Cryogenic fluids and transportation

Energy sustainability means, primarily, environmental sustainability, something closely linked to an urgent need for 'ultra-high efficient - ultra low emission' energy systems. Liquid gases such as air, nitrogen or natural gas can serve as cost-effective energy vectors within power production units as well as transport "fuels" with zero emissions.

Energy coming from renewables can be used in order to "cool" air or nitrogen, up to the point that they become liquids. Follow up injection of these liquids to a higher temperature environment causes rapid re-gasification and a 700-fold expansion in volume, which can drive a piston engine even without combustion. 

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Cryogenic fluids and liquid injections

Heavy duty vehicles, such as long-haul trucks, represent a significant challenge in terms of the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, and cryogenic fluids and can play an important role.

Working in partnership with industry, we have developed a new system concept called CryoPower, which offers near-zero emissions capability, in some cases offering lower tailpipe NOx emissions than in the surrounding air and with potential to remove pollution in towns and cities.

Using isothermal compression to control temperature, this engine concept has a predicted thermal efficiency of 60%, making it significantly more fuel efficient than current engine technology.

You can find out more about our work on Cryopower here, and our work with .

Front cover of the journal, Energies.

 

Liquified natural gas (LNG) and liquified nitrogen (LN2) at 10MPa chamber conditionsDifferent fluid phases during the injection of liquified natural gas (LNG) and liquified nitrogen (LN2) at 10MPa chamber conditions.