Applications & Pathways
Carbon-neutral Cement: The Role of Green Hydrogen
Mar 2024
Publication
Business-as-usual (BAU) cement production is associated with a linear model that contributes significantly to global warming and is dependent on volatile energy markets. A novel circular model is proposed by adding three power-to-gas system components to current production systems: a calcium-looping (CaL) CO2 capture unit; water electrolysis for hydrogen and oxygen generation; and a methanation unit for synthetic natural gas (SNG) production. The paper presents the first analysis of the combined industrial-scale operation of these components in a closed loop where the SNG fuels the cement kiln and the CaL unit while the O2 produced feeds it. The circular hybrid and BAU models are compared in three feasibility scenarios. It is concluded that the circular model outperforms the other alternatives environmentally opening a potential pathway for the cement industry to achieve near net-zero CO2 emissions reduce energy dependence and improve economic efficiency.
Numerical Investigation of a Fuel Cell-Powered Agricultural Tractor
Nov 2022
Publication
In recent years growing awareness about environmental issues is pushing humankind to explore innovative technologies to reduce the anthropogenic sources of pollutants. Among these sources internal combustion engines in non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) such as agricultural tractors are one of the most important. The aim of this work is to explore the possibility of replacing the conventional diesel engine with an electric powertrain powered by a hybrid storage system consisting of a small battery pack and a fuel-cell system. The battery pack (BP) is necessary to help the fuel cell manage sudden peaks in power demands. Numerical models of the conventional powertrain and a fuel-cell tractor were carried out. To compare the two powertrains work cycles derived from data collected during real operative conditions were exploited and simulated. For the fuel-cell tractor a control strategy to split the electric power between the battery pack and the fuel cell was explored. The powertrains were compared in terms of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) according to well-to-wheel (WTW) equivalent CO2 emission factors available in the literature. Considering the actual state-of-the-art hydrogen production methods the simulation results showed that the fuel-cell/battery powertrain was able to accomplish the tasks with a reduction of about 50% of the equivalent CO2 emissions compared to traditional diesel-powered vehicles.
Toward to Hydrogen Energy of Electric Power: Characteristics and Main Case Studies in Shenzhen
Feb 2023
Publication
China has pledged that it will strive to achieve peak carbon emission by 2030 and realize carbon neutrality by 2060 which has spurred renewed interest in hydrogen for widespread decarbonization of the economy. Hydrogen energy is an important secondary clean energy with the advantage of high density high calorific value rich reserves extensive sources and high conversion efficiency that can be widely used in power generation transportation fuel and other fields. In recent years with the guidance of policies and the progress of technology China’s hydrogen energy industry has developed rapidly. About 42% of China’s carbon emissions comes from the power system and Shenzhen has the largest urban power grid in China. Bringing the utilization of hydrogen energy into Shenzhen’s power system is an important method to achieve industry transformation achieve the “double carbon” goal and promote sustainable development. This paper outlines the domestic and international development status of hydrogen energy introduces the characteristics of Shenzhen new power system the industrial utilization of hydrogen energy and the challenges of further integrating hydrogen energy into Shenzhen new power system and finally suggests on the integration of hydrogen energy into Shenzhen new power system in different dimensions.
Performance Evaluation of a Hydrogen-fired Combined Cycle with Water Recovery
Mar 2023
Publication
Hydrogen can alleviate the increasing environmental pollution and has good development prospects in power generation due to its high calorific value and low environmental impact. The previously designed hydrogen-fired combined cycle ignored water recycling which led to an inefficient application of hydrogen and the wastage of water. This paper proposes the concept of a hydrogen-fired combined cycle with water recovery to reuse the condensed water as an industrial heat supply. It was applied to an F-class combined cycle power plant. The results demonstrate that the efficiency of hydrogen-fired combined cycles with and without water recovery increased by 1.92% and 1.35% respectively compared to that of the natural-gas-fired combined cycle under full working conditions. In addition an economic comparison of the three cycles was conducted. The levelized cost of energy of the hydrogen-fired combined cycle with water recovery will be 52.22% lower than that of the natural-gas-fired combined cycle in 2050. This comparative study suggested that water recovery supplementation could improve the gas turbine efficiency. The proposed hydrogen-fired combined cycle with water recovery would provide both environmental and economic benefits.
Computational Investigation of Combustion, Performance, and Emissions of a Diesel-Hydrogen Dual-Fuel Engine
Feb 2023
Publication
This paper aims to expose the effect of hydrogen on the combustion performance and emissions of a high-speed diesel engine. For this purpose a three-dimensional dynamic simulation model was developed using a reasonable turbulence model and a simplified reaction kinetic mechanism was chosen based on experimental data. The results show that in the hydrogen enrichment conditions hydrogen causes complete combustion of diesel fuel and results in a 17.7% increase in work capacity. However the increase in combustion temperature resulted in higher NOx emissions. In the hydrogen substitution condition the combustion phases are significantly earlier with the increased hydrogen substitution ratio () which is not conducive to power output. However when the is 30% the CO soot and THC reach near-zero emissions. The effect of the injection timing is also studied at an HSR of 90%. When delayed by 10° IMEP improves by 3.4% compared with diesel mode and 2.4% compared with dual-fuel mode. The NOx is reduced by 53% compared with the original dual-fuel mode. This study provides theoretical guidance for the application of hydrogen in rail transportation.
Optimal Capacity Planning of Power to Hydrogen in Integrated Electricity–Hydrogen–Gas Energy Systems Considering Flexibility and Hydrogen Injection
Apr 2022
Publication
With increasing penetration of renewable energy it is important to source adequate system flexibility to maintain security of supply and minimize renewable generation curtailment. Power to hydrogen (P2H) plays an important role in the low-carbon renewable dominated energy systems. By blending green hydrogen produced from renewable power into the natural gas pipelines it is possible to help integrate large-scale intermittent generation and smooth the variability of renewable power output through the interconnection of the natural gas network hydrogen energy network and electric network. A two-stage stochastic mixed-integer nonlinear planning framework for P2H sizing and siting is proposed in this paper considering system flexibility requirements. The problem is then reduced to a mixed-integer second-order cone (MISOC) model through convex transformation techniques in order to reduce the computation burden. Then a distributed algorithm based on Bender’s decomposition is applied to obtain the optimal solution. A modified hybrid IEEE 33-node and Gas 20-node system is then used for simulation tests. The results showed that investment of P2H can significantly reduce the total capital and operational costs with lower renewable generation curtailment and electricity demand shedding. Numerical tests demonstrated to demonstrate the validity of the proposed MISOC model.
Hydrogen in the Electricity Value Chain
Mar 2019
Publication
Renewable energy sources like solar-PV and wind and the electrification of heating demand lead to more variability in the generation and demand of electricity. The need for flexibility in the electricity supply system e.g. by energy storage will therefore increase. Hydrogen has been a long-serving CO2-free energy carrier apt to store energy over a long period of time without significant losses.
