Parker Hannifin has announced its involvement in the Integrated Hydrogen-Argon Power Cycle (iHAPC) project, a collaborative research initiative to advance cleaner and more energy-efficient engine technologies.
Led by the University of Vaasa and supported by Wärtsilä under the WISE (Wide and Intelligent Sustainable Energy) programme, the project will develop and test a prototype engine that uses hydrogen and argon to achieve a significant efficiency boost.
The initiative unites Finnish research institutions, technical experts, and industry partners, including Wärtsilä Finland Oy, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, University of Oulu, Vahterus Oy, Vaisala Oyj and TotalEnergies.
Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Finland Oy, located in Urjala, plays a key role by designing an advanced filtration system to ensure the closed-loop reuse of argon.
“At Parker, we’re proud to contribute our engineering expertise to innovations that drive cleaner and more sustainable technologies,” said Mikko Merikoski, senior technology engineer at Parker’s manufacturing facility in Finland.
“The hydrogen-argon power cycle represents a major step forward in improving the efficiency of hydrogen power generation.”
The iHAPC project replaces conventional air intake with a mix of argon and oxygen during combustion. Argon’s superior heat capacity ratio enables the engine to produce the same power output with significantly less fuel, potentially increasing combustion engine efficiency up to 20%.
Rasmus Teir, director of sustainability & future plant concepts at Wärtsilä Energy, commented: “We have the technologies required to achieve a 100% renewable energy future. Our goal is to continually innovate solutions that improve both affordability and sustainability. The argon power cycle is a significant technological breakthrough with the potential to positively impact these goals.”
Parker collaborates on hydrogen-argon power cycle initiative for sustainable energy
