The small-craft (Sub-IMO) industry has traditionally used "marinized" engines for propulsion for a wide variety of craft, including leisure, commercial and fishing vessels. A large proportion of these are diesel engines which are based on automotive engines that are no longer in development as manufacturers move to electric or hydrogen propulsion. This is creating supply issues for diesel engines in the short term, which will only get worse in the medium term. It is also driving manufacturers to install larger, heaver and proportionally more polluting engines into their vessels. This is creating a driver for the small-craft industry to move away from diesel to cleaner fuels, bit this is not supported by the level of R&D that it previously enjoyed. Whilst pure electrical power may provide a viable solution to the automotive market, the mass of batteries and overall power requirements for the small craft market mean that pure electrical propulsion is less feasible for small, faster sea-going craft. Other alternative fuels do not have a sufficient energy-density to be stored on small craft, where weight and internal storage volume are critical. This is creating a significant problem for small-craft manufacturers, who currently have little other choice in fuel or propulsion technology -- especially if they want to move to clean technology. In the longer term (with a suitable supply infrastructure) ammonia will provide a more feasible energy source for internal combustion engines as a dedicated power source linked to the propulsor or to power a generator in a hybrid system to charge batteries and extend range. This project will create a novel, compact, lightweight but powerful internal combustion engine which is optimised to run on ammonia. The engine will feature novel technology to address come of the known issues with ammonia fuel. The size, weight and power output will be suitable for small craft. In addition, work will be undertaken to assess the impact of the engine on potential performance for an example end-user, including range and speed to quantify any operational impact. These results will be used to inform a complete Life-Cycle Assessment to determine the overall impact of the installation and use of both fuels in a representative small-craft. All the information and data gathered will then be used to create an assessment of the technical and economic feasibility of ammonia engines in small craft, informing the route to commercialisation.

This is a feasibility study for a radical new engine type to be able to efficiently burn ammonia and/or hydrogen. The engine will feature low friction elements to increase its efficiency to account for the low volumetric energy content of the zero carbon fuels. It will also include features to mitigate the low flame speed of ammonia to reduce or eliminate unburnt ammonia in the exhaust. The project will produce a running engine capable of demonstrating the efficient combustion of ammonia.

The simplest way to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions from buses is to use less fuel and to electrify small passgener cars. The Vulcanaer system reduces fuel usage in urban buses & electric vehicles by harvesting braking energy and storing it as compressed air for subsequent use. Vulcanaer is a retrofit technology so can easily be applied to older buses and can be used by bus fleet operators with no government subsidy. With the aid of the newly developed electronic control, the project aim is to confirm fuel savings- expected to be 5-10%, through application to an urban bus in India and running it on a real, bus route for several weeks. The technology will also be applied to the small electric vehicles to improve the traction control and provide a cost effective cool air supply in place of more expensive and energy intensive air conditioning. If successful, the project will reduce fuel usage for every single bus and electric vehicle it is installed on, and so reduce costs to users and operators, and lead to new manufacturing jobs in India (and potentially in the UK) and provide a real contribution to cleaner air in cities.

The simplest way to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions from urban buses is to use less fuel. The Vulcanaer system reduces fuel usage in an urban bus by harvesting its braking energy as it stops and then storing it as compressed air for subsequent use. Vulcanaer is a retrofit technology, an air hybrid technology, that can easily and cheaply be applied to older buses. Therefore it can be used by bus fleet operators without any need for a government subsidy, something which is required for all other hybrid systems currently in use in the UK and Europe. The project aim is to clarify and confirm fuel savings, which are expected to be 5-10%, through application to a currently operating urban bus and running it on a real, every day bus route for several weeks. The compressed air could be used in several ways on a bus, and the project will also confirm which is the most effective. If successful, the project will not only save 3 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year on every single bus it is installed on (and around £1,250 per bus per year), but lead to a new manufacturing business, new jobs, and provide a real contribution to cleaner air in cities.