Dolphin N2 have had an incredibly busy & productive year.
Their zero emissions Recuperated Split Cycle Engine technology continues to be developed & with the engine being H2 compatible, national & international interest in the technology has increased.
To accommodate the developmental needs of the RSCE, not only have additional offices been opened at Jet Space, Shoreham to compliment the office space already set up at UTAC, Bedford; but the Dolphin N2 team has now grown to in excess of forty experts, all bringing their own unique specialisms to the Dolphin N2 team.
In addition to the incredible body of work being undertaken in the development & testing of the RSCE, the Dolphin N2 team have also attended several key industry events in 2022 to showcase their RSCE technology. Furthermore, the Dolphin N2 team have also won several awards & grants to develop alternative fuel options, which includes options for construction, heavy-duty & marine.
With this in mind, we take a look back over some of the key moments from 2022 & reflect on the continued success of Dolphin N2.
March 2022
Dolphin N2 attends the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK Westminster briefing on hydrogen automotive propulsion.
The Westminster event was an opportunity for the APC UK to launch their report ‘An ambition for the UK hydrogen vehicle supply chain’ in which Ian Constance, CEO APC UK outlined his vision for the role hydrogen can play in the decarbonisation of automotive & in particular those sectors who face performance & longevity efficiency challenges.
“Hydrogen combustion is a promising net-zero technology that can provide a good route for heavy duty applications & share the same hydrogen refuelling network required for fuel cell vehicles.
This technology is already in development & showing net-zero CO2 and NOx emissions is achievable. “Ian Constance, CEO APC UK (1)
The ‘An ambition for the UK hydrogen vehicle supply chain’ report highlights the APC UK analysis citing that the UK has the potential to become one of the world’s fuel cell system production capitals. (1)
With UK companies currently able to contribute to about 15% of the value-add in a fuel cell system; with the right investment the APC UK believes that ambition could be 65% of the entire fuel cell value chain radiating from UK businesses. (1)
The report directs focus to the inherent issues facing the heavy-duty sector & cites how Hydrogen combustion, or similar net-zero propulsion, can provide a good route for 7.5t-44t heavy duty goods vehicles, agriculture & off-highway machines, which can share the same hydrogen refuelling network required for fuel cell vehicles. (1)
Find out more at https://dolphin-n2.com/dolphin-n2-attends-the-advanced-propulsion-centre-uk-westminster-briefing-on-hydrogen-automotive-propulsion/
Future Propulsion Conference 2022 review Day 2 : Heavy-duty/off-highway – shifting gear for an emissions free future.
Having been cancelled for the last two years due to the pandemic, FPC2022 was an incredibly vibrant event, full of engineers, academics & industry leaders networking, learning about the developments in the propulsion sector.
The Dolphin N2 engine created a great deal of interest from the very start of the conference, with industry leaders, engineers & academics alike inquiring about the ThermoPower ™ Recuperated Split Cycle Engine & how the technology can support the heavy goods/off-highway/agriculture drive towards zero emissions.
Simon Brewster – CEO, Dolphin N2, Nick Owen – Technical Director, Dolphin N2 & Gilbert Sammut – Simulation Engineer, Dolphin N2 were all in attendance to speak with other attendees about the RSCE technology & the part it can play in dramatically reducing emissions in the heavy duty sector.
During the opening keynote on Day 1 of FPC, Innovate UK Deputy Director Paul Gadd explored the ways in which Innovate UK are investing in innovation & made specific reference in his keynote address to how Innovate UK have supported the Dolphin N2 ThermoPower ™ Recuperated Spilt Cycle Engine.
Paul Gadd made refence to the Innovate UK paper Transport Vision 2050 & recognised that although EV’s are a sensible & viable route for passenger & light goods vehicles; there is less confidence in emission free technologies for the heavy-duty sector, where a blended approach of options would need to be adopted. He did however refer to how many heavy duty & off-highway manufacturers are investing in Hydrogen opportunities for their portfolio’s of HGV’s, Agriculture & Marine options.
Nick Owen – Technical Director, Dolphin N2 addressed attendees on day 2 with the question: “The Recuperated Split Cycle Engine: A Practical Hydrogen Solution for Heavy Duty?”
Nick explained that the Dolphin N2 technology specifically targets heavy-duty & the long-haul sectors where most commercial vehicle CO2 originates & alternatives are the most challenging.
