Safety concept of an engine test rig with liquid hydrogen supply

Abstract

As a secondary energy carrier, hydrogen is considered to offer a potential answer to the question of how individual mobility can be preserved in the future. BMW began to examine the use of liquid hydrogen as a fuel for motor vehicles as long as 10 years ago. In addition to investigating the storage technology inside the vehicle, work focussed particularly on engine development. The conflicting interests which that engine design provoked with regard to engine output, NOx emissions, backfiring into the intake pipe and the costs of a mixture preparation system caused BMW to start planning a special test rig for hydrogen engines in 1987. The test rig was designed to operate a stationary hydrogen-driven engine in an enclosed room at fuel temperatures of between −240° and + 100°C and pressures of up to a maximum of 200 bar. Since there was no precedent for such a test rig system anywhere else in the world, it was necessary to develop an independent safety concept based on existing technical principles.