Multi-layer Coordinated Optimization of Integrated Energy System with Electric Vehicles Based on Feedback Correction
Sep 2022
Publication
The integrated energy system with electric vehicles can realize multi-energy coordination and complementarity and effectively promote the realization of low-carbon environmental protection goals. However the temporary change of vehicle travel plan will have an adverse impact on the system. Therefore a multi-layer coordinated optimization strategy of electric-thermal-hydrogen integrated energy system including vehicle to grid (V2G) load feedback correction is proposed. The strategy is based on the coordination of threelevel optimization. The electric vehicle charging and discharging management layer comprehensively considers the variance of load curve and the dissatisfaction of vehicle owners and the charging and discharging plan is obtained through multi-objective improved sparrow search algorithm which is transferred to the model predictive control rolling optimization layer. In the rolling optimization process according to the actual situation selectively enter the V2G load feedback correction layer to update V2G load so as to eliminate the impact of temporary changes in electric vehicle travel plans. Simulation results show that the total operating cost with feedback correction is 4.19% lower than that without feedback correction and tracking situation of tie-line planned value is improved which verifies the proposed strategy.
Hydrogen-Electric Coupling Coordinated Control Strategy of Multi-Station Integrated System Based on the Honeycomb Topology
Mar 2022
Publication
With the high-proportion accession of renewable energy and randomness of the load side in the new energy power system unbalanced feeder power and heavy overload of the transformer caused by massive access of highly uncertain source loads become more and more serious. In order to solve the aforementioned problems a honeycomb topology of the multi-station integrated system is proposed. The soft open point (SOP) is used as the key integrated equipment of the internal unit of a multi-station integrated system. The honeycomb grid structure is composed of flexible nodes and the multi-station integrated system is composed of multi-network flexible interconnection. Based on the characteristics of the regional resource endowment hydrogen energy flow is deeply coupled in parts of honeycomb grids. In order to improve the reliability and flexibility of the multi-station integrated unit the structure of the new multi-station integrated unit the power balance constraints on the unit and the switching process of SOP control mode are studied. At the same time the hydrogen electricity coupling structure and the coordinated control strategy of hydrogen electricity conversion are proposed to solve the problem of deep application of hydrogen energy. Finally the effectiveness of the proposed multi-station integrated system is verified by using three simulation models.
Optimal Scheduling of Multi-microgrids with Power to Hydrogen Considering Federated Demand Response
Sep 2022
Publication
Hydrogen is regarded as a promising fuel in the transition to clean energy. Nevertheless as the demand for hydrogen increases some microgrids equipped with P2H (MGH) will encounter the issue of primary energy deficiency. Meanwhile some microgrids (MGs) face the difficulty of being unable to consume surplus energy locally. Hence we interconnect MGs with different energy characteristics and then establish a collaborative scheduling model of multi-microgrids (MMGs). In this model a federated demand response (FDR) program considering predictive mean voting is designed to coordinate controllable loads of electricity heat and hydrogen in different MGs. With the coordination of FDR the users’ satisfaction and comfort in each MG are kept within an acceptable range. To further adapt to an actual working condition of the microturbine (MT) in MGH a power interaction method is proposed to maintain the operating power of the MT at the optimum load level and shave peak and shorten the operating periods of MT. In the solution process the sequence operation theory is utilized to deal with the probability density of renewable energy. A series of case studies on a test system of MMG demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Preliminary Analysis of Compression System Integrated Heat Management Concepts Using LH2-Based Parametric Gas Turbine Model
Apr 2021
Publication
The investigation of the various heat management concepts using LH2 requires the development of a modeling environment coupling the cryogenic hydrogen fuel system with turbofan performance. This paper presents a numerical framework to model hydrogen-fueled gas turbine engines with a dedicated heat-management system complemented by an introductory analysis of the impact of using LH2 to precool and intercool in the compression system. The propulsion installations comprise Brayton cycle-based turbofans and first assessments are made on how to use the hydrogen as a heat sink integrated into the compression system. Conceptual tubular compact heat exchanger designs are explored to either precool or intercool the compression system and preheat the fuel to improve the installed performance of the propulsion cycles. The precooler and the intercooler show up to 0.3% improved specific fuel consumption for heat exchanger effectiveness in the range 0.5–0.6 but higher effectiveness designs incur disproportionately higher pressure losses that cancel-out the benefits.
Experimental Study on the Cycle Variation Characteristics of Direct Injection Hydrogen Engine
Jun 2022
Publication
Hydrogen energy is an important technical route to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality. Direct injection hydrogen engine is one of the ways of hydrogen energy application. It has the advantages of high thermal efficiency and limit/reduce abnormal combustion phenomena. In order to explore the cycle characteristics of direct injection hydrogen engine based on a 2.0L direct injection hydrogen engine an experimental study on the cycle characteristics of direct injection hydrogen engine was carried out. The experimental results show that cycle variation increases from 0.67% to 1.02% with the increasing of engine speed. The cycle variation decreases from 1.52% to 0.64% with the increasing of engine load. As the equivalence ratio increases the cycle variation first decreases significantly from 2.52% to 0.35% and then stabilizes. The ignition advance angle has a better angle to minimize the cycle variation. An experimental study on the influence of the start of injection on the cycle variation was carried out. As the engine speed/engine load is 2000rpm/4bar the cycle variation increases from 0.72% to 2.42% with the start of injection changing from -280°CA to -180°CA; then rapidly decreases to 0.99% and then increases to 2.26% with the start of injection changing from -180°CA to -100°CA. The experimental results show that SOI could cause significant influence on cycle variation because of intake valve closing and shortening mixing time and both the process of intake valve closing and lagging the SOI could cause the cycle variation to increase. The SOI remarkably affects the cycle variation at low engine load/equivalence ratio and high engine speed. This study lays the foundation for the follow-up research of hydrogen engine performance matching of the cycle variation.
Deployment of Fuel Cell Vehicles and Hydrogen Refueling Station Infrastructure: A Global Overview and Perspectives
Jul 2022
Publication
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can complement other electric vehicle technologies as a zeroemission technology and contribute to global efforts to achieve the emission reduction targets. This article spotlights the current deployment status of fuel cells in road transport. For this purpose data collection was performed by the Advanced Fuel Cells Technology Collaboration Programme. Moreover the available incentives for purchasing a fuel cell vehicle in different countries were reviewed and future perspectives summarized. Based on the collected information the development trends in the last five years were analyzed and possible further trends that could see the realization of the defined goals derived. The number of registered vehicles was estimated to be 51437 units with South Korea leading the market with 90% of the vehicles being concentrated in four countries. A total of 729 hydrogen refueling stations were in operation with Japan having the highest number of these. The analysis results clearly indicate a very positive development trend for fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen refueling stations in 2021 with the highest number of new vehicles and stations in a single year paralleling the year’s overall economic recovery. Yet a more ambitious ramp-up in the coming years is required to achieve the set targets.
