[sustran] IIT-Delhi scientists develop autos that run on hydrogen; cause negligible pollution

[Vinay Baindur]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/shipping-/-transport/IIT-Delhi-scientists-have-developed-autos-that-run-on-hydrogen-cause-negligible-pollution/articleshow/11858081.cms



*IIT-Delhi scientists develop autos that run on hydrogen; cause negligible
pollution*

It's the main fuel of NASA's space shuttle launchers and will now power a
test fleet of autos in the city. Hydrogen, so far used terrestrially in
some avant-garde customized cars and experimental bus fleets, will run 15
auto rickshaws developed as part of an IIT-Delhi project.

But unlike London's hydrogen buses and California's Hydrogen Highway
project that use complicated fuel-cell technology, the Delhi autos will be
built around cheaper internal combustion engines.

Professor LM Das of IIT-D, who has perfected the technology, explains the
rationale for hydrogen power: "Hydrogen is like a slightly temperamental
child. You need to tame it. Once controlled, it can be much more efficient
than even compressed natural gas (CNG)".

Das says he conceived the idea of using compressed hydrogen as an
automotive fuel with Delhi's air pollution in mind. In the early '80s, it
was a bold initiative - an idea ahead of its time. Lay acquaintances
thought he was talking about making a hydrogen bomb. Detractors in the
scientific community dismissed his research as a freak project.

But Das soldiered on alone over the next three decades as associates came
and went. "No one can turn a blind eye to the environmental degradation
caused by vehicles. In fact, before CNG came, Delhi had become unlivable.
So, despite all the criticism that my research was too futuristic, I
pursued it. Now the world knows that aggressive steps are required to
mitigate the environmental damage that has been done," he says.

Unlike petroleum-derived hydrocarbon fuels, pure hydrogen does not produce
toxic carbon monoxide or the heat-trapping carbon dioxide on combustion.
There are no oxides of sulphur, nor any particulates.

Water vapour and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) are the only byproducts. Although
NOx is a pollutant, Das claims their engine has been optimized to reduce
its emission greatly. "We got the best efficiency and very low emissions,"
he says.

As a member of the government-appointed core group on automotive research,
Das had worked on a hydrogen fuel assignment from United Nations Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO) and the International Centre for Hydrogen
Energy Technologies (UNIDO-ICHET) based in Istanbul, in 2006.

Over the next three years, the engines were developed at IIT. A
conventional CNG engine was used with modifications for compressed hydrogen
gas.

While the project at IIT-D's Department of Energy Studies resembled a
turnstile, one man alone stayed on with Das - lab technician GP Singh.

The 14-member team stabilized after the project was officially taken over
by automobile firm Mahindra that has built up a strong presence in
alternative energy with hybrid and electric vehicles.

The new system was implemented on autos provided by the company and trials
were done inside the IIT campus.

Apart from developing the autos - branded Mahindra HyAlfa and shown to the
public at last month's Auto Expo - Das' team is also working on two
hydrogen-fuelled minibuses with a 2014 deadline.

Senior project scientist , GP Subhash, who quit his job at the University
of Petroleum and Energy Studies to join Das, says the Ministry of New and
Renewable Energy (MNRE) is keen on developing a hydrogen-run minibus.

"The Rs 15-crore project aims to develop two mini buses by 2014. The idea
will take some time to be part of our daily lives. But we are at it to
prove the efficiency of hydrogen fuel," he says.

Meanwhile, the HyAlfa, which resembles Mahindra's Alfa autos commonly seen
in NCR towns, awaits its commercial launch and will be the first
mass-produced hydrogen-run internal combustion engine vehicle in the world.

The higher price of the modified engine and fuel system is a challenge,
though, for its target market. The economics of running these autos in
Delhi is yet to be worked out. But Das, Subhash and their team are looking
forward to the day when the technology will become an example for the world
and give Delhiites a chance to have a smooth ride with less noise and smoke.