Last modified: 2026-04-29
Abstract
Pressure‑wave technology has evolved in the last century and has been applied across multiple engineering domains, including automotive propulsion, refrigeration systems, and aeronautics. In internal combustion engines, it has been used both in shock‑wave propulsion concepts and as a supercharging device. Although interest in pressure‑wave superchargers declined significantly after the early 2000s, the renewed availability of advanced computational tools brings this technology back into focus due to its inherent thermodynamic advantages.
This study proposes a supercharging architecture based on a pressure wave supercharger (PWS) for a hydrogen‑fueled internal combustion engine (H2-ICE). The work includes a virtual simulation of the operating performances of H2-ICE supercharged with the proposed device. Additionally, a comparative evaluation is performed between the obtained results and data reported in the literature for the same hydrogen engine equipped with a conventional supercharging system. The results demonstrate that pressure‑wave supercharging can effectively enhance the performance of carbon‑neutral engines, supporting compliance with current emission and greenhouse‑gas reduction regulations.