On the road to sustainable transportation with renewable gaseous fuels

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A key challenge in the global transition to a sustainable future is to drastically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation. One approach that can contribute substantially to this goal is to use renewable gaseous fuels (RGFs) in high-efficiency commercial vehicles. To achieve substantial GHG benefits will require widespread uptake - so low initial costs and low fuel consumption are critical. This research program will establish fundamental knowledge and develop technical solutions for high efficiency engine and fuel systems that can realize the GHG benefits of RGFs in commercial vehicles. The two most common RGFs are hydrogen (H2) and biomethane. Both offer low net GHG emissions: H2 through water electrolysis using renewably generated electricity, and biomethane from gasification of organic waste. These RGFs can be mixed with natural gas (NG) for distribution, or they can be supplied directly to fuelling stations; this flexibility minimizes the need for new infrastructure. However, changes in the composition of the fuel will impact the engine and fuel system. Both need to be carefully designed to keep the vehicle running safely and efficiently. The long-term aim of this research program is to underpin the development of high-efficiency commercial vehicles that can operate on whatever RGFs are locally available. This will be accomplished through a system-level optimization of RGF-flexible engine and fuel systems integrated with a hybrid powertrain. This research will concentrate on three focus areas: 1.fundamental studies of fuel injection, mixing, and ignition, followed by the development of injection and ignition hardware for varying levels of RGFs; 2.development of advanced engine combustion strategies that can adapt to varying RGF composition with low fuel consumption and emissions; and, 3.investigation of methods to recover system energy losses, including from the compressed RGFs, combined with system-level models for optimized vehicle systems. The program will benefit Canada by helping to fulfill our commitment to the Paris Agreement (2015) and by enabling Canadian technology developments to lower GHG emissions from freight transportation. Vehicles produced based on this work will have the flexibility to use available RGFs, enabling their use world-wide while removing dependence on any single fuel or energy supply. Furthermore, these vehicles will enable a gradual transition from NG to RGFs, starting with an immediate GHG reduction of 25% compared to diesel trucks. This benefit will increase to over 90% as cost-effective supplies of biomethane and H2 become widely available: the program thus maps a viable long-term route to freight transportation with near-zero GHG emissions.