Egypt
Optimized EMS and a Comparative Study of Hybrid Hydrogen Fuel Cell/Battery Vehicles
Jan 2022
Publication
This paper presents a new Fuel Cell Fuel Consumption Minimization Strategy (FCFCMS) for Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) powered by a fuel cell and an energy storage system in order to minimize as much as possible the consumption of hydrogen while maintaining the State Of Charge (SOC) of the battery. Compared to existing Energy Management Strategies (EMSs) (such as the well-known State Machine Strategy (SMC) Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC) Frequency Decoupling and FLC (FDFLC) and the Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy (ECMS)) the proposed strategy increases the overall vehicle energy efficiency and therefore minimizes the total hydrogen consumption while respecting the constraints of each energy and power element. A model of a hybrid vehicle has been built using the TruckMaker/MATLAB software. Using the Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) which includes several stops and accelerations the performance of the proposed strategy has been compared with these different approaches (SMC FLC FDFLC and ECMS) through several simulations.
Converting Sewage Water into H2 Fuel Gas Using Cu/CuO Nanoporous Photocatalytic Electrodes
Feb 2022
Publication
This work reports on H2 fuel generation from sewage water using Cu/CuO nanoporous (NP) electrodes. This is a novel concept for converting contaminated water into H2 fuel. The preparation of Cu/CuO NP was achieved using a simple thermal combustion process of Cu metallic foil at 550 ◦C for 1 h. The Cu/CuO surface consists of island-like structures with an inter-distance of 100 nm. Each island has a highly porous surface with a pore diameter of about 250 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the formation of monoclinic Cu/CuO NP material with a crystallite size of 89 nm. The prepared Cu/CuO photoelectrode was applied for H2 generation from sewage water achieving an incident to photon conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 14.6%. Further the effects of light intensity and wavelength on the photoelectrode performance were assessed. The current density (Jph) value increased from 2.17 to 4.7 mA·cm−2 upon raising the light power density from 50 to 100 mW·cm−2 . Moreover the enthalpy (∆H*) and entropy (∆S*) values of Cu/CuO electrode were determined as 9.519 KJ mol−1 and 180.4 JK−1 ·mol−1 respectively. The results obtained in the present study are very promising for solving the problem of energy in far regions by converting sewage water to H2 fuel.
A Critical Review of Renewable Hydrogen Production Methods: Factors Affecting Their Scale-Up and Its Role in Future Energy Generation
Feb 2022
Publication
An increase in human activities and population growth have significantly increased the world’s energy demands. The major source of energy for the world today is from fossil fuels which are polluting and degrading the environment due to the emission of greenhouse gases. Hydrogen is an identified efficient energy carrier and can be obtained through renewable and non-renewable sources. An overview of renewable sources of hydrogen production which focuses on water splitting (electrolysis thermolysis and photolysis) and biomass (biological and thermochemical) mechanisms is presented in this study. The limitations associated with these mechanisms are discussed. The study also looks at some critical factors that hinders the scaling up of the hydrogen economy globally. Key among these factors are issues relating to the absence of a value chain for clean hydrogen storage and transportation of hydrogen high cost of production lack of international standards and risks in investment. The study ends with some future research recommendations for researchers to help enhance the technical efficiencies of some production mechanisms and policy direction to governments to reduce investment risks in the sector to scale the hydrogen economy up.
Climate Action: Prospects of Green Hydrogen in Africa
Feb 2022
Publication
Africa is rich with an abundance of renewable energy sources that can help meeting the continent’s demand for electricity to promote economic growth and meet global targets for CO2 reduction. Green Hydrogen is considered one of the most promising technologies for energy generation transportation and storage. In this paper the prospects of green hydrogen production potential in Africa are investigated along with its usage for future implementation. Moreover an overview of the benefits of shifting to green Hydrogen technology is presented. The current African infrastructure and policies are tested against future targets and goals. Furthermore the study embraces a detailed theoretical environmental technological and economic assessment putting the local energy demands into consideration.
