Publications

Hydrogen is widely recognized as an attractive energy carrier due to its low-level air pollution and its high mass-related energy density. However its wide flammability range and high burning velocity present a potentially significant hazard. A significant fraction of hydrogen is stored and transported as a cryogenic liquid (liquid hydrogen or LH2) as it requires much less volume compared to gaseous hydrogen. In order to exist as a liquid H2 must be cooled to a very low temperature 20.28 K. LH2 is a common liquid fuel for rocket applications. It can also be used as the fuel storage in an internal combustion engine or fuel cell for transport applications. Models for handling liquid releases both two-phase flashing jets and pool spills have been developed in the CFD-model FLACS. The very low normal boiling point of hydrogen (20 K) leads to particular challenges as this is significantly lower than the boiling points of oxygen (90 K) and nitrogen (77 K). Therefore a release of LH2 in the atmosphere may induce partial condensation or even freezing of the oxygen and nitrogen present in the air. A pool model within the CFD software FLACS is used to compute the spreading and vaporization of the liquid hydrogen depositing on the ground where the partial condensation or freezing of the oxygen and nitrogen is also taken into account. In our computations of two-phase jets the dispersed and continuous phases are assumed to be in thermodynamic and kinematic equilibrium. Simulations with the new models are compared against selected experiments performed at the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL).

Reversible solid oxide cells (r-SOCs) can be operated in either solid oxide fuel cell or solid oxide electrolysis cell mode. They are expected to become important in the support of renewable energy due to their high efficiency for both power generation and hydrogen generation. The exchange current density is one of the most important parameters in the quantification of electrode performance in solid oxide cells. In this study four different fuel electrodes and two different air electrodes are fabricated using different materials and the microstructures are compared. The temperature fuel humidification and oxygen concentration at the air electrode are varied to obtain the apparent exchange current density for the different electrode materials. In contrast to ruthenium-and-gadolinia-doped ceria (Rh-GDC) as well as nickel-and-gadolinia-doped ceria (Ni-GDC) electrodes significant differences in the apparent exchange current density were observed between electrolysis and fuel cell modes for the nickel-scandia-stabilized zirconia (Ni-ScSZ) cermet. Variation of gas concentration revealed that surface adsorption sites were almost completely vacant for all these electrodes. The apparent exchange current densities obtained in this study are useful as a parameter for simulation of the internal properties of r-SOCs.

The HyDeploy project is the UK’s first practical project to demonstrate that hydrogen can be safely blended into the natural-gas distribution system without requiring changes to appliances and the associated disruption. The project is funded under Ofgem’s Network Innovation Competition and is a collaboration between Cadent Gas Northern Gas Networks Progressive Energy Ltd Keele University (Keele) Health & Safety Laboratory and ITM Power. Cadent and Northern Gas Networks are the Gas Distribution Network sponsors of the project. Keele University is the host site providing the gas-distribution network which will receive the hydrogen blend. Keele University is the largest campus university in the UK. Health & Safety Laboratory provides the scientific laboratories and experimental expertise. ITM Power provides the electrolyser that produces the hydrogen. Progressive Energy Ltd is the project developer and project manager. HyDeploy is structured into three distinct phases. The first is an extensive technical programme to establish the necessary detailed evidence base in support of an application to the Health & Safety Executive for Exemption to Schedule 3 of the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations (GS(M)R) to permit the injection of hydrogen at 20 mol%. This is required to allow hydrogen to be blended into a natural-gas supply above the current British limit of 0.1 mol%.



The second phase comprises the construction of the electrolyser and grid entry unit along with the necessary piping and valves to allow hydrogen to be mixed and injected into the Keele University gas-distribution network and to ensure all necessary training of operatives is conducted before injection. The third phase is the trial itself which is due to start in the summer of 2019 and last around 10 months. The trial phase also provides an opportunity to undertake further experimental activities related to the operational network to support the pathway to full deployment of blended gas. The outcome of HyDeploy is principally developing the initial evidence base that hydrogen can be blended into a UK operational natural-gas network without disruption to customers and without prejudicing the safety of end users. If deployed at scale hydrogen blending at 20 mol% would unlock 29 TWh pa of decarbonized heat and provide a route map for deeper savings. The equivalent carbon savings of a national roll-out of a 20-mol% hydrogen blend would be to remove 2.5 million cars from the road.



HyDeploy is a seminal UK project for the decarbonization of the gas grid via hydrogen deployment and will provide the first stepping stone for setting technical operational and regulatory precedents of the hydrogen vector.

In the course towards a safe future hydrogen based society one of the tasks to be considered is the investigation of the conditions under which the use or storage of hydrogen systems inside buildings becomes too dangerous to be accepted. One of the relevant scenarios which is expected to have a relatively high risk is a slow (and long lasting) hydrogen release from a vehicle stored in a closed private garage without any forced ventilation i.e. only with natural ventilation. This scenario has been earlier investigated experimentally (by M. Swain) using He (helium) to simulate the hydrogen behavior. In the present work the CFD code ADREA-HF is used to simulate three of the abovementioned experiments using the standard k-  turbulence model. For each case modeled the predicted concentration (by vol.) time series are compared against the experimental at the given sensor locations. In addition the structure of the flow is investigated by presenting the helium concentration field.