Hydrogen Fuel for Future Mobility: Challenges and Future Aspects
Jul 2022
Publication
Nowadays the combustion of fossil fuels for transportation has a major negative impact on the environment. All nations are concerned with environmental safety and the regulation of pollution motivating researchers across the world to find an alternate transportation fuel. The transition of the transportation sector towards sustainability for environmental safety can be achieved by the manifestation and commercialization of clean hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen fuel for sustainable mobility has its own effectiveness in terms of its generation and refueling processes. As the fuel requirement of vehicles cannot be anticipated because it depends on its utilization choosing hydrogen refueling and onboard generation can be a point of major concern. This review article describes the present status of hydrogen fuel utilization with a particular focus on the transportation industry. The advantages of onboard hydrogen generation and refueling hydrogen for internal combustion are discussed. In terms of performance affordability and lifetime onboard hydrogen-generating subsystems must compete with what automobile manufacturers and consumers have seen in modern vehicles to date. In internal combustion engines hydrogen has various benefits in terms of combustive properties but it needs a careful engine design to avoid anomalous combustion which is a major difficulty with hydrogen engines. Automobile makers and buyers will not invest in fuel cell technology until the technologies that make up the various components of a fuel cell automobile have advanced to acceptable levels of cost performance reliability durability and safety. Above all a substantial advancement in the fuel cell stack is required.
Deep Reinforcement Learning Based Energy Management Strategy for Fuel Cell/Battery/Supercapacitor Powered Electric Vehicle
Sep 2022
Publication
Vehicles using a single fuel cell as a power source often have problems such as slow response and inability to recover braking energy. Therefore the current automobile market is mainly dominated by fuel cell hybrid vehicles. In this study the fuel cell hybrid commercial vehicle is taken as the research object and a fuel cell/ battery/supercapacitor energy topology is proposed and an energy management strategy based on a doubledelay deep deterministic policy gradient is designed for this topological structure. This strategy takes fuel cell hydrogen consumption fuel cell life loss and battery life loss as the optimization goals in which supercapacitors play the role of coordinating the power output of the fuel cell and the battery providing more optimization ranges for the optimization of fuel cells and batteries. Compared with the deep deterministic policy gradient strategy (DDPG) and the nonlinear programming algorithm strategy this strategy has reduced hydrogen consumption level fuel cell loss level and battery loss level which greatly improves the economy and service life of the power system. The proposed EMS is based on the TD3 algorithm in deep reinforcement learning and simultaneously optimizes a number of indicators which is beneficial to prolong the service life of the power system.
High Technical and Temporal Resolution Integrated Energy System Modelling of Industrial Decarbonisation
Aug 2022
Publication
Owing to the complexity of the sector industrial activities are often represented with limited technological resolution in integrated energy system models. In this study we enriched the technological description of industrial activities in the integrated energy system analysis optimisation (IESA-Opt) model a peer-reviewed energy system optimisation model that can simultaneously provide optimal capacity planning for the hourly operation of all integrated sectors. We used this enriched model to analyse the industrial decarbonisation of the Netherlands for four key activities: high-value chemicals hydrocarbons ammonia and steel production. The analyses performed comprised 1) exploring optimality in a reference scenario; 2) exploring the feasibility and implications of four extreme industrial cases with different technological archetypes namely a bio-based industry a hydrogen-based industry a fully electrified industry and retrofitting of current assets into carbon capture utilisation and storage; and 3) performing sensitivity analyses on key topics such as imported biomass hydrogen and natural gas prices carbon storage potentials technological learning and the demand for olefins. The results of this study show that it is feasible for the energy system to have a fully bio-based hydrogen-based fully electrified and retrofitted industry to achieve full decarbonisation while allowing for an optimal technological mix to yield at least a 10% cheaper transition. We also show that owing to the high predominance of the fuel component in the levelled cost of industrial products substantial reductions in overnight investment costs of green technologies have a limited effect on their adoption. Finally we reveal that based on the current (2022) energy prices the energy transition is cost-effective and fossil fuels can be fully displaced from industry and the national mix by 2050
Economic Analysis of a Zero-carbon Liquefied Hydrogen Tanker Ship
Jun 2022
Publication
The green hydrogen economy is considered one of the sustainable solutions to mitigate climate change. This study provides an economic analysis of a novel liquified hydrogen (LH2) tanker fuelled by hydrogen with a total capacity of ~280000 m3 of liquified hydrogen named ‘JAMILA’. An established economic method was applied to investigate the economic feasibility of the JAMILA ship as a contribution to the future zero-emission target. The systematic economic evaluation determined the net present value of the LH2 tanker internal rate of return payback period and economic value added to support and encourage shipyards and the industrial sector in general. The results indicate that the implementation of the LH2 tanker ship can cover the capital cost of the ship within no more than 2.5 years which represents 8.3% of the assumed 30-year operational life cycle of the project in the best maritime shipping prices conditions and 6 years in the worst-case shipping marine economic conditions. Therefore the assessment of the economic results shows that the LH2 tankers may be a worthwhile contribution to the green hydrogen economy.
Comparison of Alternative Marine Fuels
Sep 2019
Publication
The overall ambition of the study has been to assess the commercial and operational viability of alternative marine fuels based on review existing academic and industry literature. The approach assesses how well six alternative fuels perform compared to LNG fuel on a set of 11 key parameters. Conventional fuels are not covered in this study however 2020 compliant fuels (HFO+scrubber and low sulphur fuels are included in the conclusion for comparative purposes.
A Review of Key Components of Hydrogen Recirculation Subsystem for Fuel Cell Vehicles
Jul 2022
Publication
Hydrogen energy and fuel cell technology are critical clean energy roads to pursue carbon neutrality. The proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has a wide range of commercial application prospects due to its simple structure easy portability and quick start-up. However the cost and durability of the PEMFC system are the main barriers to commercial applications of fuel cell vehicles. In this paper the core hydrogen recirculation components of fuel cell vehicles including mechanical hydrogen pumps ejectors and gas–water separators are reviewed in order to understand the problems and challenges in the simulation design and application of these components. The types and working characteristics of mechanical pumps used in PEMFC systems are summarized. Furthermore corresponding design suggestions are given based on the analysis of the design challenges of the mechanical hydrogen pump. The research on structural design and optimization of ejectors for adapting wide power ranges of PEMFC systems is analyzed. The design principle and difficulty of the gas–water separator are summarized and its application in the system is discussed. In final the integration and control of hydrogen recirculation components controlled cooperatively to ensure the stable pressure and hydrogen supply of the fuel cell under dynamic loads are reviewed.
Enabling the Scale Up of Green Hydrogen in Ireland by Decarbonising the Haulage Sector
Jul 2022
Publication
The current research on green hydrogen can focus from the perspective of production but understanding the demand side is equally important to the initial creation of a hydrogen ecosystem in countries with low industrial activities that can utilise large amounts of hydrogen in the short term. Early movers in these countries must create a demand market in parallel with the green hydrogen plant commissioning. This paper presents research that explores the heavy-duty transport sector as a market-of-interest for early deployment of green hydrogen in Ireland. Conducting a survey-based market research amongst this sector indicate significant interest in hydrogen on the island of Ireland and the barriers the participants presented have been overcome in other jurisdictions. The study develops a model to estimate 1.) the annual hydrogen demand and 2.) the corresponding delivery cost to potential hydrogen consumers either directly or to central hydrogen fuelling hubs.
