The Hydrogen and Allied Renewable Technology research group, based at the UTAS's School of Engineering, has discovered that running a compression engine with a combination of diesel and hydrogen increases power output, drastically cuts emissions and massively reduces diesel consumption. 

The discovery, at the specially-designed Hydrogen Laboratory which was sponsored by Hydro Tasmania, has the potential to be used for both domestic and commercial purposes. 

UTAS Intelligent Car Programme Associate Professor Dr Vishy Karri said the prototype was a gigantic step forward towards a hydrogen economy. 

He said: "This research positions Tasmania in a prominent place in the research community. "Hopefully, we can ultimately establish Tasmania as a centre for Hydrogen energy research." Karri said adding just a "spoon full" of diesel and running the generator with hydrogen results in a 20 per cent increase in power output. "We can reduce diesel consumption by 80 per cent without any loss of power.

In fact, there is such an increase in power output that it is usually only restricted by the generator itself!" "The mixing of both hydrogen and diesel in the same combustion chamber is a revolutionary world-first. 

"Other conversion kits on the market are designed to be 'all or nothing' a either 100 per cent diesel or 100 per cent hydrogen. "There is nothing available for diesel engines that is specifically for diesel-hydrogen gas mixtures." 

Karri said one of the most exciting aspects of the system is that it is retrofittable. Instead of creating a whole new engine UTAS has designed a conversion procedure that can be fitted to any existing diesel infrastructure.

The engine was launched last July. For details on University of Tasmania, call JM Education Counselling Centre Subang office at 03-56334732.