Poland
Research on the Concept of Hydrogen Supply Chains and Power Grids Powered by Renewable Energy Sources: A Scoping Review with the Use of Text Mining
Jan 2022
Publication
The key direction of political actions in the field of sustainable development of the energy sector and economy is the process of energy transformation (decarbonization) and increasing the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in the supply of primary energy. Regardless of the indisputable advantages RES are referred to as unstable energy sources. A possible solution might be the development of the concept of hydrogen supply chains especially the so-called green hydrogen obtained in the process of electrolysis from electricity produced from RES. The aim of the research undertaken in the article is to identify the scope of research carried out in the area of hydrogen supply chains and to link this research with the issues of the operation of electricity distribution networks powered by RES. As a result of the scoping review and the application of the text-mining method using the IRaMuTeQ tool which includes the analysis of the content of 12 review articles presenting the current research achievements in this field over the last three years (2016–2020) it was established that the issues related to hydrogen supply chains including green hydrogen are still not significantly associated with the problem of the operation of power grids. The results of the conducted research allow formulating recommendations for further research areas.
Models of Delivery of Sustainable Public Transportation Services in Metropolitan Areas–Comparison of Conventional, Battery Powered and Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Drives
Nov 2021
Publication
The development of public transport systems is related to the implementation of modern and low-carbon vehicles. Over the last several years there has been a clear progress in this field. The number of electric buses has increased and the first solutions in the area of hydrogen fuel cells have been implemented. Unfortunately the implementation of these technologies is connected with significant financial expenditure. The goal of the article is the analysis of effectiveness of financial investment consisting in the purchase of 30 new public transport buses (together with the necessary infrastructure–charging stations). The analysis has been performed using the NPV method for the period of 10 years. Discount rate was determined on 4% as recommended by the European Commission for this type of project. It is based on the case study of the investment project carried out by Metropolis GZM in Poland. The article determines and compares the efficiency ratios for three investment options-purchase of diesel-powered battery-powered and hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles. The results of the analysis indicate that the currently high costs of vehicle purchase and charging infrastructure are a significant barrier for the implementation of battery-powered and hydrogen fuel-cell buses. In order to meet the transport policy goals related to the exchange of traditional bus stock to more eco-friendly vehicles it is necessary to involve public funds for the purpose of financing the investment activities.
Problems of Hydrogen Doping in the Methane Fermentation Process and of Energetic Use of the Gas Mixture
Jul 2021
Publication
This article discusses the technology for doping hydrogen into the fermenter to increase methane production and the amount of energy in the mixture. Hydrogen doping is anticipated to enable more carbon to be applied to produce methane. Hydrogen is proposed to be produced by using excess electricity from for example off-peak electricity hours at night. The possibilities of using a mixture of hydrogen and biogas for combustion in boilers and internal combustion engines have been determined. It has been proven that the volumetric addition of hydrogen reduces the heat of combustion of the mixture. Problems arising from hydrogen doping during the methane fermentation process have been identified.
Requirements for Hydrogen Resistance of Materials in CI Engine Toxic Substances Powered by Biofuels
Aug 2019
Publication
It has been described the conception of using platinum catalytic layer in multi hole fuel injector atomizer. The catalytic layer has been placed on not working part of atomizer needle. The aim of modification was activation of dehydrogenation reaction paraffin to olefin hydrocarbons with escape hydrogen molecule in CI engine bio fuel. The modification of atomizer with catalytic layer and reaction process leads to the presence of hydrogen and its influence on structural materials properties after the catalysis which requires the high hydrogen and crack resistance of used materials. There is used high speed steel as material. Article describes how hydrogen and combustion gases influence on thermal friction processes on this material. First of all the investigations were conduct 359 engine with biodiesel. During test had been observed nitrogen oxides carbon monoxide and particles emission. The obtained results show that there is possibility to lower toxic substances emission in exhaust gases CI engine powered by biodiesel. On the second it has been described the influence of biodiesel (including hydrogen) on fuel injector components and their influence on structural materials characteristics. There has been presented how biodiesel with hydrogen influences on precision elements and injection and return discharges. The investigation has been made by using engine test bench and fuel injector and pumps test equipment.