Centralized and Decentralized Electrolysis-based Hydrogen Supply Systems for Road Transportation - A Modeling Study of Current and Future Costs
Oct 2022
Publication
This work compares the costs of three electrolysis-based hydrogen supply systems for heavy road transportation: a decentralized off-grid system for hydrogen production from wind and solar power (Dec-Sa); a decentralized system connected to the electricity grid (Dec-Gc); and a centralized grid-connected electrolyzer with hydrogen transported to refueling stations (Cen-Gc). A cost-minimizing optimization model was developed in which the hydrogen production is designed to meet the demand at refueling stations at the lowest total cost for two timeframes: one with current electricity prices and one with estimated future prices. The results show that: For most of the studied geographical regions Dec-Gc gives the lowest costs of hydrogen delivery (2.2e3.3V/kgH2) while Dec-Sa entails higher hydrogen production costs (2.5e6.7V/kgH2). In addition the centralized system (Cen-Gc) involves lower costs for production and storage than the grid-connected decentralized system (Dec-Gc) although the additional costs for hydrogen transport increase the total cost (3.5e4.8V/kgH2).
Recent Progress in Catalysts for Hydrogen-Chlorine Regenerative Fuel Cells
Oct 2020
Publication
The increasing energy demand and the subsequent climate change consequences are supporting the search for sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. In this scenario the link between hydrogen and renewable energy is playing a key role and unitized hydrogen-chlorine (H2-Cl2) regenerative cells (RFCs) have become promising candidates for renewable energy storage. Described herein are the recent advances in cell configurations and catalysts for the different reactions that may take place in these systems that work in both modes: electrolysis and fuel cell. It has been found that platinum (Pt)-based catalysts are the best choice for the electrode where hydrogen is involved whereas for the case of chlorine ruthenium (Ru)-based catalysts are the best candidates. Only a few studies were found where the catalysts had been tested in both modes and recent advances are focused on decreasing the amount of precious metals contained in the catalysts. Moreover the durability of the catalysts tested under realistic conditions has not been thoroughly assessed becoming a key and mandatory step to evaluate the commercial viability of the H2-Cl2 RFC technology.
Low-Carbon Economic Dispatch of Integrated Energy Systems in Industrial Parks Considering Comprehensive Demand Response and Multi-Hydrogen Supply
Mar 2024
Publication
To address the increasing hydrogen demand and carbon emissions of industrial parks this paper proposes an integrated energy system dispatch strategy considering multi-hydrogen supply and comprehensive demand response. This model adopts power-to-gas technology to produce green hydrogen replacing a portion of gray hydrogen and incorporates a carbon capture system to effectively reduce the overall carbon emissions of the industrial park. Meanwhile incentive-based and price-based demand response strategies are implemented to optimize the load curve. A scheduling model is established targeting the minimization of procurement operation carbon emission and wind curtailment costs. The case study of a northern industrial park in China demonstrates that the joint supply of green and gray hydrogen reduces carbon emissions by 40.98% and costs by 17.93% compared to solely using gray hydrogen. The proposed approach successfully coordinates the economic and environmental performance of the integrated energy system. This study provides an effective scheduling strategy for industrial parks to accommodate high shares of renewables while meeting hydrogen needs and carbon reduction targets.
Effect of Carbon Concentration and Carbon Bonding Type on the Melting Characteristics of Hydrogen-reduced Iron Ore Pellets
Oct 2022
Publication
Decarbonization of the steel industry is one of the pathways towards a fossil-fuel-free environment. The steel industry is one of the top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Most of these emissions are directly linked to the use of a fossil-fuelbased reductant. Replacing the fossil-based reductant with green H2 enables the transition towards a fossil-free steel industry. The carbon-free iron produced will cause the refining and steelmaking operations to have a starting point far from today’s operations. In addition to carbon being an alloying element in steel production carbon addition controls the melting characteristics of the reduced iron. In the present study the effect of carbon content and form (cementite/graphite) in hydrogen-reduced iron ore pellets on their melting characteristics was examined by means of a differential thermal analyser and optical dilatometer. Carburized samples with a carbon content < 2 wt % did not show any initial melting at the eutectic temperature. At and above 2 wt % the carburized samples showed an initial melting at the eutectic temperature irrespective of the carbon content. However the absorbed heat varies with varied carbon content. The carbon form does not affect the initial melting temperature but it affects the melting progression. Carburized samples melt homogenously while melting of iron-graphite mixtures occurs locally at the interface between iron and carbon particles and when the time is not long enough melting might not occur to any significant extent. Therefore at any given carbon content > 2 wt % the molten fraction is higher in the case of carburized samples which is indicated by the amount of absorbed melting heat.
Performance and Weight Parameters Calculation for Hydrogen and Battery-Powered Aircraft Concepts
May 2023
Publication
This article describes the creation of a program that would be useful for calculating mathematical models in order to estimate the weight of aircraft components. Using several parameters it can calculate other parameters of civil transport aircraft powered by batteries or fuel cells. The main goals of this research were to add the missing dimensions and parameters to the aircraft database create a simple but effective program for creating mathematical models and use this program to find technological barriers to battery or hydrogen fuel-cell-powered aircraft concepts. The article introduces the reader to the problem of calculating OEW (operating empty weight) using Breguet– Leduc equations. A calculation model was created for OEW calculation. The result of this work is the verification of a mathematical model for battery-powered electric aircraft of the CS-23 (European Aviation Safety Agency Certification Specification for Normal Utility Aerobatic and Commuter Category Aeroplanes) category by comparing the program’s outputs with real aircraft. Subsequently the results of mathematical models are shown in graphs that specify the space of possible concepts of aircraft powered by batteries or fuel cells sorted by the number of passengers and the range of the aircraft delimited by two or three criteria respectively.
Carbon Footprint and Energy Transformation Analysis of Steel Produced via a Direct Reduction Plant with an Integrated Electric Melting Unit
Aug 2022
Publication
The production of fat steel products is commonly linked to highly integrated sites which include hot metal generation via the blast furnace basic oxygen furnace (BOF) continuous casting and subsequent hot-rolling. In order to reach carbon neutrality a shift away from traditional carbon-based metallurgy is required within the next decades. Direct reduction (DR) plants are capable to support this transition and allow even a stepwise reduction in CO2 emissions. Nevertheless the implementation of these DR plants into integrated metallurgical plants includes various challenges. Besides metallurgy product quality and logistics special attention is given on future energy demand. On the basis of carbon footprint methodology (ISO 14067:2019) diferent scenarios of a stepwise transition are evaluated and values of possible CO2equivalent (CO2eq) reduction are coupled with the demand of hydrogen electricity natural gas and coal. While the traditional blast furnace—BOF route delivers a surplus of electricity in the range of 0.7 MJ/kg hot-rolled coil; this surplus turns into a defcit of about 17 MJ/ kg hot-rolled coil for a hydrogen-based direct reduction with an integrated electric melting unit. On the other hand while the product carbon footprint of the blast furnace-related production route is 2.1 kg CO2eq/kg hot-rolled coil; this footprint can be reduced to 0.76 kg CO2eq/kg hot-rolled coil for the hydrogen-related route provided that the electricity input is from renewable energies. Thereby the direct impact of the processes of the integrated site can even be reduced to 0.15 kg CO2eq/ kg hot-rolled coil. Yet if the electricity input has a carbon footprint of the current German or European electricity grid mix the respective carbon footprint of hot-rolled coil even increases up to 3.0 kg CO2eq/kg hot-rolled coil. This underlines the importance of the availability of renewable energies.
