Aston Martin - Rapide S - Miscellaneous Documents - 2013 - 2013

Technical focus: The Aston Martin Rapide S Hybrid Hydrogen system. Ambitious racing project demonstrates Hybrid Hydrogen system’s performance credentials, proving ease of integration, affordability, reliability, durability and safety for series production vehicles in the near future. Graz, Austria – When Aston Martin’s Rapide S race car takes to the track at the 41st ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring (May 19th-20th 2013), it will be an extreme demonstration of a pioneering Hybrid Hydrogen fuel system that offers practical and effective implementation of renewable, clean energy for automotive applications. With minimal modifications to the internal combustion engine, the Hybrid Hydrogen system – whether on the race track or the road – can provide sports car performance and driving range, but with the carbon footprint of a super mini. The Hybrid Hydrogen system at-a-glance Alset Global’s unique Hybrid Hydrogen system allows a vehicle to run on hydrogen, gasoline or a blend of both fuels, depending on the driving request, and ensures an optimum balance between power, acceleration and CO2 reduction. The practical, cost-effective system comprises the hydrogen storage system, a hydrogen supply and injection system, a safety system and an engine control unit (ECU). The ECU contains the proprietary Alset Engine Operating Software (AEOS) that controls fuel compounding and the combustion process according to each particular driving situation. Safe and compact on-board hydrogen storage The Aston Martin Rapide S race car is equipped with four carbon-fibre hydrogen storage tanks – two housed next to the driver and two in the trunk of the car – holding a total of 3.2 kg, which equivalent to 12 litres of gasoline. In the race car, the hydrogen is stored at a pressure of 350 bar for a simple and quick refuelling. In a production version of the vehicle, however, 700 bar pressure storage is possible and allows for smaller packaging or for higher amounts of fuel to be stored. The Rapide S race car is equipped with a 100 litre motorsportspecified gasoline tank in its regular position, providing a total combined range of nine laps on the Nordschleife and resulting in no range disadvantage during the race.” The hydrogen system, together with engine enhancements (see below), adds approximately 100 kg to the weight of the car. Approximately 70 per cent of the additional weight is due to the tanks. Hydrogen storage system. The four 350 bar hydrogen tanks are fully wrapped composite cylinders with an aluminium liner with a 15 mm thickness. These cylinders are denominated Type III cylinders and all vessels together have a total hydrogen storage capacity of 3.2 kg. The storage system was developed together with Magna Steyr. The whole system weighs around 100 kg including all components and including cylinders (two weighing 21 kg and two weighing 17 kg), valves, holding brackets for front and rear, tubes and a pressure regulator unit. The packaging was specially designed to fulfil all safety regulations and to avoid any sort of damage during the race. Hydrogen safety and tank control. An ECU, developed together with our partner Gigatronik, monitors and manages the Hybrid Hydrogen safety and tank system on the car. A safety concept has been developed that considers the specific properties of hydrogen as a fuel and ensures maximum safety in all racing conditions. The hydrogen ECU is connected to four hydrogen sensors which continuously monitor the gas system, and to crash sensors. In the event of one of the sensors detecting a trace of hydrogen, or if there is a crash, the hydrogen supply will immediately shut off. A valve between the tank and the pressure regulator closes and all the hydrogen, beside the amount left in the pipes, is retained within the extremely robust carbon fibre composite storage cylinders. The safety system allows the Hybrid Hydrogen vehicle to be as safe as any other vehicle in the race. Crash safety has been ensured by carrying out crash tests of the conventional Rapide S as a part of the standard homologation process. Relevant modifications of the conventional vehicle were developed according to the results of crash simulations. The TÜV SÜD has certified the technical safety measures for the hydrogen system and oversaw the approval of the system for the race environment. Minimal engine modifications for high performance Crucially for a seamless introduction, Alset Global’s Hybrid Hydrogen system requires no major changes to the internal combustion engine. Page 2 of 7 The mixture formation system was redesigned and a hydrogen rail, injectors and a turbo charger unit were integrated, considering the specific thermodynamic properties of the hydrogen combustion process. Since the modification effort of the base engine is low, it is feasible to retrofit virtually any engine, including direct injection engines. The development of the Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S was completed in under 12 months. The minimal adaptations are mostly responses to a reduction in engine power when operating in pure hydrogen mode, due to the lower volumetric energy density of hydrogen fuel. With 560 hp, the Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S represents the most powerful hydrogen car that has ever been built. Twin turbochargers. Two small exhaust driven turbochargers are used when the car is burning hydrogen to improve the mixture heating value of the charge, forcing more air/fuel mixture into the combustion chamber. To facilitate the intercooler package, the front grille of the new Rapide S has been slightly adapted and features scoops on the left and right side. As the car industry moves increasingly to turbocharged engines, this package modification is unlikely to be required for all commercial applications in the future. Compression ratio. To facilitate turbo charger operation the compression ratio has been reduced from 11.5:1 to 9.5:1, achieved through a modification to the piston crown design. The integration of the turbo chargers also led to an alternative cylinder head gasket. Valves. Due to a lack of lubrication properties of the hydrogen fuel, it might be necessary to use different materials for the valves or/and the valve seats. The Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S’ valves are made from Inconel alloy for added robustness and improved temperature resistance. Engine ECU. As custom software was required for this one-off race car, the