Synthesis and Characterization of Biogenic Iron Oxides of Different Nanomorphologies from Pomegranate Peels for Efficient Solar Hydrogen Production
Feb 2020
Publication
An eco-friendly green synthesis of mesoporous iron oxide (hematite) using pomegranate peels through a low-cost and massive product method was investigated. The mass of pomegranate peels was varied to control the morphology of the produced hematite (Fe2O3). The structures textures and optical properties of the products were investigated by FTIR XRD FE-SEM and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Three different Fe2O3 morphologies were obtained; Fe2O3(I) nanorod like shape Fe2O3(II) nanoparticles and Fe2O3(III) nanoporous structured layer. The bandgap values for Fe2O3 (I) (II) and (III) were 2.71 2.95 and 2.29 eV respectively. The newly hematite samples were used as promising photoelectrodes supported on graphite substrate for the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting toward the efficient production of solar hydrogen. The number of generated hydrogen moles was calculated per active area to be 50 molh−1 cm−2 for electrode III which decreased to 15.3molh−1 cm−2 for electrode II. The effects of temperature (30–70 ◦C) on the PEC behavior of the three electrodes were addressed. Different thermodynamic parameters were calculated for the three electrodes which showed activation energies of 13.4 16.8 and 15.2 kJmol−1 respectively. The electrode stability was addressed as a function of the number of runs and exposure time in addition to electrochemical impedance study. Finally the conversion efficiency of the incident photon to-current(IPCE) was estimated under the monochromatic illumination. The optimum value was ∼11% @ 390nm for Fe2O3(III) electrode
A Comparison between Fuel Cells and Other Alternatives for Marine Electric Power Generation
Mar 2016
Publication
The world is facing a challenge in meeting its needs for energy. Global energy consumption in the last half-century has increased very rapidly and is expected to continue to grow over the next 50 years. However it is expected to see significant differences between the last 50 years and the next. This paper aims at introducing a good solution to replace or work with conventional marine power plants. This includes the use of fuel cell power plant operated with hydrogen produced through water electrolysis or hydrogen produced from natural gas gasoline or diesel fuels through steam reforming processes to mitigate air pollution from ships.
Effect of Au Plasmonic Material on Poly M-Toluidine for Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Generation from Sewage Water
Feb 2022
Publication
This study provides H2 gas as a renewable energy source from sewage water splitting reaction using a PMT/Au photocathode. So this study has a dual benefit for hydrogen generation; at the same time it removes the contaminations of sewage water. The preparation of the PMT is carried out through the polymerization process from an acid medium. Then the Au sputter was carried out using the sputter device under different times (1 and 2 min) for PMT/Au-1 min and PMT/Au-2min respectively. The complete analyses confirm the chemical structure such as XRD FTIR HNMR SEM and Vis-UV optical analyses. The prepared electrode PMT/Au is used for the hydrogen generation reaction using Na2S2O3 or sewage water as an electrolyte. The PMT crystalline size is 15 nm. The incident photon to current efficiency (IPCE) efficiency increases from 2.3 to 3.6% (at 390 nm) and the number of H2 moles increases from 8.4 to 33.1 mmol h−1 cm−2 for using Na2S2O3 and sewage water as electrolyte respectively. Moreover all the thermodynamic parameters such as activation energy (Ea) enthalpy (∆H*) and entropy (∆S*) were calculated; additionally a simple mechanism is mentioned for the water-splitting reaction.
TM-doped Mg12O12 Nano-cages for Hydrogen Storage Applications: Theoretical Study
Feb 2022
Publication
DFT calculations at B3LYP/6-31g(dp) with the D3 version of Grimme’s dispersion are performed to investigate the application of TM-encapsulated Mg12O12 nano-cages (TM= Mn Fe and Co) as a hydrogen storage material. The molecular dynamic (MD) calculations are utilized to examine the stability of the considered structures. TD-DFT method reveals that the TM-encapsulation converts the Mg12O12 from an ultraviolet into a visible optical active material. The adsorption energy values indicate that the Mn and Fe atoms encapsulation enhances the adsorption of H2 molecules on the Mg12O12 nano-cage. The pristine Mg12O12 and CoMg12O12 do not meet the requirements for hydrogen storage materials while the MnMg12O12 and FeMg12O12 obey the requirements. MnMg12O12 and FeMg12O12 can carry up to twelve and nine H2 molecules respectively. The hydrogen adsorption causes a redshift for the λmax value of the UV-Vis. spectra of the MnMg12O12 and FeMg12O12 nano-cages. The thermodynamic calculations show that the hydrogen storage reaction for MnMg12O12 nano-cage is a spontaneous reaction while for FeMg12O12 nano-cage is not spontaneous. The results suggested that the MnMg12O12 nano-cage may be a promising material for hydrogen storage applications.