Decarbonisation Options for the Cement Industry
Jan 2023
Publication
The cement industry is a building block of modern society and currently responsible for around 7% of global and 4% of EU CO2 emissions. While facing global competition and a challenging business environment the EU cement sector needs to decarbonise its production processes to comply with the EU’s ambitious 2030 and 2050 climate targets. This report provides a snapshot of the current cement production landscape and discusses future technologies that are being explored by the sector to decarbonise its processes describing the transformational change the industry faces. This report compiles the current projects and announcements to deploy breakthrough technologies which do require high capital investments. However with 2050 just one investment cycle away the sector needs to commercialise new low-CO2 technologies this decade to avoid the risk of stranded assets. As Portland cement production is highly CO2-intensive and EU plants are already operating close to optimum efficiency the industry appears to be focussing on carbon capture storage and utilisation technologies - while breakthroughs in alternative chemistries are still being explored - to reduce emissions. While the EU has played an important role in supporting early stage R&D for these technologies it is now striving to fill the funding gap for the commercialisation of breakthrough technologies. The recent momentum towards CO2-free cement provides the EU with the opportunity to be a frontrunner in creating markets for green cement.
Thermodynamic Analysis of Methanol, Ammonia, and Hydrogen as Alternative Fuels in HCCI Engines
May 2023
Publication
The present study enters in the context of reducing harmful emissions of the marine fleet by using three of the most promising alternative fuels namely methanol ammonia and hydrogen. These fuels are to be examined from the perspective of both the first and second laws of thermodynamics when employed in turbocharged and intercooled Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Engines (HCCI) under various values of ambient temperature and equivalence ratio. Results showed that the highest engine performance values favour using ammonia as fuel followed in order by hydrogen and methanol. Furthermore most of the exergy destruction rates (65.26% ammonia to 84.02% for hydrogen) of the exergy destruction rate occurring in the engine take place in the HCCI engine.
Market Uptake and Impact of Key Green Aviation Technologies
Jan 2023
Publication
Steer was appointed by the Directorate-General of Research and Innovation (DG RTD) to undertake an overview of key green aviation technologies and conditions for their market uptake. Steer is being supported in delivery by the Institute of Air Transport and Airport Research of the German Aerospace Centre DLR. The study was undertaken in the context of the Clean Aviation Partnership’s Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for the period 2030-2050. The objective of the project is to identify the prerequisites for the market entry of climate-neutral aviation technologies as well as the flanking measures required for this to be successful. The scope of the study is hydrogen and electrically powered aircraft in the regional and short/medium range categories taking a holistic view on the technological development and keeping the economic context in mind. The outcome of the study will serve as guidance for the Commission and other actors with regard to further policy or industry initiatives such as in the context of Horizon Europe or the Alliance Zero Emission Aviation.
Review of Energy Challenges and Horizons of Hydrogen City Buses
Sep 2022
Publication
This paper discusses fuel cell electric vehicles and more specifically the challenges and development of hydrogen-fueled buses for people accessing this transportation in cities and urban environments. The study reveals the main innovations and challenges in the field of hydrogen bus deployment and identifies the most common approaches and errors in this area by extracting and critically appraising data from sources important to the energy perspective. Three aspects of the development and horizons of fuel cell electric buses are reviewed namely energy consumption energy efficiency and energy production. The first is associated with the need to ensure a useful and sustainable climate-neutral public transport. Herewith the properties of the hydrogen supply of electric buses and their benefits over gasoline gas and battery vehicles are discussed. The efficiency issue is related to the ratio of consumed and produced fuel in view of energy losses. Four types of engines–gasoline diesel gas and electrical–are evaluated in terms of well-to-wheel tank-to-wheel delivery and storage losses. The third problem arises from the production operating and disposal constraints of the society at the present juncture. Several future-oriented initiatives of the European Commission separate countries and companies are described. The study shows that the effectiveness of the FCEBs depends strongly on the energy generation used to produce hydrogen. In the countries where the renewables are the main energy sources the FCEBs are effective. In other regions they are not effective enough yet although the future horizons are quite broad.
Investigating the Impact of Economic Uncertainty on Optimal Sizing of Grid-Independent Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems
Aug 2021
Publication
One of the many barriers to decarbonization and decentralization of the energy sector in developing countries is the economic uncertainty. As such this study scrutinizes economics of three grid-independent hybrid renewable-based systems proposed to co-generate electricity and heat for a small-scale load. Accordingly the under-study systems are simulated and optimized with the aid of HOMER Pro software. Here a 20-year average value of discount and inflation rates is deemed a benchmark case. The techno-economic-environmental and reliability results suggest a standalone solar/wind/electrolyzer/hydrogen-based fuel cell integrated with a hydrogen-based boiler system is the best alternative. Moreover to ascertain the impact of economic uncertainty on optimal unit sizing of the nominated model the fluctuations of the nominal discount rate and inflation respectively constitute within the range of 15–20% and 10–26%. The findings of economic uncertainty analysis imply that total net present cost (TNPC) fluctuates around the benchmark value symmetrically between $478704 and $814905. Levelized energy cost varies from an amount 69% less than the benchmark value up to two-fold of that. Furthermore photovoltaic (PV) optimal size starts from a value 23% less than the benchmark case and rises up to 55% more. The corresponding figures for wind turbine (WT) are respectively 21% and 29%. Eventually several practical policies are introduced to cope with economic uncertainty.
System Analysis and Requirements Derivation of a Hydrogen-electric Aircraft Powertrain
Sep 2022
Publication
In contrast to sustainable aviation fuels for use in conventional combustion engines hydrogen-electric powertrains constitute a fundamentally novel approach that requires extensive effort from various engineering disciplines. A transient system analysis has been applied to a 500 kW shaft-power-class powertrain. The model was fed with high-level system requirements to gain a fundamental understanding of the interaction between sub-systems and components. Transient effects such as delays in pressure build up heat transfer and valve operation substantially impact the safe and continuous operation of the propulsion system throughout a typical mission profile which is based on the Daher TBM850. The lumped-parameters network solver provides results quickly which are used to derive requirements for subsystems and components which support their in-depth future development. E.g. heat exchanger transfer rates and pressure drop of the motor's novel hydrogen cooling system are established. Furthermore improvements to the system architecture such as a compartmentalization of the tank are identified.
Optimal Scheduling of Integrated Energy System Considering Hydrogen Blending Gas and Demand Response
Apr 2024
Publication
In the context of carbon neutrality and carbon peaking in order to achieve low carbon emissions and promote the efficient utilization of wind energy hydrogen energy as an important energy carrier is proposed to mix hydrogen and natural gas to form hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas (HCNG). It is also injected into the natural gas pipeline network to achieve the transmission and utilization of hydrogen energy. At the same time the participation of demand response is considered the load’s peak and trough periods are adjusted and the large-scale consumption of renewable energy and the reduction in carbon emissions are achieved. First of all a fine model of hydrogen production and hydrogen use equipment is established to analyze the impact of adding hydrogen mixing on the economy and the low-carbon property of the system. With green certificates and demand response the utilization rate of hydrogen energy is improved to further explore the energy utilization rate and emission reduction capacity of the system. Secondly on the basis of modeling the optimal scheduling strategy is proposed with the sum of energy purchase cost equipment operation cost carbon emission cost wind curtailment cost and green certificate income as the lowest objective function. Considering the constraints such as hydrogen blending ratio and flexible load ratio of the pipeline network a low-carbon economic scheduling model of hydrogen mixed natural gas was established. The model was linearized and solved by using MATLAB 2021a and CPLEX solver. By comparing different scenarios the superiority of the model and the effectiveness of the strategy are verified.
