China, People’s Republic
Study on Critical Technologies and Development Routes of Coal-based Hydrogen Energy
Jul 2019
Publication
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 Inhibition Effect of Chitosan and Sodium Phosphate on ZK60 Waste Dust in a Wet Dust Removal System: A Feasible Way to Control Hydrogen Explosion
Dec 2021
Publication
Wet dust removal systems used to control dust in the polishing or grinding process of Mg alloy products are frequently associated with potential hydrogen explosion caused by magnesium-water reaction. For purpose of avoiding hydrogen explosion risks we try to use a combination of chitosan (CS) and sodium phosphate (SP) to inhibit the hydrogen evolution reaction between magnesium alloy waste dust and water. The hydrogen evolution curves and chemical kinetics modeling for ten different mixing ratios demonstrate that 0.4% wt CS + 0.1% wt SP yields the best inhibition efficiency with hydrogen generation rate of almost zero. SEM and EDS analyses indicate that this composite inhibitor can create a uniform smooth tight protective film over the surface of the alloy dust particles. FTIR and XRD analysis of the chemical composition of the surface film show that this protective film contains CS and SP chemically adsorbed on the surface of ZK60 but no detectable Mg(OH)2 suggesting that magnesium-water reaction was totally blocked. Our new method offers a thorough solution to hydrogen explosion by inhibiting the hydrogen generation of magnesium alloy waste dust in a wet dust removal system.
Predicting Radiative Characteristics of Hydrogen and Hythane Jet Fires Using Firefoam
Sep 2013
Publication
A possible consequence of pressurized hydrogen release is an under-expanded jet fire. Knowledge of the flame length radiative heat flux and fraction as well as the effects of variations in ground reflectance is important for safety assessment. The present study applies an open source CFD code FireFOAM to study the radiation characteristics of hydrogen and hydrogen/methane jet fires. For combustion the eddy dissipation concept for multi-component fuels recently developed by the authors in the large eddy simulation (LES) framework is used. The radiative heat is computed with the finite volume discrete ordinates model in conjunction with the weighted-sum-of-gray-gases model for the absorption/emission coefficient. The pseudo-diameter approach is used in which the corresponding parameters are calculated using the correlations of Birch et al. [22]. The predicted flame length and radiant fraction are in good agreement with the measurements of Schefer et al. [2] Studer et al. [3] and Ekoto et al. [6]. In order to account for the effects of variation in ground surface reflectance the emissivity of hydrogen flames was modified following Ekoto et al. [6]. Four cases with different ground reflectance are computed. The predictions show that the ground surface reflectance only has minor effect on the surface emissive power of the hydrogen jet fire. The radiant fractions fluctuate from 0.168 to 0.176 close to the suggested value of 0.16 by Ekoto et al.[6] based on the analysis of their measurements.
Comparison of Two-layer Model for High Pressure Hydrogen Jets with Notional Nozzle Model Predictions and Experimental Data
Oct 2015
Publication
A two-layer reduced order model of high pressure hydrogen jets was developed which includes partitioning of the flow between the central core jet region leading to the Mach disk and the supersonic slip region around the core. The flow after the Mach disk is subsonic while the flow around the Mach disk is supersonic with a significant amount of entrained air. This flow structure significantly affects the hydrogen concentration profiles downstream. The predictions of this model are compared to previous experimental data for high pressure hydrogen jets up to 20 MPa and to notional nozzle models and CFD models for pressures up to 35 MPa using ideal gas properties. The results show that this reduced order model gives better predictions of the mole fraction distributions than previous models for highly underexpanded jets. The predicted locations of the 4% lower flammability limit also show that the two-layer model much more accurately predicts the measured locations than the notional nozzle models. The comparisons also show that the CFD model always underpredicts the measured mole fraction concentrations.