Recent Application of Nanomaterials to Overcome Technological Challenges of Microbial Electrolysis Cells
Apr 2022
Publication
Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) have attracted significant interest as sustainable green hydrogen production devices because they utilize the environmentally friendly biocatalytic oxidation of organic wastes and electrochemical proton reduction with the support of relatively lower external power compared to that used by water electrolysis. However the commercialization of MEC technology has stagnated owing to several critical technological challenges. Recently many attempts have been made to utilize nanomaterials in MECs owing to the unique physicochemical properties of nanomaterials originating from their extremely small size (at least <100 nm in one dimension). The extraordinary properties of nanomaterials have provided great clues to overcome the technological hurdles in MECs. Nanomaterials are believed to play a crucial role in the commercialization of MECs. Thus understanding the technological challenges of MECs the characteristics of nanomaterials and the employment of nanomaterials in MECs could be helpful in realizing commercial MEC technologies. Herein the critical challenges that need to be addressed for MECs are highlighted and then previous studies that used nanomaterials to overcome the technological difficulties of MECs are reviewed.
A Smart Strategy for Sizing of Hybrid Renewable Energy System to Supply Remote Loads in Saudi Arabia
Oct 2021
Publication
The use of hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES) has become the best option for supplying electricity to sites remote from the central power system because of its sustainability environmental friendliness and its low cost of energy compared to many conventional sources such as diesel generators. Due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy resources there is a need however for an energy storage system (ESS) to store the surplus energy and feed the energy deficit. Most renewable sources used battery storage systems (BSS) a green hydrogen storage system (GHSS) and a diesel generator as a backup for these sources. Batteries are very expensive and have a very short lifetime and GHSS have a very expensive initial cost and many security issues. In this paper a system consisting of wind turbines and a photovoltaic (PV) array with a pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) system as the main energy storage to replace the expensive and short lifetime batteries is proposed. The proposed system is built to feed a remote area called Dumah Aljandal in the north of Saudi Arabia. A smart grid is used via a novel demand response strategy (DRS) with a dynamic tariff to reduce the size of the components and it reduces the cost of energy compared to a flat tariff. The use of the PHES with smart DRS reduced the cost of energy by 34.2% and 41.1% compared to the use of BSS and GHSS as an ESS respectively. Moreover the use of 100% green energy sources will avoid the emission of an estimated 2.5 million tons of greenhouse gases every year. The proposed system will use a novel optimization algorithm called the gradually reduced particles of particle swarm optimization (GRP-PSO) algorithm to enhance the exploration and exploitation during the searching iterations. The GRP-PSO reduces the convergence time to 58% compared to the average convergence time of 10 optimization algorithms used for comparison. A sensitivity analysis study is introduced in this paper in which the effect of ±20% change in wind speed and solar irradiance are selected and the system showed a low effect of these resources on the Levelized cost of energy of the HRES. These outstanding results proved the superiority of using a pumped-storage system with a dynamic tariff demand response strategy compared to the other energy storage systems with flat-rate tariffs.
Water Photo-Electrooxidation Using Mats of TiO2 Nanorods, Surface Sensitized by a Metal–Organic Framework of Nickel and 1,2-Benzene Dicarboxylic Acid
Apr 2021
Publication
Photoanodes comprising a transparent glass substrate coated with a thin conductive film of fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and a thin layer of a photoactive phase have been fabricated and tested with regard to the photo-electro-oxidation of water into molecular oxygen. The photoactive layer was made of a mat of TiO2 nanorods (TDNRs) of micrometric thickness. Individual nanorods were successfully photosensitized with nanoparticles of a metal–organic framework (MOF) of nickel and 12-benzene dicarboxylic acid (BDCA). Detailed microstructural information was obtained from SEM and TEM analysis. The chemical composition of the active layer was determined by XRD XPS and FTIR analysis. Optical properties were determined by UV–Vis spectroscopy. The water photooxidation activity was evaluated by linear sweep voltammetry and the robustness was assessed by chrono-amperometry. The OER (oxygen evolution reaction) photo-activity of these photoelectrodes was found to be directly related to the amount of MOF deposited on the TiO2 nanorods and was therefore maximized by adjusting the MOF content. The microscopic reaction mechanism which controls the photoactivity of these photoelectrodes was analyzed by photo-electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Microscopic rate parameters are reported. These results contribute to the development and characterization of MOF-sensitized OER photoanodes.
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