Study of the Effect of Addition of Hydrogen to Natural Gas on Diaphragm Gas Meters
Jun 2020
Publication
Power-to-gas technology plays a key role in the success of the energy transformation. This paper addresses issues related to the legal and technical regulations specifying the rules for adding hydrogen to the natural gas network. The main issue reviewed is the effects of the addition of hydrogen to natural gas on the durability of diaphragm gas meters. The possibility of adding hydrogen to the gas network requires confirmation of whether within the expected hydrogen concentrations long-term operation of gas meters will be ensured without compromising their metrological properties and operational safety. Methods for testing the durability of gas meters applied at test benches and sample results of durability tests of gas meters are presented. Based on these results a metrological and statistical analysis was carried out to establish whether the addition of hydrogen affects the durability of gas meters over time. The most important conclusion resulting from the conducted study indicates that for the tested gas meter specimens there was no significant metrological difference between the obtained changes of errors of indications after testing the durability of gas meters with varying hydrogen content (from 0% to 15%).
Thermodynamic, Economic and Environmental Assessment of Renewable Natural Gas Production Systems
May 2020
Publication
One of the options to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels is to produce gas with the quality of natural gas but based on renewable energy sources. It can encompass among other biogas generation from various types of biomass and its subsequent upgrading. The main aim of this study is to analyze under a combined technical economic and environmental perspective three of the most representative technologies for the production of biomethane (bio-based natural gas): (i) manure fermentation and its subsequent upgrading by CO2 removal (ii) manure fermentation and biogas methanation using renewable hydrogen from electrolysis and (iii) biomass gasification in the atmosphere of oxygen and methanation of the resulted gas. Thermodynamic economic and environmental analyses are conducted to thoroughly compare the three cases. For these purposes detailed models in Aspen Plus software were built while environmental analysis was performed using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The results show that the highest efficiency (66.80%) and the lowest break-even price of biomethane (19.2 €/GJ) are reached for the technology involving fermentation and CO2 capture. Concerning environmental assessment the system with the best environmental performance varies depending on the impact category analyzed being the system with biomass gasification and methanation a suitable trade-off solution for biomethane production.
Influence of Carbon Catalysts on the Improvement of Hydrogen Storage Properties in a Body-Centered Cubic Solid Solution Alloy
Jun 2021
Publication
Body-centered cubic (BCC) alloys are considered as promising materials for hydrogen storage with high theoretical storage capacity (H/M ratio of 2). Nonetheless they often suffer from sluggish kinetics of hydrogen absorption and high hydrogen desorption temperature. Carbon materials are efficient hydrogenation catalysts however their influence on the hydrogen storage properties of BCC alloy has not been comprehensively studied. Therefore in this paper composites obtained by milling of carbon catalysts (carbon nanotubes mesoporous carbon carbon nanofibers diamond powder graphite fullerene) and BCC alloy (Ti1.5V0.5) were extensively studied in the non-hydrogenated and hydrogenated state. The structure and microstructure of the obtained materials were studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopes X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. XRD and Raman measurements showed that BCC alloy and carbon structures were in most cases intact after the composite synthesis. The hydrogenation/dehydrogenation studies showed that all of the used carbon catalysts significantly improve the hydrogenation kinetics reduce the activation energy of the dehydrogenation process and decrease the dehydrogenation temperature (by nearly 100 K). The superior kinetic properties were measured for the composite with 5 wt % of fullerene that absorbs 3.3 wt % of hydrogen within 1 min at room temperature.
Study of the Microstructural and First Hydrogenation Properties of TiFe Alloy with Zr, Mn and V as Additives
Jul 2021
Publication
In this paper we report the effect of adding Zr + V or Zr + V + Mn to TiFe alloy on microstructure and hydrogen storage properties. The addition of only V was not enough to produce a minimum amount of secondary phase and therefore the first hydrogenation at room temperature under a hydrogen pressure of 20 bars was impossible. When 2 wt.% Zr + 2 wt.% V or 2 wt.% Zr + 2 wt.% V + 2 wt.% Mn is added to TiFe the alloy shows a finely distributed Ti2Fe-like secondary phase. These alloys presented a fast first hydrogenation and a high capacity. The rate-limiting step was found to be 3D growth diffusion controlled with decreasing interface velocity. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the fast reaction is likely to be the presence of Ti2Fe-like secondary phases that act as a gateway for hydrogen.