A Theoretical Study Using the Multiphase Numerical Simulation Technique for Effective Use of H2 as Blast Furnaces Fuel
Jun 2017
Publication
We present a numerical simulation procedure for analyzing hydrogen oxygen and carbon dioxide gases injections mixed with pulverized coals within the tuyeres of blast furnaces. Effective use of H2 rich gas is highly attractive into the steelmaking blastfurnace considering the possibility of increasing the productivity and decreasing the specific emissions of carbon dioxide becoming the process less intensive in carbon utilization. However the mixed gas and coal injection is a complex technology since significant changes on the inner temperature and gas flow patterns are expected beyond to their effects on the chemical reactions and heat exchanges. Focusing on the evaluation of inner furnace status under such complex operation a comprehensive mathematical model has been developed using the multi interaction multiple phase theory. The BF considered as a multiphase reactor treats the lump solids (sinter small coke pellets granular coke and iron ores) gas liquids metal and slag and pulverized coal phases. The governing conservation equations are formulated for momentum mass chemical species and energy and simultaneously discretized using the numerical method of finite volumes. We verified the model with a reference operational condition using pulverized coal of 215 kg per ton of hot metal (kg thm−1). Thus combined injections of varying concentrations of gaseous fuels with H2 O2 and CO2 are simulated with 220 kg thm−1 and 250 kg thm−1 coals injection. Theoretical analysis showed that stable operations conditions could be achieved with productivity increase of 60%. Finally we demonstrated that the net carbon utilization per ton of hot metal decreased 12%.
Hydrogen-powered Refrigeration System for Environmentally Friendly Transport and Delivery in the Food Supply Chain
Mar 2023
Publication
Urban population and the trend towards online commerce leads to an increase in delivery solution in cities. The growth of the transport sector is very harmful to the environment being responsible for approximately 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union. The problem is aggravated when transporting perishable foodstuffs as the vehicle propulsion engine (VPE) must power not only the vehicle but also the refrigeration unit. This means that the VPE must be running continuously both on the road and stationary (during delivery) as the cold chain must be preserved. The result is costly (high fuel consumption) and harmful to the environment. At present refrigerated transport does not support full-electric solutions due to the high energy consumption required which motivates the work presented in this article. It presents a turnkey solution of a hydrogen-powered refrigeration system (HPRS) to be integrated into standard light trucks and vans for short-distance food transport and delivery. The proposed solution combines an air-cooled polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) a lithium-ion battery and low-weight pressurised hydrogen cylinders to minimise cost and increase autonomy and energy density. In addition for its implementation and integration all the acquisition power and control electronics necessary for its correct management have been developed. Similarly an energy management system (EMS) has been developed to ensure continuity and safety in the operation of the electrical system during the working day while maximizing both the available output power and lifetime of the PEMFC. Experimental results on a real refrigerated light truck provide more than 4 h of autonomy in intensive intercity driving profiles which can be increased if necessary by simply increasing the pressure of the stored hydrogen from the current 200 bar to whatever is required. The correct operation of the entire HPRS has been experimentally validated in terms of functionality autonomy and safety; with fuel savings of more than 10% and more than 3650 kg of CO2/ year avoided.
Evaluation of the Potential for Distributed Generation of Green Hydrogen Using Metal-hydride Storage Methods
May 2023
Publication
This study presents methodology for the evaluation of appropriateness of a hydrogen generator for gas production in multiple distributed plants based on renewable energy sources. The general idea is to form hydrogen clusters integrated with storage and transportation. The paper focuses on the financial viability of the plants presenting the results of economic evaluation together with sensitivity analysis for various economic factors. The analyzed case study proves that over a wide range of parameters alkaline electrolyzers show favorable economic characteristics however a PEM-based plant is more resilient to changes in the price of electricity which is the main cost component in hydrogen generation. The study is enriched with an experimental investigation of low-pressure storage methods based on porous metal hydride tanks. The effectiveness of the tanks (β) compared to pressurized hydrogen tanks in the same volume and pressure is equal to β = 10.2. A solution is proposed whereby these can be used in a distributed hydrogen generation concept due to their safe and simple operation without additional costly equipment e.g. compressors. A method for evaluation of the avoided energy consumption as a function of the effectiveness of the tanks is developed. Avoided energy consumption resulting from implementing MH tanks equals 1.33 – 1.37 kWh per kilogram of hydrogen depending on the number of stages of a compressor. The methods proposed in this paper are universal and can be used for various green hydrogen facilities.
The Effect of a Nuclear Baseload in a Zero-carbon Electricity System: An Analysis for the UK
Jan 2023
Publication
This paper explores the effect of having a nuclear baseload in a 100% carbon-free electricity system The study analyses numerous 8 scenarios based on different penetrations of conventional nuclear wind and solar PV power different levels of overgeneration 9 and different combinations between medium and long duration energy stores (hydrogen and compressed air respectively) to 10 determine the configuration that achieves the lowest total cost of electricity (TCoE). 11 At their current cost new baseload nuclear power plants are too expensive. Results indicate the TCoE is minimised when demand 12 is supplied entirely by renewables with no contribution from conventional nuclear. 13 However small modular reactors may achieve costs of ~£60/MWh (1.5x current wind cost) in the future. With such costs 14 supplying ~80% of the country’s electricity demand with nuclear power could minimise the TCoE. In this scenario wind provides 15 the remaining 20% plus a small percentage of overgeneration (~2.5%). Hydrogen in underground caverns provides ~30.5 TWh (81 16 days) of long-duration energy storage while CAES systems provide 2.8 TWh (~8 days) of medium-duration storage. This 17 configuration achieves costs of ~65.8 £/MWh. Batteries (required for short duration imbalances) are not included in the figure. 18 The TCoE achieved will be higher once short duration storage is accounted for.
Implementation of Fuel Cells in Aviation from a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Perspective
Dec 2022
Publication
Hydrogen is one of the most promising power sources for meeting the aviation sector’s long-term decarbonization goals. Although on-board hydrogen systems namely fuel cells are extensively researched the maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) perspective remains mostly unaddressed. This paper analyzes fuel cells from an MRO standpoint based on a literature review and comparison with the automotive sector. It also examines how well the business models and key resources of MRO providers are currently suited to provide future MRO services. It is shown that fuel cells require extensive MRO activities and that these are needed to meet the aviation sector’s requirements for price safety and especially durability. To some extent experience from the automotive sector can be built upon particularly with respect to facility requirements and qualification of personnel. Yet MRO providers’ existing resources only partially allow them to provide these services. MRO providers’ underlying business models must adapt to the implementation of fuel cells in the aviation sector. MRO providers and services should therefore be considered and act as enablers for the introduction of fuel cells in the aviation industry.