Formation and Dissociation Behaviour Studies of Hydrogen Hydrate in the Presence of Tetrahydrofuran by using High Pressure DSC
Mar 2019
Publication
Significant challenges still remain in the development of suitable materials for storing hydrogen for practical applications. Clathrate hydrates as a special inclusion compounds could be tailored by changing the storage pressure and temperature to adapt ambient conditions. In this work the hydrates were adopted to encage hydrogen in tetrahydrofuran (THF) aqueous solution with concentration of 3.0 mol%. The formation and dissociation behaviours were investigated by a high pressure micro-differential scanning calorimeter at the operating pressure of 18 MPa 25 MPa and 34 MPa. Experimental results show that the memory water only affects the hydrate formation behaviour instead of the hydrate dissociation behaviour. The dissociation temperature of the THF-H2 hydrate increases with the increase of the operating pressure and its dissociation equilibrium data can be obtained. The dissociation temperatures of the THF-H2 hydrate are 9.26 ℃ 10.94 ℃ and 12.67 ℃ at the operating pressure of 18 MPa 25 MPa and 34 MPa respectively. It is fundamental for performing the kinetics and microscopic experiments.
Heat Transfer Analysis for Fast Filling of On-board Hydrogen Tank
Mar 2019
Publication
The heat transfer analysis in the filling process of compressed on-board hydrogen storage tank has been the focus of hydrogen storage research. The initial conditions mass flow rate and heat transfer coefficient have certain influence on the hydrogen filling performance. In this paper the effects of mass flow rate and heat transfer coefficient on hydrogen filling performance are mainly studied. A thermodynamic model of the compressed hydrogen storage tank was established by Matlab/Simulink. This 0D model is utilized to predict the hydrogen temperature hydrogen pressure tank wall temperature and SOC (State of Charge) during filling process. Comparing the simulated results with the experimental data the practicability of the model can be verified. The simulated results have certain meaning for improving the hydrogenation parameters in real filling process. And the model has a great significance to the study of hydrogen filling and purification.
Experimental Study on Hydrogen/Air Premixed Flame Propagation in Closed Rectangular Channels
Sep 2019
Publication
An experimental study of hydrogen/air premixed flame propagation in a closed rectangular channel with the inhibitions (N2 or CO2) was conducted to investigate the inhibiting effect of N2 and CO2 on the flame properties during its propagation. Both Schlieren system and the pressure sensor were used to capture the evolution of flame shape and pressure changes in the channel. It was found that both N2 and CO2 have considerable inhibiting effect on hydrogen/air premixed flames. Compared with N2 CO2 has more prominent inhibition which has been interpreted from thermal and kinetic standpoints. In all the flames the classic tulip shape was observed. With different inhibitor concentration the flame demonstrated three types of deformation after the classic tulip inversion. A simple theoretical analysis has also been conducted to indicate that the pressure wave generated upon the first flame-wall contact can affect the flame deformation depending on its meeting moment with the flame front. Most importantly the meeting moment is always behind the start of tulip inversion which suggests the non-dominant role of pressure wave on this featured phenomenon.
Multi-objective Optimal Configurations of a Membrane Reactor for Steam Methane Reforming
Nov 2021
Publication
The combination of traditional reactor and permeable membrane is beneficial to increase the production rate of the target product. How to design a high efficiency and energy saving membrane reactor is one of the key problems to be solved urgently. This paper utilizes finite-time thermodynamics and nonlinear programming to solve the optimal configurations of the membrane reactor of steam methane reforming (MR-SMR) for two optimization objectives that is heat exchange rate minimization and power consumption minimization. The exterior wall temperature and fixed hydrogen production rate are regarded as the control variable and constraint respectively. The results indicate that the hydrogen production rate and heat exchange rate in MR-SMR are increased by 108.58% and 58.42% respectively while the power consumption is reduced by 33.44% compared with those in the traditional reactor under the same condition. Compared with the results in reference reactor (MR-SMR obtained with initial values) the heat exchange rate is reduced by 1.40% by optimizing the exterior wall temperature and the power consumption is reduced by 5.10% by optimizing the exterior wall temperature and molar flow rate of sweep gas. The optimal distributions of exterior wall temperatures in the optimal reactors of minimum heat exchange rate and power consumption have a theoretical guiding significance for the thermal design of the membrane reactors.
