Hyliion’s KARNO Generator Demonstrates Fuel Switching with H2-Natural Gas Blend, Syngas

Hyliion recently conducted a successful demonstration test of the KARNO generator’s multi-fuel capabilities, transitioning between numerous fuels during live operation and without interruption. It was tested using natural gas, then switched to nitrogen-rich syngas, and finally operated on hydrogen-natural gas blends up to a majority hydrogen portion. The KARNO adapted to fuel variability and maintained power output without needing calibration or shutdown, assisted by its smart control system and design aspects.

“This adaptability means customers can benefit from the generator’s capability to handle impure or variable fuels, making it ideal for applications in industries like oil and gas, waste gas recovery, and other environments where fuel composition may vary,” said Thomas Healy, Founder and CEO of Hyliion. “I’m proud of our team’s progress on this technology and excited to see how it will transform sustainable power solutions for our customers.”

The company expects deliveries to early adopter customers by year-end 2024, but not all compatible fuels will be available at commercial launch. Hyliion’s KARNO will target electric vehicle charging, data centers, waste-gas utilization, and marine power.

200 kW KARNO enclosure; image credit: Hyliion

Additional KARNO Features

Hyliion’s model can fire more than 20 fuels, including:

• Natural gas
• Hydrogen
• Propane
• Diesel
• Ammonia
• Methane

With this adaptability, the KARNO generator allows customers to fuel-proof their energy systems with traditional and alternative energy sources, which may become widely available in the future. Also, it can achieve zero-carbon goals with certain fuels and ultra-low NOx and CO emissions, delivering a sustainable and flexible power solution over traditional generators.

KARNO Deployments

In August 2024, the U.S. Navy granted Hyliion a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) government contract: Award Phase 1, N241-060, enables Hyliion to create a preliminary, MW-scale modular generator system design. The design incorporates Navy specifications with Hyliion’s KARNO generator technology. The KARNO generator can operate on multiple fuels, including NATO F-76, and features hermetically sealed architecture with a single moving part per shaft. It will be scalable to various power needs and adaptable to available platform space, meeting the U.S. government’s USV cross-platform requirements. Hyliion will combine multiple 200-kW KARNO gensets to achieve specified power output.

SBIR supports scientific and technological advancements by investing federal research funds in projects that bolster the national economy and defense infrastructure. The modular generator concept, outlined in N241-060, will configure smaller kW-scale building block power units in a high-density package to reach 4,000-hour no-touch maintenance periodicity. Longer maintenance intervals allow for continuous operation in naval environments.

In May 2024, Hyliion agreed to deploy up to 10 KARNO generators for Victory Clean Energy’s subsidiary, H2 Energy Group (H2EG). H2EG will rely on the KARNO generators to produce electricity using hydrogen-rich syngas obtained from biomass to power its operations at hydrogen production facilities. The initial five KARNO units will be delivered to H2EG in the second half of 2025, each capable of generating an approximate power output of 200 kW and a collective capacity of 1 MW.