, so producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water makes this effectively a ‘fossil fuel’, with a much lower efficiency than just burning the avgas.!
Not true, research the science, water is not a fossil fuel. The electricity can be of solar plus storage. Once you start along the hydrogen path your power can come from hydrogen for electrolysis.
Technology for ICE vehicles has been available for many years. Back in 2013 I holidayed in Poland. My friend owned a Dodge Ram. Yes it ran on, you got it, Hydrogen. Poland has Hydrogen available at all refuelling points, amazing. I couldn’t believe the the power in that vehicle. Considering my friend, a beautiful red-head, (lady) drove it as if F1 was stamped on her DL. All I can say is, WOW.
Your statement not correct. The article is talking about piston aircraft engines which are jet fueled injected which are similar to diesel engines.
Actually, it is talking of a “new” piston engine run on jet fuel BUT now converted to run on H2. That engine , a 2 stroke unit would be compatible for commercial applications. Suggest you read it again.
To run a diesel as a dual fuel engine, it will still need to use diesel fuel or jet A to initiate combustion.
See; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876610213000040
So, the vehicle will need 2 fuel tanks, whether it’s hydrogen or the more common propane or LNG, which has been in use for years on a number of truck fleets.
see; https://www.transportengineer.org.uk/transport-engineer-features/gas-and-dual-fuel-burning-gas-in-a-diesel-engine/195688
A diesel will not run on 100% hydrogen. As with using propane as a supplemental fuel, diesel must still be injected to initiate the combustion process.
A study of using hydrogen injected into the intake stream, showed a reduction in efficiency of the engine, an it could only be run at low loads, vs an aircraft engine needing to run at 75% power at times.
So, hydrogen is a ‘dead end’ for an ICE engine.!
BTW, propane is has used on tractor diesels and the engine runs much cleaner…
Excited to see this. There needs to be further advancement in hydrogen technology in ICE applications, planes and vehicles. I would think that storage of hydrogen within the plane would be the major obstacle to overcome, an issue ignored in this article.
So far compressed storage on cars has been very reliable. Hydrogen leakage dissipates fast and difficult to accumulate in closed spaces with air. Will need electrical spark or active flame to burn or explode. Gasoline and natural gas are more dangerous.