To address issues in the protection of the atmospheric environment, including global warming

To develop new energy carriers under the Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program by the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Okayama University, Tokyo City University and Waseda University collaborated with Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., the National Maritime Research Institute, and the MAYEKAWA MFG. CO., LTD to establish a new combustion method taking advantage of the characteristics of hydrogen fuels in an experiment using a small engine. The research team succeeded in developing the world’s first hydrogen-fueled spark ignition engine with high thermal efficiency and low nitrogen oxide emission. This study was done to expand the potential use of hydrogen fuels in order to become less dependent from fossil fuels and cut carbon dioxide emission.

The output of this newly developed hydrogen-fueled engine demonstrated an indicated mean effective pressure of 1.46MPa, proving its potential in use for large-scale electricity generation and marine vessels. In the future, this technology will be expected to protect the atmospheric environment and prevent global warming by applying hydrogen energy, which can be produced from renewable energy source.