Japan

Jet ignition was recognized in the 1970s and has since been applied to automobile engines such as the Honda CVCC. In the 1990s jet ignition was observed in explosions and was seen as a problem that may relate to jet ignition. Our group presented jet ignition experimentally and numerically in 1999 and later using LIF measurements with the same experimental vessel as used in 1999. However the detailed mechanism of jet ignition was not clarified at that time. The target of this study is to clarify how jet ignition happens and to understand the detailed mechanism of flame jet ignition.

The objective of this study is to gain a basic understanding of the effect of hydrogen on the fatigue limit. The material was a low-alloy steel modified to be sensitive to hydrogen embrittlement by heat treatment. A statistical fatigue test was carried out using smooth and deep-notched specimens at a loading frequency of 20 Hz. The environment was laboratory air and hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas pressure was 0.1 MPa in gauge pressure. The fatigue limit of the smooth specimen was higher in the hydrogen gas than that in air although the material showed severe hydrogen embrittlement during the SSRT (Slow Strain Rate Test). The fatigue limit of the deep-notched specimen in the hydrogen gas was the same as that in air. For the smooth specimen the fatigue limit was determined by whether or not a crack was initiated. For the deep-notched specimen the fatigue limit was determined by whether or not a crack propagated. The results can be interpreted as that hydrogen has no significant effect on crack initiation in the high-cycle fatigue regime and affected the threshold of the crack propagation.

With global warming and the depletion of fossil resources our fossil fuel-dependent society is expected to shift to one that instead uses hydrogen (H2) as a clean and renewable energy. To realize this the photocatalytic water-splitting reaction which produces H2 from water and solar energy through photocatalysis has attracted much attention. However for practical use the functionality of water-splitting photocatalysts must be further improved to efficiently absorb visible (Vis) light which accounts for the majority of sunlight. Considering the mechanism of water-splitting photocatalysis researchers in the various fields must be employed in this type of study to achieve this. However for researchers in fields other than catalytic chemistry ceramic (semiconductor) materials chemistry and electrochemistry to participate in this field new reviews that summarize previous reports on water-splitting photocatalysis seem to be needed. Therefore in this review we summarize recent studies on the development and functionalization of Vis-light-driven water-splitting photocatalysts. Through this summary we aim to share current technology and future challenges with readers in the various fields and help expedite the practical application of Vis-light-driven water-splitting photocatalysts.

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

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

Compressed hydrogen is delivered by trailers in steel cylinders at 19.6 MPa in Japan. Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. developed two compressed hydrogen trailers with composite cylinders in collaboration with JX Nippon Oil in a project of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).<br/>The first trailer which was the first hydrogen trailer with composite cylinder in Japan has 35 MPa cylinders and the second trailer has 45 MPa cylinders. These trailers have been operated transporting hydrogen and feedstock to hydrogen refuelling stations without the accident. This paper describes the safety design including compliance with regulations the influence of vibrations and safety verification in case of a collision.

Self-acceleration of a spherically expanding hydrogen-air flame was experimentally investigated in a closed dual-chamber apparatus with the quartz windows enabled to a flame diameter with up to 240 mm. The flame radius and flame speed in lean hydrogen-air mixtures at elevated pressure were evaluated using a high speed Schlieren photography. The experimental results from hydrogen-air explosion at elevated pressure validated the prediction model for self-similar propagation. The flame radius and its speed calculated by the prediction models agree well with the experimental results of hydrogen-air explosions at elevated pressure. Furthermore the acceleration exponent α is evaluated by plotting the flame radius with time. The results show the α value increase with the dimensionless flame radius r/rcl. It is indicated that the self-acceleration and the transition regime to self-similar propagation exist in the spherically expanding hydrogen-air flame.

In the past material innovation has changed society through new material-induced technologies adding a new value to society. In the present world engineers and scientists are expected to invent new materials to solve the global problem of climate change. For the transport sector the challenge for material engineers is to change the oil-based world into a sustainable world. After witnessing the recent high oil price and its adverse impact on the global economy it is time to accelerate our efforts towards this change.

Industries are tackling global energy issues such as oil and CO₂ as well as local environmental problems such as NOx and particulate matter. Hydrogen is the most promising candidate to provide carbon-free emission-free and oil-free mobility. As such engineers are working very hard to bring this technology into the real society. This paper describes recent progress of vehicle technologies as well as hydrogen-storage technologies to extend the cruise range and ensure the easiness of refuelling and requesting material scientists to collaborate with industry to fight against global warming.

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We numerically investigated the initial behaviour of leakage and diffusion from high-pressure hydrogen storage tank assumed in hydrogen station. First calculations are carried out to validate the present numerical approach and compare with the theoretical distribution of hydrogen mass fraction to the direction which is vertical to the jet direction in the case of hydrogen leaking out from the circular injection port whose diameter is 0.25 mm. Then performing calculations about hydrogen leakage and diffusion behaviour on different tank pressures the effects are examined to reduce damage by gas explosion assumed in the hydrogen station. There is no significant difference in the diffusion distance to the jet direction from a start to 0.2 ms. After 0.2 ms it is seen the difference in the diffusion distance to the jet direction in different pressure. As tank pressures become large the hydrogen diffusion not only to the jet direction but also to the direction which is vertical to the jet direction is remarkably seen. Then according to histories of the percentage of the flammable mass to total one in the space it drastically increases up to 30%2between 0 and 0.05 ms. After 0.05 ms it uniformly increases so it is shown that the explosion risk becomes high over time. The place where mass within flammability range distributes at a certain time is shown. Hydrogen widely diffuses to jet direction and distributes in each case and time. Therefore it is found that when it is assumed that ignition occurs by some sources in place where high-pressure hydrogen is leaked and diffused the magnitude of the explosion damage can be predicted when and where ignition occurs.

Hydrogen leakage in a closed space is one of the causes of serious accidents because of its high detonability. Assuming the situation that hydrogen is accumulated in a closed space two-dimensional numerical simulation for hydrogen oxygen detonation which propagates in stratified fuel and oxidizer with concentration gradient is conducted by using detailed chemical reaction model. The concentration gradient between fuel and oxidizer is expressed by changing the number of hydrogen moles by using sigmoid function. Strength of discontinuity at the boundary is controlled by changing the gain of the function. The maximum pressure history shows that the behaviour of triple points is different depending on the strength of discontinuity between the two kind of gas. In without concentration gradient case the transverse waves are reflected at the boundary because of the sudden change of acoustic impedance ratio between two kind of gas. In contrast in with concentration gradient case the transverse wavs are not reflected in the buffer zone and they are flowed into the oxidizer as its structures are kept. As a result the confined effect declines as the strength of discontinuity between the two kind of gas is weakened and the propagating distance of detonation changes