IPHE Regulations Codes and Standards Working Group-type IV COPV Round Robin Testing
Oct 2015
Publication
This manuscript presents the results of a multi-lateral international activity intended to understand how to execute a cycle stress test as specified in a chosen standard (GTR SAE ISO EIHP …). The purpose of this work was to establish a harmonized test method protocol to ensure that the same results would be achieved regardless of the testing facility. It was found that accurate temperature measurement of the working fluid is necessary to ensure the test conditions remain within the tolerances specified. Continuous operation is possible with adequate cooling of the working fluid but this becomes more demanding if the cycle frequency increases. Recommendations for future test system design and operation are presented.
Self-ignition and Flame Propagation of Pressurized Hydrogen Released Through Tubes
Sep 2019
Publication
The spontaneous ignition of hydrogen released from the high pressure tank into the downstream pipes with different lengths varied from 0.3m to 2.2m has been investigated experimentally. In this study the development of shock wave was recorded by pressure sensors and photoelectric sensors were used to confirm the presence of a flame in the pipe. In addition the development of jet flame was recorded by high-speed camera and IR camera. The results show that the minimal release pressure in different tube when self-ignition of hydrogen occurred could decrease first and then increase with the increase of the aspect of pipe. And the minimum release pressure of hydrogen self-ignition was 3.87MPa. When the flame of self-ignition hydrogen spouted out of the tube Mach disk was observed. The method of CFD was adopted. The development of shock wave at the tube exit was reproduced and structures as barrel shock the reflected shock and the Mach disk are presented. Because of these special structures the flame at the nozzle is briefly extinguished and re-ignited. At the same time the complete development process of the jet flame was recorded including the formation and separation of the spherical flame. The flame structure exhibits three typical levels before the hemispherical flame separation.
Investigating the Hydrogen Storage Capacity of Surfactant Modified Graphene
Mar 2019
Publication
As the depletion of traditional fossil fuels and environmental pollution become a serious problem of human society researchers are actively finding renewable green energy sources. Considered as a clean efficient and renewable alternative Hydrogen energy is considered the most promising energy source. However the safe and efficient storage of hydrogen has become the major problem that hinders its application. To solve this gap this paper proposes to utilize surfactant modified graphene for hydrogen storage. With Hummers method and ultrasonic stripping method this study prepared graphene from graphene oxide with NaBH4. Surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) was used as a dispersant during the reduction process to produce the dispersion-stabilized graphene suspensions. The characteristics of the graphene suspensions then were examined by XRD SEM TEM FT-IR Raman XPS TG and N2 adsorption-desorption tests. The hydrogen adsorption properties of the samples were investigated with Langmuir and Freundlich fitting. The results show that the adsorption behavior is consistent with the Freundlich adsorption model and the process is a physical adsorption.
A Study on the Influential Factors of Stress Corrosion Cracking in C110 Casing Pipe
Jan 2022
Publication
In this paper we analyze the potential factors affecting the hydrogen sulfide type of stress corrosion cracking in C110 casing pipes. In order to further study these cracking factors the methods of material property testing scanning electron microscopy XRD TEM and 3D ultra-depth-of-field were applied in the experiments. Besides that an HTHP autoclave was independently designed by the laboratory to simulate the actual corrosion environment and the potential factors affecting the stress corrosion cracking of C110 casing pipes were determined. The test results showed that the chemical composition metallographic structure hardness and non-metallic inclusions of the two types of C110 casing pipes were all qualified. In fact there remains a risk of stress corrosion cracking when the two kinds of C110 casing pipes serve under long-term field-working conditions. It is considered in this paper that the precipitates on the material surface stress damage and pitting corrosion are all critical factors affecting the stress corrosion cracking of casing pipes.
