Brunel Hydrogen Research

Brunel Hydrogen Interdisplinary Research: Integrates Social, Digital and Physical Research

Our Research Capabilities

Physical: combustion engines, materials analysis and structural safety and design
Digital: control systems and cross energy vector flexibility, and energy security risk
Social: policy evaluation, business and tax models, and behavior change

There are currenlty 20 research projects in progress

Integrating social science into engineering research – not ‘bolting it on’:

Working to adapt digital academics’ techniques for working in ‘other domains’ to enable our social scientists to work more confidently in hydrogen

Hydrogen-using and Hydrogen-Related Research and Applications as of May 24

Active Projects by start date

1. Xinyan Wang Hydrogen in liquid fuels.
2. Hamid Bahai (also Salman). Multiphysics and multiscale modelling for safe & feasible CO2 capture and storage. EPSRC. £1,232k Started Jan 21 runs to Dec 24
3. Savvas Tassou, Zahir Dehouche &Harjit Singh. ‘H2-Heat’ Thermal Energy Transport for heating and cooling with innovative hydrogen technologies’. £506k Started Jan 21 runs to Dec 24
4. Xinyan Wang. Research and Development of Hydrogen Engines. £150k. Studentship Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Company Ltd. Started Apr 21 runs to Mar 25
5. Hua Zhao Research and Development of the future Hydrogen engine. £75k. Studentship. MAHLE Powertrain Limited. Started Oct 21 runs to Sep
6. Marius Gintalas, Hydrogen-induced stress cracking of duplex stainless steels. PhD project. Funded by Lloyds Register. Student will be at NSIRC/TWI. £42k Started October 22 runs to Jul 24
7. Hua Zhao PhD project, 3 yrs, Development of the low carbon fuel engine and aftertreatment technologies. Sponsored by Eminox Ltd, £78K. Started Oct 22 runs to Sep 24
8. Xinyan Wang EPSRC Project: Enabling green ammonia as future transport fuel. £257k Started October 22 runs to Oct 24
9. Hua Zhao, Xinyan Wang PhD project: Research and development of ammonia combustion Engines. Funded by CMB Revolve Technologies Ltd. £78K. Started Oct 22 runs to Sep 25
10. Alex Reip, Brunel Hydrogen: Enabling the Energy Transition Royal Society EiR, Started Jan 23 runs to Dec 24
11. Xinyan Wang IUK Development of a zero-carbon power generator for construction sites, with Catalysis Ltd. And Skanska Technology Ltd £240k, Started Mar 23 runs to Mar 25
12. Xinyan Wang DfT CMDC 3 High Efficiency Hydrogen Combustion Engine Demonstrator, led by Carnot Ltd with Carisbrooke Shipping Limited, MTC Limited, £275K Started Apr 23 runs to Mar25
13. Xinyan Wang and Hua Zhao. Research and Development of Zero Carbon Engines. Industrial project (Yuchai Machinery). £400k. Started Jan 24 runs to Dec 27
14. Xinyan Wang DfT CMDC 4 Novel High-Efficiency Ammonia engine Technology for Heavy Duty marine applications (HEAT-HD). Carnot Project Lead £194K Start Apr 24 runs to Mar 25
15. Stuart Andrews, Creative Arts in Hydrogen, Royal Society of Chemistry, £10k Started Jan 24
16. Averil Horton, Brunel Hydrogen Artist in Residence, Higher Education Innovation Fund, £16k, start Mar 24 runs to Jul 24
17. Bing Wang Hydrogen induced cracking, £12k, Royal Society, 2 years started Mar 24 to Feb 26
18. Hua Zhao Wind and Aquaculture Support Vessel: Emissionless Sailing with Autonomous Integration. £268K DfT CMDC 4 OS Energy Ltd Project lead Started Apr 24 runs Mar 25
19. Ioana Pisica Shoreside Power from Optimised Hydrogen Lifecycle £271K DfT CMDC 4 Carnot Project Lead. Started Apr 24 runs to Mar 25

Completed Projects

1. Zahir Dehouche. Novel technologies ensure the stability of smartgrids and the decarbonisation of islands. £450k. Started Sep 20. Completed Mar 24
2. Xin Zhang Superfast charging DfT total value £30k. Started Jan 21 Completed
3. Hua Zhao Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine for Light Commercial Vehicles, £426k. Innovate UK. Started Feb 22 Completed Feb 24
4. Changzhao Jiang, Fundamental study on super-critical transition and flash-boiling of ammonia spray, 2 years, Collaborator: Tsinghua University, £ 9.9k. Started Mar 22 Completed Mar 24
5. Hua Zhao Wankel engine PhD project: 3 years. Development of a hydrogen Wankel Engine, sponsored by Hydrogen Wankel Engines Ltd. £35k. Cancelled
6. Changzhao Jiang Microscale mechanisms for ammonia combustion and emission control by electric fields: R. Soc International Exchange Prog, £11K. Started Mar 22 Competed Mar 24
7. Justin Fisher Providing policy and social science input to Beta Technology project on hydrogen infrastructure around Doncaster. ~£10k Started April 22 Completed Nov 22
8. Hua Zhao, Changzhao Jiang DfT, CMDC 2, Marine Hydrogen ICE engine led by Barrus, with Borg Warner and GEMS, £101k, Started Jan 23 Completed Aug 23
9. Xinyan Wang Innovation Voucher Lifting Gas Ltd for an on Modelling of hydrogen flame quenching through fine meshes, £5k, has been successful, Started Feb 23 Completed Oct 23
10. Gareth Dale British Academy, Visiting fellowship for John Szabo, Central European University, Budapest, The political economy of hydrogen. £6.9k to Brunel. Start Aug 23 Completed Dec 23.
11. Harjit Singh. Decentralized Solar Hydrogen for rural India (DeSHI) with the Institute of Rural Management, Anand. £169k, FCDO ICE Started Dec 23 Completed Mar 24
12. Savvas Tassou. Sorption Based Cooling System ‘HydroCool’. £40k Directly funded by Futureworx. Started Jan 24. Completed May 24

Consultation Responses by submission date

1. Justin Fisher, David Gallear, Catherine Wang, Monomita Nandy, Ozlem Ayaz Arda, Gareth Dale, Grigorios Theodosopoulos, and Averil Horton submitted a formal response to the BEIS consultation on Business Models for Hydrogen Transport and Storage Infrastructure. Nov 22
2. Grigorios Theodosopoulos and Gareth Dale submitted a formal response to the DESNZ consultation Price-based competitive allocation for low carbon hydrogen production – Call for Evidence, July 23
3. Hua Zhao, Xinyan Wang, Alex Reip and Averil Horton submitted a formal response to the DFT Consultation: Enabling Road Use of Hydrogen-Powered Non-Road Mobile Machinery, Apr 24