J. Szybist, C. Moss, S. Curran, K. Haasl
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN
The world is embarking on large-scale decarbonization to combat climate change, including replacing fossil fuels, such as diesel, with the hydrogen and hydrogen carriers such as methanol and ammonia. While the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is currently exempt from decarbonization requirements, having the ability to utilize these hydrogen-based fuels would improve operational flexibility in logistically contested environments. Global decarbonization efforts, which include large investments by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), governments around the world, and by the commercial sector may result in methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen more abundant and available fuels at ports around the world. These fuels cannot be used in existing engines without modification, and in many cases diesel engines in the DOD can be in service over decades. At Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), we are conducting research to develop retrofittable dual-fuel engine technologies that will allow for incremental adoption of hydrogen, methanol, and ammonia as they become available. These strategies preserve the full power and durability of the conventional diesel engine system, thereby putting the mission first and not compromising capabilities. These strategies leverage ongoing DOE efforts at ORNL to decarbonize large engines in the offroad, rail, and marine sectors.