The successful development of hydrogen-energy technologies has several advantages and benefits. Hydrogen energy development could prevent global warming as well as ensure energy security for countries without adequate energy resources. The successful development of hydrogen would provide energy for transportation and electric power. It is a unique energy carrier as it can be produced from various energy sources such as wind fossil fuels and biomass and when it is combusted it emits no CO2 emissions. The other advantage is the wide distribution of resources globally that can be used to produce hydrogen. In Japan the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) published a ‘Strategic Roadmap for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells’ in 2014 with a revised update published in March 2016. The goal of the roadmap is to achieve a hydrogen society. The roadmap aims to resolve technical problems and secure economic efficiency. The roadmap has been organized into the following three phases: Phase 1—Installation of fuel cells; Phase 2—Hydrogen power plant/mass supply chain; Phase 3—CO2- free hydrogen. This paper reports on the current status of fuel cells and fuel-cell vehicles in Japan and gives a description and status of the R&D programmes along with the results of global energy model study towards 2050.

This report responds to a request from the Governments of the UK Wales and Scotland asking the Committee to reassess the UK’s long-term emissions targets. Our new emissions scenarios draw on ten new research projects three expert advisory groups and reviews of the work of the IPCC and others.<br/>The conclusions are supported by detailed analysis published in the Net Zero Technical Report that has been carried out for each sector of the economy plus consideration of F-gas emissions and greenhouse gas removals.

Hydrogen production from butanol is a promising alternative when it is obtained from bio-butanol or bio-oil due to the higher hydrogen content compared to other oxygenates such as methanol ethanol or propanol. Catalysts and operating conditions play a crucial role in hydrogen production. Ni and Rh are metals mainly used for butanol steam reforming oxidative steam reforming and partial oxidation. Additives such as Cu can improve catalytic activity in many folds. Moreover support–metal interaction and catalyst preparation technique also play a decisive role in the stability and hydrogen production capacity of catalyst. Steam reforming technique as an option is more frequently researched due to higher hydrogen production capability in comparison to other thermochemical techniques despite its endothermic nature. The use of the oxidative steam reforming and partial oxidation has the advantages of requiring less energy and longer stability of catalysts. However the hydrogen yield is less. This article brings together and examines the latest research on hydrogen production from butanol via steam reforming oxidative steam reforming and partial oxidation reactions. In addition the review examines a few thermodynamic studies based on sorption-enhanced steam reforming and dry reforming where there is potential for hydrogen extraction.  

Hydrogen is considered a secondary source of energy commonly referred to as an energy carrier. It has the highest energy content when compared to other common fuels by weight having great potential for further development. Hydrogen can be produced from various domestic resources but based on the fossil resource conditions in China coal-based hydrogen energy is considered to be the most valuable because it is not only an effective way to develop clean energy but also a proactive exploration of the clean usage of traditional coal resources. In this article the sorption-enhanced water–gas shift technology in the coal-to-hydrogen section and the hydrogen-storage and transport technology with liquid aromatics are introduced and basic mechanisms technical advantages latest progress and future R&D focuses of hydrogen-production and storage processes are listed and discussed. As a conclusion after considering the development frame and the business characteristics of CHN Energy Group a conceptual architecture for developing coal-based hydrogen energy and the corresponding supply chain is proposed.

Hydrogen is recognized as a promising and attractive energy carrier to decarbonize the sectors responsible for global warming such as electricity production industry and transportation. However although hydrogen releases only water as a result of its reaction with oxygen through a fuel cell the hydrogen production pathway is currently a challenging issue since hydrogen is produced mainly from thermochemical processes (natural gas reforming coal gasification). On the other hand hydrogen production through water electrolysis has attracted a lot of attention as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using low-carbon sources such as renewable energy (solar wind hydro) and nuclear energy. In this context by providing an environmentally-friendly fuel instead of the currently-used fuels (unleaded petrol gasoline kerosene) hydrogen can be used in various applications such as transportation (aircraft boat vehicle and train) energy storage industry medicine and power-to-gas. This article aims to provide an overview of the main hydrogen applications (including present and future) while examining funding and barriers to building a prosperous future for the nation by addressing all the critical challenges met in all energy sectors.

The Reactive Discrete Equation Method (RDEM) was recently introduced in [12] adapted to combustion modelling in [3] and implemented in the TONUS code [4]. The method has two major features: the combustion constant having velocity dimension is the fundamental flame speed and the combustion wave now is an integral part of the Reactive Riemann Problem. In the present report the RDEM method is applied to the simulation of the combustion Test 13H performed in the ENACCEF facility. Two types of computations have been considered: one with a constant fundamental flame speed the other with time dependent fundamental flame speed. It is shown that by using the latter technique we can reproduce the experimental visible flame velocity. The ratio between the fundamental flame speed and the laminar flame speed takes however very large values compared to the experimental data based on the tests performed in spherical bombs or cruciform burner.