Dearman Engine Company - Zero Emission Vehicle Applications

该项目将为一种创新的零排放原动机提供市场证明，这种原动机的液体燃料已经有了分销网络，并且在吸收间歇性可再生能源方面具有重要作用。迪尔曼热机使用低温液态空气或氮气作为“燃料”，并吸收环境中的低品位废热来驱动高效的蒸发过程。作为原动机，它在使用过程中提供零排放、与电动汽车相似的行驶里程、与内燃机相似的成本、快速（与汽油/柴油相同）的液体加油，以及由于在其结构中使用了普通材料而非常有利的嵌入碳。利用非峰值电力、电网缓冲以及与液化天然气蒸发的协同作用，为低温液化过程的脱碳提供了一条有希望的途径，其从油井到车轮的排放类似于未来的氢燃料汽车。Dearman发动机的设计和开发正在一个由投资者资助的平行项目中进行，该项目的目标是作为重型内燃机的废热回收装置，使用低品位的冷却剂热。然而，Dearman发动机的热循环意味着在热交换器中收集的环境热量足以达到合理的效率，从而引入了将其用作ZEV原动机的可能性。公共和私人交通工具对零排放汽车的环境需求是众所周知的，尽管现有的解决办法即使有补贴也没有达到很高的使用率。然而，由于运营需求的驱动，还有其他低产量、高价格的ZEV市场，如室内货物处理和采矿，这将为更广阔的ZEV市场提供一个有吸引力的跳板。这项研究将通过对每个市场中技术的商业案例的技术经济分析，了解市场驱动因素和需求，对这些市场进行证明。制定市场进入策略和商业计划，并考虑环境热交换器的具体要求。

This project will deliver a proof of market for an innovative zero-emission prime moverwhose liquid fuel already has a distribution network, and has potential for a significant role inabsorbing intermittent renewable energy.The Dearman heat-engine uses cryogenic liquid air or nitrogen as a “fuel”, and draws ambientor low-grade waste heat to drive a high-efficiency evaporation process. As a prime-mover, itoffers zero emissions in use, similar range to an EV, similar cost to an ICE, fast (equal topetrol/diesel) refuelling with a liquid, and very favourable embedded carbon due to use ofcommon materials in its construction. Use of off-peak electricity, grid buffering and synergywith evaporation of Liquid Natural Gas offers a promising route to de-carbonising the cryogenliquefaction process, giving well-to-wheel emissions similar to a future hydrogen vehicle.Design and development of the Dearman Engine is on-going in a parallel project funded byinvestors, which targets application as a waste heat recovery device for heavy duty ICEs,using low-grade coolant heat. However the Dearman Engine’s thermal cycle means thatambient heat harvested in a heat-exchanger is sufficient to achieve reasonable efficiency,introducing the possibility of using it as a ZEV prime mover.The environmental need for ZEVs for public and private transport is well known, althoughexisting solutions are not achieving high uptake, even with subsidies. However, there areother ZEV markets with lower volumes and higher price-points driven by operationalrequirements, like indoor goods handling and mining, which would provide an attractivestepping-stone to the wider ZEV market. This study will develop a proof of those markets,through techno-economic analysis of the business case for the technology in each market,understanding market drivers and needs. A market entry strategy and business plan will beproduced, and the specific requirements of the ambient heat exchanger will be considered.