Odia Professor Dr. LM Das replaces petrol, Diesel with hydrogen

Odia Professor Dr. LM Das replaces petrol, Diesel with hydrogen 2/05/2012

SIDDHARTHA SHANKAR MISHRA, BUREAU CHIEF

THESE DAYS/INDINO NEWS SERVICE. ODISHA


Dr. L.M.Das of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT Delhi) has developed an alternative to petrol and diesel for vehicles. Dr. Das using Hydrogen gas as an automobile fuel.


Conventional engines aren't designed to burn hydrogen, a highly explosive gas. Professor Das sees this as a progress in the search for alternative, non polluting fuels because hydrogen can be obtained from non-renewable and renewable sources of energy such as water as well. On combustion, hydrogen gives back water. The harmful emissions from vehicles that run on petroleum products are also missing here. The cycle of production of the fuel and its combustion thus begins and ends with water. The highly explosive nature of hydrogen gas required a different kind of ignition system. Professor L M Das worked upon it and designed an electronic ignition system for the purpose. After testing it for years in labs like the one at IIT Delhi, Das took it on road.


Dream of Professor L M Das come into reality when world's first hydrogen-powered three-wheeler, 'HyAlfa', was showcased at the Auto Expo 2012 in New Delhi. Part of a development project dubbed 'DelHy 3w', a fleet of 15 HyAlfa three-wheelers starts run on an experimental basis at Pragati Maidan, where a hydrogen refuelling station has also set up.


Fifteen such three wheelers have been safely ferrying passengers at Pragati Maidan in Delhi for the past four months. Just one kg of gas is enough for 83 km. Fuelled by a company called AIR products, they're the only successful hydrogen powered engines in the world.

The HyAlfa has been developed under a joint project by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (ICHET), Mahindra & Mahindra and IIT-Delhi, with support from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.


Professor Das said, "Hydrogen can be made from both renewable and non-renewable sources. It's made from water. On combustion, it gives back water. The noxious emission from burning petroleum products is almost completely absent here."


He said an an international consortium has agreed to take his innovative work forward and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation has granted a $500 Million fund for his project.


Professor L M Das hails Mahindra & Mahindra, UNIDO, ICHET and ITPO for supporting this project passionately. Professor Das said that, the vehicle is not yet ready for commercial production and further fine-tuning will be required before moving in that direction. He said once the vehicle ready for commercial production it will cost Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 more than a CNG three-wheeler.


It should be noted that Professor L M Das hails from Odisha. He is born and brought up in Puri. He completed his early education in Puri. He took his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Regional Engineering College, Rourkela in 1970 and M. Tech degree from the, Kharagpur in 1972.

His primary areas of research interest include development of alternative-fuelled low emission engine/vehicles. He has published more than 80 research papers in various independently refereed international and national journals in the area of alternative fuels such as Hydrogen, CNG, Biodiesel and Hydrogen-CNG blend.


Dr Das has had several consultancy/projects sponsored by UNIDO, General Motors (USA), Shell India, MNRE, and DST. His R&D contribution has been appreciated and a project entitled "OPTFUEL" has been sanctioned by European Union that involves IITD (CES, Engines and Unconventional Fuels lab) as a partner along with ten other Automobile giants/research labs of Europe.


He was awarded "Rajiv Gandhi Samman" by Department of Science and Technology, Government of Orissa, as an Exemplary Scientist and Educationist for Achievements and contributions in the field of Non-conventional Energy Sources (2005). Dr. Das won an award from Lockheed Martin and India's Department of Science and Technology in 2012.