Although the Dolphin N2 engine & the technology built around it uses the efficiency of a diesel engine as it’s base model, the developments mean that the Recuperated Split Cycle Engine can also be run on methane & hydrogen.
The benefits of a Hydrogen ICE are that a Hydrogen ICE works, is fast to adopt, uses the same supply chain as current manufacturers, has familiar servicing needs, NOx is entirely manageable via lean burn & in principle it suits a Recuperated Split Cycle. “Fast oxidation” combustion is fuel agnostic – violent mixing with red-hot sonic & supercritical air will burn many things & if Hydrogen can maintain BOTH high efficiency & low NOx, the advantages are clear.
Find out more at https://dolphin-n2.com/dolphin-n2-at-the-future-propulsion-conference-2022/
Find out more at https://dolphin-n2.com/future-propulsion-conference-2022-review-day-2-heavy-duty-off-highway-shifting-gear-for-an-emissions-free-future/
June 2022
Dolphin N2 awarded grant funding from BEIS to develop HYDRATE – Hydrogen Recuperated Advanced Thermal Engine
When the UK Government Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) announced its vision for a world-leading hydrogen economy August 2021; it was a landmark moment & recognition of the need for a low carbon hydrogen sector in the UK.
Hydrogen has become crucial as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel & or electrification in industry, manufacturing, heating & transport sectors alike.
Providing support to polluting industries to significantly slash their emissions, BEIS announced (2021) a £105 million funding package through the UK Government Net Zero Innovation Portfolio which would act as a first step to build up Britain’s low carbon hydrogen economy. The investment is intended to help industries to develop low carbon alternatives for industrial fuels, including hydrogen, which will be key to meeting climate commitments. (2)
One area that significantly affects the off-highway & heavy duty sectors, was the announcement of a £40M Red Diesel Replacement Competition (August 2021)
BEIS awarded £6.7 million in grant funding across 17 projects for Phase 1, with up to £460,000 per project.
Red diesel is reportedly responsible for the production of nearly 14 million tonnes of carbon each year & being a fuel used primarily for such off-highway purposes as bulldozers, excavators, tipper trucks & on-site generator sets – all essential in the construction business – alternative fuels which have a proven track record are needed to be sought.
Providing grant funding for the development & demonstration of low carbon alternatives to diesel for the construction, quarrying & mining sectors, the UK Government competition was designed with the aim of decarbonising industries reliant on red diesel & providing a platform for alternative research & development in this area. (2)
One of the successful projects ‘HYDRATE’ was awarded to Dolphin N2:
HYDRATE – Hydrogen Recuperated Advanced Thermal Engine
Lead Partner: Dolphin N2 Limited
Partners: University of Brighton; Costain Limited
Total grant: £448,611.78
The HYDRATE project will develop a Hydrogen version of the Recuperated Split Cycle Engine (RSCE), a highly innovative, fuel-agnostic thermal engine targeting heavy duty applications.
Find out more at https://dolphin-n2.com/dolphin-n2-awarded-grant-funding-from-beis-to-develop-hydrate-hydrogen-recuperated-advanced-thermal-engine/
August 2022
Dolphin N2 ThermoPower(R) split-cycle engine features in the Advanced Propulsion Centre ‘Road to net zero’ podcast
Dolphin N2’s Technical Director Nick Owen featured in the August edition of the Advanced Propulsion Centre podcast as part of their Road to Net Zero series.
In the APC podcast, Nick Owen explained how Dolphin N2 have used ‘ThermoPower’ technology to use up to 30% less diesel in an engine, with the ability to use a range of fuels that don’t compromise efficiency or air quality in our latest podcast episode.
By running on hydrogen, this split-cycle engine can eliminate CO2 emissions with lower NOx output.
🎧 Listen to the full interview by energy and transport journalist David James.
https://advancedpropulsioncentre.podbean.com/e/dolphin-n2-hydrogen-combustion-engine/
Find out more at https://dolphin-n2.com/dolphin-n2-thermopowerr-split-cycle-engine-features-in-the-advanced-propulsion-centre-road-to-net-zero-podcast/
Read Part 2 of the Dolphin N2 review here https://dolphin-n2.com/dolphin-n2-review-of-2022-fpc-lcv-hydrate-hydromar-e-hil-apc-beyond-its-been-an-eventful-year-for-dolphin-n2-part-2/
Written & cited by Katy-Jane Mason for & on behalf of Dolphin N2.