Sustainable Hydrogen Energy in Aviation - A Narrative Review
Feb 2023
Publication
In the modern world zero-carbon society has become a new buzzword of the era. Many projects have been initiated to develop alternatives not only to the environmental crisis but also to the shortage of fossil fuels. With successful projects in automobile technology hydrogen fuel is now being tested and utilized as a sustainable green fuel in the aviation sector which will lead to zero carbon emission in the future. From the mid-20th century to the early 21st numerous countries and companies have funded multimillion projects to develop hydrogen-fueled aircraft. Empirical data show positive results for various projects. Consequently large companies are investing in various innovations undertaken by researchers under their supervision. Over time the efficiency of hydrogen-fueled aircraft has improved but the lack of refueling stations large production cost and consolidated carbon market share have impeded the path of hydrogen fuel being commercialized. In addition the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is another important element of the Aviation industry Hydrogen started to be commonly used as an alternative fuel for heavy-duty drones using fuel cell technology. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the chronological development of hydrogen-powered aircraft technology and potential aviation applications for hydrogen and fuel cell technology. Furthermore the major barriers to widespread adoption of hydrogen technology in aviation are identified as are future research opportunities.
Effect on Diesel Engine Performance Parameters Using Hydrogen and Oxygen Produced on Demand
Oct 2022
Publication
Hydrogen is seen as a future energy carrier since its chemical compounds make up a large part of the Earth’s surface. This study sought to analyze the impact related to the inclusion of hydrogen and oxygen gases produced on demand by an alkaline electrolyzer to the engine added directly through the fuel intake line. For this purpose performance parameters were monitored such as liquid fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and correlated to any effect observed on the engine’s power output and combustion behavior. A 58 kVA nominal power motor-generator was used coupled with a resistive load bank (20 kW) where two fuel configurations were tested (diesel injection only and a mixture of diesel hydrogen and oxygen) and compared. A total of 42 tests were performed considering both the admission gases into the fuel intake line and also diesel supply only for baseline. A substantial decrease in fuel consumption was observed (7.59%) when the blend configuration was used despite a decrease in the engine’s work (1.07%). It was also possible to see a common pattern between NO and NO2 emissions for both fuel configurations while the behavior of the CO2 and CO emissions indicated a higher complete diesel burning fraction when using the gases on demand. Therefore we can verify that the use of hydrogen and oxygen gases produced on demand in the fuel intake line is a promising alternative to provide a decrease in liquid fuel consumption and an overall improvement in engine combustion.
How Hydrogen (H2) Can Support Food Security: From Farm to Fork
Mar 2024
Publication
Molecular hydrogen (H2 ) is a low-molecular-weight non-polar and electrochemically neutral substance that acts as an effective antioxidant and cytoprotective agent with research into the effects of H2 incorporation into the food chain at various stages rapidly gaining momentum. H2 can be delivered throughout the food growth production delivery and storage systems in numerous ways including as a gas as hydrogen-rich water (HRW) or with hydrogen-donating food supplements such as calcium (Ca) or magnesium (Mg). In plants H2 can be exploited as a seedpriming agent during seed germination and planting during the latter stages of plant development and reproduction as a post-harvest treatment and as a food additive. Adding H2 during plant growth and developmental stages is noted to improve the yield and quality of plant produce through modulating antioxidant pathways and stimulating tolerance to such environmental stress factors as drought stress enhanced tolerance to herbicides (paraquat) and increased salinity and metal toxicity. The benefits of pre- and post-harvest application of H2 include reductions in natural senescence and microbial spoilage which contribute to extending the shelf-life of animal products fruits grains and vegetables. This review collates empirical findings pertaining to the use of H2 in the agri-food industry and evaluates the potential impact of this emerging technology.
Levelized Cost of Hydrogen for Refueling Stations with Solar PV and Wind in Sweden: On-grid or Off-grid?
Dec 2021
Publication
The European Union expects that hydrogen will play a vital role in future energy systems. Fuel cell electric vehicles currently present a key development path for electrification of the transport sector which requires infrastructure investments of hydrogen refueling stations preferably powered by renewables such as solar and wind energy. The economic feasibility of refueling stations depends on geographical locations. This study introduces a model to identify the key cost components of renewable hydrogen for refueling stations and simulates the performance using solar radiation wind speed and electricity price data in a selection of Swedish cities. The study demonstrates the importance of integrating the electricity grid in green hydrogen production. Wind speed is crucial in reducing the cost whereas solar radiation has less influence. In addition a combination of solar and wind brings better performance in an off-grid scenario. The most encouraging finding is the cost of 35e72 SEK/kg (3.5e7.2 V/kg) which is competitive with reported costs in other EUcountries especially since this cost excludes any government support scheme. The study provides a reference for investors and policy makers foreseeing the industrial landscape for hydrogen energy development.
Exploring Hydrogen-Enriched Fuels and the Promise of HCNG in Industrial Dual-Fuel Engines
Mar 2024
Publication
This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the selected properties of HCNG fuel calculations and a literature review of the other fuels that allow the storage of ecologically produced hydrogen. Hydrogen has the most significant CO2 reduction potential of all known fuels. However its transmission in pure form is still problematic and its use as a component of fuels modified by it has now become an issue of interest for researchers. Many types of hydrogen-enriched fuels have been invented. However this article will describe the reasons why HCNG may be the hydrogen-enriched fuel of the future and why internal combustion (IC) piston engines working on two types of fuel could be the future method of using it. CO2 emissions are currently a serious problem in protecting the Earth’s natural climate. However secondarily power grid stabilization with a large share of electricity production from renewable energy sources must be stabilized with very flexible sources—as flexible as multi-fuel IC engines. Their use is becoming an essential element of the electricity power systems of Western countries and there is a chance to use fuels with zero or close to zero CO2 emissions like e-fuels and HCNG. Dual-fuel engines have become an effective way of using these types of fuels efficiently; therefore in this article the parameters of hydrogen-enriched fuel selected in terms of relevance to the use of IC engines are considered. Inaccuracies found in the literature analysis are discussed and the essential properties of HCNG and its advantages over other hydrogen-rich fuels are summarized in terms of its use in dual-fuel (DF) IC engines.
Research on the Adaptability of Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis in Green Hydrogen-Electric Coupling System Under Multi-operating Conditions
Mar 2023
Publication
The green hydrogen–electric coupling system can consume locally generated renewable energy thereby improving energy utilization and enabling zero-carbon power supply within a certain range. This study focuses on a green hydrogen–electric coupling system that integrates photovoltaic energy storage and proton exchange membrane electrolysis (PEME). Firstly the impact of operating temperature power quality and grid auxiliary services on the characteristics of the electrolysis cell is analyzed and a voltage model and energy model for the cell are established. Secondly a multi-operating conditions adaptability experiment for PEME grid-connected operation is designed. A test platform consisting of a grid simulator simulated photovoltaic power generation system lithium battery energy storage system PEME and measurement and acquisition device is then built. Finally experiments are conducted to simulate multi-operating conditions such as temperature changes voltage fluctuations frequency offsets harmonic pollution and current adjustment speed. The energy efficiency and consumption is calculated based on the recorded data and the results are helpful to guide the operation of the system.