flexible motorsport Pectel engine management system from Cosworth is used. For road car applications though, a standard OEM ECU would be used. In order to control the engine in all modes, specific engine control functionalities developed for the Alset Engine Operating Software (AEOS) have been integrated with the Pectel controller. Hydrogen injection system. The hydrogen injectors, supplied by AFS, are similar in design to natural gas injectors found in OEM CNG applications. There are small differences needed for the different requirements, including high durability seals and materials. In the case of the Aston Martin V12, those injectors, of a solenoid type, are fitted to the intake manifold, upstream of the regular gasoline injectors. The hydrogen is delivered to the fuel rail in constant flow, at between 4 and 5 bar. Page 3 of 7 Hybrid Hydrogen combustion process The combustion process is central to getting the most out of the hydrogen fuel, and is where much of Alset Global’s intellectual property lies. It is controlled by the functionalities of the Alset Engine Operating Software (AEOS). Hydrogen is a very effective fuel in an enhanced internal combustion engine. It has a wide ignition range, which allows very lean, efficient combustion. It burns six times faster than gasoline, which, together with mature injection and combustion control technology, means hydrogen combustion can be up to 30 percent more efficient than gasoline combustion. The Alset Engine Operation System controls (1) the fuel injection to adjust a fuel compound optimum for each driving situation, and (2) the combustion process optimised to each fuel compound. In this process, the advantages of a liquid fuel with a high volumetric energy density and a gaseous carbon-free fuel can be combined. This results in a mobility solution with the highest CO2 reduction potential for the lowest cost, without sacrificing performance or driving range. Selecting the fuel source Alset Global’s Hybrid Hydrogen system can run on pure hydrogen, gasoline, or a blend of both. For this race car application, the team’s four racing drivers will manually select the fuel via buttons on the dashboard. For a series production vehicle though, depending on the power request of the driver, the process will be automatically controlled: either pure hydrogen or a blend of hydrogen with a low amount of gasoline will be injected into the engine to ensure an optimum balance of power, acceleration and CO2 reduction. The Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S race car will be able to complete one full lap of the 25 km-long Nordschleife track on pure hydrogen. During the race the Aston Martin race team plans to run mostly on a blend of hydrogen and gasoline. Depending on the application, a vehicle using a 350 bar storage system, a range of up to 250 km with zero CO2 emissions is possible in a series production vehicle. Hydrogen fuelling The Rapide S will be fuelled with hydrogen via 35 tonne, 14 metre-long TrailH2-gasTM mobile hydrogen refuelling truck, supplied by Linde. It is equipped with two separate high-pressure Page 4 of 7 couplings for gaseous hydrogen (CGH2) and stores the gas at 300 and 450 bar in cylinder packs. Hydrogen is compressed on-board further to up to 700 bar, depending on the requirement, in this case 350 bar. The hydrogen used at the Nürburgring 24 Hours will be sourced from Linde’s pilot plant in Leuna, Germany, where it is manufactured from raw glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel manufacturing. Advanced to industrial scale, this production path has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 50 and 80 percent compared with conventional hydrogen production processes using natural gas. The car will need to first stop at the truck, stationed at the entry to the pit lane, to receive its manual refill of hydrogen, before continuing to its pit garage for gasoline refuelling, tyres, driver changes and other maintenance activities. Refuelling at 350 bar will take approximately one minute. Images For high res images, please contact Claire Dumbreck on [email protected] The hydrogen injectors, supplied by AFS, are similar in design to natural gas injectors found in OEM CNG applications. The hydrogen is delivered to the fuel rail in constant flow, at between 4 and 5 bar. The Hybrid Hydrogen’s mixture formation system has been redesigned and hydrogen rail, injectors and a turbo charger unit integrated, considering the specific thermodynamic properties of the hydrogen combustion process. Page 5 of 7 To facilitate the intercooler package, the front grille of the new Rapide S has been slightly adapted and features scoops on the left and right side. The Rapide S will be fuelled with hydrogen via 35 tonne, 14 metrelong TrailH2-gasTM mobile hydrogen refuelling truck, supplied by Linde. The Aston Martin Rapide S race car is equipped with four carbonfibre hydrogen storage tanks – two housed next to the driver and two in the trunk of the car – holding a total of 3.2 kg, which equivalent to 12 litres of gasoline. The Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S has a total combined range of 9 laps on the Nordschleife, which is equal to the driving range of all other race cars at the 24h race. Page 6 of 7 The Aston Martin team’s four drivers will manually select the fuel – pure hydrogen, pure gasoline or a mixture of both – via buttons on the dashboard during the race. About Alset Global Formed in 2005, Alset Global is technology and engineering company working on clean mobility solutions based on hydrogen. With European engineering headquarters in Graz, Austria, Alset Global has developed a unique, patented Hybrid Hydrogen system, to run on pure gasoline or pure hydrogen or a blend of both, which is designed to offer automotive OEMs, vehicle fleets and cities a clean mobility solution in time for new European emission standards in 2020 without disrupting the industry. Press enquiries (Alset Global) Claire Dumbreck, Propel Technology, Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, OX15 4FF. +44 (0) 1295 724573 / +44 (0) 7768 773857 [email protected] Nick Bailey, Propel Technology, Bloxham Mill, Barford Road, Bloxham, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, OX15 4FF. +44 (0)1295 724130 / +44 (0) 7813 956664 [email protected] Press enquiries (Aston Martin) Janette Green, Director, Brand Communications Tel: +44 (0)1926 644 444 Mobile: +44 (0)7766 471555 Scott Fisher, Product Communications Manager Tel: +44 (0)1926 644854 Page 7 of 7 Mobile: +44 (0)7764 386358