The Effect of Tube Internal Geometry on the Propensity to Spontaneous Ignition in Pressurized Hydrogen Release
Sep 2013
Publication
Spontaneous ignition of compressed hydrogen release through a length of tube with different internal geometries is numerically investigated using our previously developed model. Four types of internal geometries are considered: local contraction local enlargement abrupt contraction and abrupt enlargement. The presence of internal geometries was found to significantly increase the propensity to spontaneous ignition. Shock reflections from the surfaces of the internal geometries and the subsequent shock interactions further increase the temperature of the combustible mixture at the contact region. The presence of the internal geometry stimulates turbulence enhanced mixing between the shock-heated air and the escaping hydrogen resulting in the formation of more flammable mixture. It was also found that forward-facing vertical planes are more likely to cause spontaneous ignition by producing the highest heating to the flammable mixture than backward-facing vertical planes.
Hydrogen Concentration Distribution in 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V Steel under the Electrochemical Hydrogen Charging and Its Influence on the Mechanical Properties
May 2020
Publication
The deterioration of the mechanical properties of metal induced by hydrogen absorption threatens the safety of the equipment serviced in hydrogen environments. In this study the hydrogen concentration distribution in 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V steel after hydrogen charging was analyzed following the hydrogen permeation and diffusion model. The diffusible hydrogen content in the 1-mm-thick specimen and its influence on the mechanical properties of the material were investigated by glycerol gas collecting test static hydrogen charging tensile test scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test and microhardness test. The results indicate that the content of diffusible hydrogen tends to be the saturation state when the hydrogen charging time reaches 48 h. The simulation results suggest that the hydrogen concentration distribution can be effectively simulated by ABAQUS and the method can be used to analyze the hydrogen concentration in the material with complex structures or containing multiple microstructures. The influence of hydrogen on the mechanical properties is that the elongation of this material is reduced and the diffusible hydrogen will cause a decrease in the fracture toughness of the material and thus hydrogen embrittlement (HE) will occur. Moreover the Young’s modulus E and microhardness are increased due to hydrogen absorption and the variation value is related to the hydrogen concentration introduced into the specimen.
Comparison of Numerical and Algebraic Models of Low and High Pressure Hydrogen Jet Flows with Ideal and Real Gas Models
Sep 2013
Publication
Hydrogen transportation systems require very high pressure hydrogen storage containers to enable sufficient vehicle range for practical use. Current proposed designs have pressures up to 70 MPa with leakage due to damage or deterioration at such high pressures a great safety concern. Accurate models are needed to predict the flammability envelopes around such leaks which rapidly vary with time. This paper compares CFD predictions of jet flows for low pressure jets with predictions using the integral turbulent buoyant jet model. The results show that the CFD model predicts less entrainment and that the turbulent Schmidt number should be smaller with 0.55 giving better results. Then CFD predictions for very high pressure flows are compared with analytical models for choked flows that generate underexpanded jets into the ambient to evaluate the effects of the model assumptions and the effects of real exit geometries. Real gas effects are shown to accelerate the blowdown process and that real flow effects in the CFD model slow the flow rate and increase the exit temperature.
Effect of Plastic Deformation at Room Temperature on Hydrogen Diffusion of Hot-rolled S30408
Sep 2017
Publication
The influence of plastic deformation on hydrogen diffusion is of critical significance for hydrogen embrittlement (HE) studies. In this work thermal desorption spectroscope (TDS) slow strain rate test (SSRT) feritscope transmission electron microscope (TEM) and TDS model are used to establish the relationship between plastic deformation and hydrogen diffusion aiming at unambiguously elucidating the effect of pre-existing traps on hydrogen diffusion of hot-rolled S30408. An effective way is developed to deduce hydrogen apparent diffusivity in this paper. Results indicate apparent diffusivities decrease firstly and then increase with increasing plastic strain at room temperature. Hydrogen diffusion changing with plastic deformation is a complicated process involving multiple factors. It is suggested to be divided into two processes controlled by dislocations and strain-induced martensite respectively and the transformation strain is about 20% demonstrated by experiments.
