Evaluating the environmental viability and performance of hydrogen-feled Wankel rotary engines
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- In the context of the climate crisis, it is crucial to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. For automobile solutions, hydrogen emerges as a promising alternative fuel for ICEs, with the Wankel rotary engine presenting potential when paired with it. This research evaluates first the viability of the hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine against other green automotive technologies by undertaking a Life Cycle Assessment aiming to determine its position in the industry. Hydrogen’s use in ICEs presents challenges such as increased heat flux. The Wankel rotary engine’s unique design accentuates heat losses and reduces the efficiency due to its higher surface-to-volume ratio and longer stroke. While varying air-fuel ratio significantly impacts combustion, efficiency, heat loss and power in ICEs, this study also seeks to understand the balance between them in the Wankel rotary engine when fueled with hydrogen. Key insights emphasize the complex nature of assessing environmental impacts, underlining the necessity to consider beyond just carbon dioxide emissions. The internal combustion engine vehicles as well as a certain kind of hybrid vehicles, both containing a hydrogen-fueled Wankel engine in its powertrain, present remarkable results, surpassing certain battery electric vehicles, even when excluding battery replacement considerations. Remarkably, some vehicles using grey or blue hydrogen were identified as more environmentally viable than some other vehicles using green hydrogen. Performance analysis of the hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine reveals that adjusting the air-fuel ratio from λ = 1.4 to λ = 2.0 could reduce the heat loss ratio by 15%, increase the efficiency by 4.95%, but also decrease the power by 20.8%.