The Trajectory of Hybrid and Hydrogen Technologies in North American Heavy Haul Operations
Jul 2021
Publication
The central aim of this paper is to provide an up-to-date snapshot of hybrid and hydrogen technology-related developments and activities in the North American heavy haul railway setting placed in the context of the transportation industry more broadly. An overview of relevant alternative propulsion technologies is provided including a discussion of applicability to the transportation sector in general and heavy haul freight rail specifically. This is followed by a discussion of current developments and research in alternative and blended fuels discussed again in both general and specific settings. Key factors and technical considerations for heavy haul applications are reviewed followed by a discussion of non-technical and human factors that motivate a move toward clean energy in North American Heavy Haul systems. Finally current project activities are described to provide a clear understanding of both the status and trajectory of hybrid and hydrogen technologies in the established context.
Estimation of Liquid Hydrogen Fuels in Aviation
Sep 2022
Publication
As the demand for alternative fuels to solve environmental problems increases worldwide due to the greenhouse gas problem this study predicted the demand for liquid hydrogen fuel in aviation to achieve ‘zero‐emission flight’. The liquid hydrogen fuel models of an aircraft and all aviation sectors were produced based on the prediction of aviation fleet growth through the classification of currently operated aircraft. Using these models the required amount of liquid hydrogen fuel and the total cost of liquid hydrogen were also calculated when various environmental regulations were satisfied. As a result it was found to be necessary to convert approximately 66% to 100% of all aircraft from existing aircraft to liquid hydrogen aircraft in 2050 according to regulations. The annual liquid hydrogen cost was 4.7–5.2 times higher in the beginning due to the high production cost but after 2030 it will be maintained at almost the same price and it was found that the cost was rather low compared to jet fuel.
CO2 Emissions of Battery Electric Vehicles and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles
Jun 2023
Publication
During the last few years electric and hydrogen vehicles have become an alternative to cars that use internal combustion engines. The number of electric and hydrogen vehicles sold has increased due to support from local governments and because car manufacturers will stop the production of internal combustion engines in the near future. The emissions of these vehicles while being driven are zero but they still have an impact on the environment due to their fuel. In this article an analysis of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions for two types of vehicles: battery electric vehicles (BEVs) powered by electricity and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) powered by hydrogen is presented. The analysis considers different values for the mix of power generation and hydrogen production options in comparison to other studies. The CO2 emissions were calculated and compared for the two types of vehicles. The results show that the CO2 emissions of BEVs are lower when compared to FCEVs if the hydrogen is obtained from pollutant sources and is higher if the hydrogen is obtained from nuclear power and renewable energy sources. When compared to conventional combustion engine vehicles BEVs have lower CO2 emissions while the emissions of FCEVs are dependent on the hydrogen production method.
Hydrogen or Electric Drive—Inconvenient (Omitted) Aspects
May 2023
Publication
Currently hydrogen and electric drives used in various means of transport is a leading topic in many respects. This article discusses the most important aspects of the operation of vehicles with electric drives (passenger cars) and hydrogen drives. In both cases the official reason for using both drives is the possibility of independence from fossil fuel supplies especially oil. The desire for independence is mainly dictated by political considerations. This article discusses the acquisition of basic raw materials for the construction of lithium-ion batteries in electric cars as well as methods for obtaining hydrogen as a fuel. The widespread use of electric passenger cars requires the construction of a network of charging stations. This article shows that taking into account the entire production process of electric cars including lithium-ion batteries the argument that they are ecological cannot be used. Additionally it was indicated that there is no concept for the use of used accumulator batteries. If hydrogen drives are used in trains there is no need to build the traction network infrastructure and then continuously monitor its technical condition and perform the necessary repairs. Of course the necessary hydrogen tanks must be built but there must be similar tanks to store oil for diesel locomotives. This paper also deals with other possibilities of hydrogen application for transformational usage e.g. the use of combustion engines driven with liquid hydrogen. Unfortunately an optimistic approach to this issue does not allow for a critical view of the whole matter. In public discussion there is no room for scientific arguments and emotions to dominate.
Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Footprint in Public Transportation - A Case Study of Bus Route NO. 2 in Tainan City, Taiwan
Apr 2019
Publication
Human activities have exacerbated global greenhouse effects resulting in extreme climate changes that have caused disasters and food and water shortages in recent years. Transport activities are the one of the main causes of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore policy makers must develop some strategies to reduce GHG emissions. One of the Taiwan’s transportation policies intended to reduce CO2 emissions is to replace all traditional diesel fuel urban buses with alternative energy buses. This paper uses a case study of bus route NO. 2 in Tainan City and follows the international standard ISO/TS 14067 and PAS2050 to measure the carbon footprints of different energy buses. The purpose is to measure the environmental benefits of alternative energy buses. The results of the bus carbon footprints from high to low were LNG buses 63.14g CO2e/pkm; traditional diesel buses 54.6g CO2e/pkm; liquefied petroleum gas buses 47.4g CO2e/pkm; plug-in electric buses 37.82g CO2e/pkm and hydrogen fuel cell bus es 29.17g CO2e/pkm respectively. It was also found that the use of hydrogen fuel cell buses would potentially reduce CO2e emissions in Tainan City by 1244081 tons which at this time is only city bus No. 2. If all the Taiwan city buses were switched to hydrogen fuel cell buses this would potentially reduce CO2e by 227832.39 tons. The effect of the reduction in carbon emissions from the use of hydrogen fuel cells buses in all Taiwanese urban areas is the equivalent of planting 22.78 million trees. It is thus suggested that the government use hydrogen fuel cell buses as the future of the country’s major alternative energy buses since they are the most environmentally friendly alternative to reducing CO2 emissions.
Review and Comparison of Worldwide Hydrogen Activities in the Rail Sector with Special Focus on On-board Storage and Refueling Technologies
Aug 2022
Publication
"This paper investigates hydrogen storage and refueling technologies that were used in rail vehicles over the past 20 years as well as planned activities as part of demonstration projects or feasibility studies. Presented are details of the currently available technology and its vehicle integration market availability as well as standardization and research and development activities. A total of 80 international studies corporate announcements as well as vehicle and refueling demonstration projects were evaluated with regard to storage and refueling technology pressure level hydrogen amount and installation concepts inside rolling stock. Furthermore current hydrogen storage systems of worldwide manufacturers were analyzed in terms of technical data.<br/>We found that large fleets of hydrogen-fueled passenger railcars are currently being commissioned or are about to enter service along with many more vehicles on order worldwide. 35 MPa compressed gaseous storage system technology currently dominates in implementation projects. In terms of hydrogen storage requirements for railcars sufficient energy content and range are not a major barrier at present (assuming enough installation space is available). For this reason also hydrogen refueling stations required for 35 MPa vehicle operation are currently being set up worldwide.<br/>A wide variety of hydrogen demonstration and retrofit projects are currently underway for freight locomotive applications around the world in addition to completed and ongoing feasibility studies. Up to now no prevailing hydrogen storage technology emerged especially because line-haul locomotives are required to carry significantly more energy than passenger trains. The 35 MPa compressed storage systems commonly used in passenger trains offer too little energy density for mainline locomotive operation - alternative storage technologies are not yet established. Energy tender solutions could be an option to increase hydrogen storage capacity here."
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