Company:

Oxy-Gen Combustion Ltd

Project:

Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) motor engine

Year:

2008

Status:

UK Finalist

Clean technologies will play a major part in global efforts to tackle climate change and Dundee based Oxy-Gen Combustion Ltd is focussing on just that. The start-up R&D company from within the University of Dundee is already working hard on automotive industry solutions by providing enabling technology for Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) motor engines, increased power density engines and bio-fuel/mass combustion.

And it is Oxy-Gen Combustion's ultra low emissions motor engine that the inventor of the technology believes is the stepping stone between present motor engines and the awaited hydrogen and fuel cell technologies of the future. David Tonery explains, "This particular HCCI engine can provide up to 20-25% increased efficiency with similar reductions in CO2 and fuel consumption."

Oxy-Gen Combustion's target market for HCCI is heavy duty/goods vehicles, passengervehicles, marine applications, off highway vehicles and power generation. A decision reinforced if Global Insight, a world leader in transport market research, is accepted. It believes that HCCI will power nearly 40% of heavy-duty vehicles by 2020" - ref. (Future Will Be Cheaper, Greener For Trucks, Buses and Other Heavy-Duty Vehicles). The impact on climate change from using an Oxy-Gen HCCI motor engine is significant. Road transport is responsible for 26% of UK carbon dioxide emissions and, if it is assumed that 40% of vehicles will run an HCCI engine by 2020 as research suggests, UK carbon dioxide emissions from transport could reduce to 23.9%. Even further reductions would be achieved as the HCCI engine penetrates further into the market over the following years.

David Tonery adds,"HCCI has been worked on for many years by various manufacturers however that work has been of limited success. Our product uses proven off the shelf technologies, is less expensive, less complex and can extend the operating envelope well beyond what other manufactures will achieve by 2012 or later."