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As part of a continuous research and innovation effort, Ford Motor Company has been evaluating hydrogen as an alternative fuel option for vehicles with internal combustion engines since 1997. Ford has recently designed and built an Econoline (E-450) shuttle bus with a 6.8L Triton engine that uses gaseous hydrogen fuel. Safe practices in the production, storage, distribution, and use of hydrogen are essential for the widespread public and commercial acceptance of hydrogen vehicles. Hazards and risks inherent in the application of hydrogen fuel to internal combustion engine vehicles are explained. The development of a Hydrogen Management System (H2MS) to detect hydrogen leaks in the vehicle is discussed, including the evolution of the H2MS design from exploration and quantification of risks, to implementation and validation of a working system on a vehicle. System elements for detection, mitigation, and warning are examined.

As a part of a continuous research and innovation effort, Ford Motor Company has been evaluating hydrogen since 1997 as an alternative fuel option for vehicles with internal combustion engines. Hydrogen fuel is attractive in that it is the cleanest fuel. Hydrogen, when used in an internal combustion engine, produces an exhaust emission consisting mainly of water vapor, with no carbon dioxide and trace amounts of other regulated pollutants. Hydrogen can be produced from renewable sources which will help reduce the dependence on foreign oil. The implementation of the hydrogen powered IC engine is seen as a strategy to help transition from a petroleum economy to a hydrogen economy and drive development of hydrogen storage, fueling infrastructure and other hydrogen related technologies.

Evaporative emissions from automotive fuel systems have been recognized as one contributor to photochemical smog and ozone pollution, and so are subject to increasingly stringent regulation. An attractive strategy is to limit the amount of fuel vapor generated in the fuel system, thus easing the burden on the vehicle systems needed to store and eliminate vapor. High fuel tank temperature is a major contributor to vapor generation. Many efforts to reduce the temperature inside a fuel tank have been attempted such as mechanical or electrical returnless fuel systems. Even though these systems reduce vapor generation by about 80% compared to conventional return systems, further improvements may be possible. One way to identify possible improvements is to separately examine the vapor generation of fuel system components, such as fuel pumps, pressure regulators, and jet pumps. Most of these components have an orifice or a narrow flow path which generates low pressure.