Potential Hydrogen Market: Value-Added Services Increase Economic Efficiency for Hydrogen Energy Suppliers
Apr 2022
Publication
Hydrogen energy is a clean zero-carbon long-term storage flexible and efficient secondary energy. Accelerating the development of the hydrogen energy industry is a strategic choice to cope with global climate change achieve the goal of carbon neutrality and realize high-quality economic and social development. This study aimed to analyze the economic impact of introducing valueadded services to the hydrogen energy market on hydrogen energy suppliers. Considering the network effect of value-added services this study used a two-stage game model to quantitatively analyze the revenue of hydrogen energy suppliers under different scenarios and provided the optimal decision. The results revealed that (1) the revenue of a hydrogen energy supplier increases only if the intrinsic value of value-added services exceeds a certain threshold; (2) the revenue of hydrogen energy suppliers is influenced by a combination of four key factors: the intrinsic value of value-added services network effects user scale and the sales strategies of rivals; (3) the model developed in this paper can provide optimal decisions for hydrogen energy suppliers to improve their economic efficiency and bring more economic investment to hydrogen energy market in the future.
The Effect of Vacancy Concentration on Hydrogen Diffusion in Alpha-Fe by Molecular Dynamic
Sep 2017
Publication
Diffusion coefficient is in significant dependence on vacancy concentration due to that migration of vacancy is the dominant mechanism of atom transport or diffusion in processes such as void formation dislocation movement and solid phase transformation. This study aims to investigate the effect of vacancy concentration on hydrogen diffusion in alpha-Fe by molecular dynamics simulations especially at low temperatures and with loading. Comparisons of the diffusion coefficients between alpha-Fe with a perfect structure and different-concentration vacancies as well as comparisons between experimental and theoretical results had been made to characterize and summarize the effect of vacancy on hydrogen diffusion coefficient.
The Effect of Polyurethane Sponge Blockage Ratio on Premixed Hydrogen-air Flame Propagation in a Horizontal Tube
Oct 2015
Publication
The effects of sponge blockage ratio on flame structure evolution and flame acceleration were experimentally investigated in an obstructed cross-section tube filled with stoichiometric hydrogen-air mixture. Experimental results show that the mechanisms responsible for flame acceleration can be in terms of the positive feedback of the unburned gas field generated ahead of the flame the area change of the gap between the sponge and the tube and the interaction between the flame and the shear layer appearing at the sponge left top corner. Especially the last one dominates the flame acceleration and causes its speed to be sonic. Then both the second and third contribute to the violent flame acceleration. In addition the unburned gas pockets can be found in both upstream and downstream regions of the sponge. With increasing blockage ratio the unburned gas pockets disappear easier and the flame acceleration is more pronounced. Moreover the sponge tilts more evidently and resultantly the maximum tilt angle increases.
Simulation Analysis on the Risk of Hydrogen Releases and Combustion in Subsea Tunnels
Oct 2015
Publication
Hydrogen is considered to be a very promising potential energy carrier due to its excellent characteristics such as abundant resources high fuel value clean and renewable. Its safety features greatly influence the potential use. Several safety problems need to be analyzed before using in transportation industry. With the development of the tunnel transportation technology the safe use of hydrogen in tunnels will receive a lot of research attentions. In this article the risk associated with hydrogen release from onboard high-pressure vessels and the induced combustion in tunnels was analyzed using the Partially Averaged Navier–Stokes (PANS) turbulence model. The influences of the tunnel ventilation facilities on the hydrogen flow characteristics and the flammable hydrogen cloud sizes were studied. The tunnel layouts were designed according to the subsea tunnel. And a range of longitudinal ventilation conditions had been considered to investigate the hydrogen releases and the sizes of the flammable hydrogen cloud. Then the hydrogen combustion simulation was carried out after the fixed leaking time. The overpressures induced after the ignition of leaking hydrogen were studied. The influences of ventilation and ignition delay time on the overpressure were also investigated. The main aim was to research the phenomena of hydrogen releases and combustion risk inside subsea tunnels and to lay the foundation of risk assessment methodology developed for hydrogen energy applications on transportation.
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