Brunel aiming to develop carbon-free transport fuel

Ammonia has potential as a 100 per cent renewable liquid fuel to for ships and lorries and power generators, but higher ignition energy, higher auto-ignition temperature and significantly lower flame speed are factors that restrict its usefulness in combustion engines

In the first-ever research into storing of hydrogen in liquid ammonia, Brunel will develop a new liquid ammonia blended with hydrogen that can be pumped like petrol into existing engines.

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It is one of 10 novel net zero ideas for new materials, devices, fuels and technologies to receive £250,000 UKRI funding.

“Ammonia is a carbon-free fuel and the hydrogen density in liquid ammonia is even higher than liquid hydrogen,” said Dr Xinyan Wang, a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowon advanced fuel and propulsion technologies for low carbon and zero carbon transport. “That’s why it is a promising candidate to decarbonise the transport sector. However, its application to transport is limited by its poor combustion.”