Assessment of Operational Performance for an Integrated ‘Power to Synthetic Natural Gas’ System
Dec 2021
Publication
This article presents a power to SNG (synthetic natural gas) system that converts hydrogen into SNG via a methanation process. In our analysis detailed models for all the elements of the system are built. We assume a direct connection between a wind farm and a hydrogen generator. For the purposes of our calculations we also assume that the hydrogen generator is powered by the renewable source over a nine-hour period per day (between 21:00 and 06:00) and this corresponds to the off-peak period in energy demand. In addition a hydrogen tank was introduced to maximize the operating time of the methanation reactor. The cooperation between the main components of the system were simulated using Matlab software. The primary aim of this paper is to assess the influence of various parameters on the operation of the proposed system and to optimize its yearly operation via a consideration of the most important constraints. The analyses also examine different nominal power values of renewables from 8 to 12 MW and hydrogen generators from 3 to 6 MW. Implementing the proposed configuration taking into account the direct connection of the hydrogen generator and the methanation reactor showed that it had a positive effect on the dynamics and the operating times of the individual subsystems within the tested configuration
Experimental Determination of Critical Conditions for Hydrogen-air Detonation Propagation in Partially Confined Geometry
Oct 2015
Publication
An experimental investigation was performed to determine critical semi-open channel height (h*) and two-sided open channel width (w*) in which hydrogen-air detonation may propagate. Three types of gaseous mixture composition were used: 25% 29.6% and 40% of hydrogen in air. Experimental setup was based on rectangular (0.11 × 0.11 × 2 m) test channel equipped with acceleration section (0.11 × 0.11 × 1 m). Different channel heights h in range of 15–40 mm and widths w in range of 30–50 mm were used in the test channel. The critical height h* and width w* were defined for each investigated configuration. To determine representative detonation cell sizes λ and to calculate their relationship to h* and w* the sooted plate technique was used. The results showed that detonation in stoichiometric H2-air mixture may propagate in semi-open channel only when the channel height is very close to or higher than approximately 3λ. For less reactive mixtures critical relation h*/λ reaches 3.1 or 3.6 for mixtures with 25% and 40% of hydrogen in air respectively. For two-sided open channel similar relations w*/λ were close to 4.9 and 5.5 for 29.6%H2 and 40%H2 in air respectively.
Experimental Study of Hot Inert Gas Jet Ignition of Hydrogen-Oxygen Mixture
Sep 2005
Publication
Experiments were performed to investigate the diffusion ignition process that occurs when hot inert gas (argon or nitrogen) is injected into the stoichiometric hydrogen-oxygen mixture at the test section. Detonation wave initiated by spark plug in the driver section in stoichiometric acetylene-oxygen mixture At P=0.5 MPa and room temperature propagates as incident shockwave in the driven section through inert gas after bursting the diaphragm separating the sections. At the end wall of driver section the inert gas is heated behind the reflected shock wave and then injected in to the test section with the stoichiometric hydrogen-oxygen mixture through the hole 8mm in diameter. An increase of the initial pressure of the combustible mixture in the test section from 0.2 to 0.6MPa resulted in decrease of the minimum temperature of injected gas causing ignition from 1650K to 850K. At the same time the induction time for ignition process has increased from 190 to 320μs when hot argon was injected. For the injection of hot nitrogen an increase of the initial pressure of the combustible mixture from 0.2 to 0.4 MPa resulted in decrease of the minimum temperature of injected inert gas giving ignition from 1150K to 850Kand an increase of the induction time from 170 to 240μs.The results of experiments indicate that ignition occurs when the static enthalpy of injected mass of inert gas exceeds some critical value. The mechanism of ignition process was also studied by schlieren photography.
An Intercomparison Exercise on the Capabilities of CFD Models to Predict Distribution and Mixing of H2 in a Closed Vessel.
Sep 2005
Publication
This paper presents a compilation and discussion of the results supplied by HySafe partners participating in the Standard Benchmark Exercise Problem (SBEP) V1 which is based on an experiment on hydrogen release mixing and distribution inside a vessel. Each partner has his own point of view of the problem and uses a different approach to the solution. The main characteristics of the models employed for the calculations are compared. The comparison between results together with the experimental data when available is made. Relative deviations of each model from the experimental values are also included. Explanations and interpretations of the results are presented together with some useful conclusions for future work.
An Inter-Comparison Exercise on the Capabilities of CFD Models to Predict the Short and Long Term Distribution and Mixing of Hydrogen in a Garage
Sep 2007
Publication
Alexandros G. Venetsanos,
E. Papanikolaou,
J. García,
Olav Roald Hansen,
Matthias Heitsch,
Asmund Huser,
Wilfried Jahn,
Jean-Marc Lacome,
Thomas Jordan,
H. S. Ledin,
Dmitry Makarov,
Prankul Middha,
Etienne Studer,
Andrei V. Tchouvelev,
Franck Verbecke,
M. M. Voort,
Andrzej Teodorczyk and
M. A. Delichatsios
The paper presents the results of the CFD inter-comparison exercise SBEP-V3 performed within the activity InsHyde internal project of the HYSAFE network of excellence in the framework of evaluating the capability of various CFD tools and modelling approaches in predicting the physical phenomena associated to the short and long term mixing and distribution of hydrogen releases in confined spaces. The experiment simulated was INERIS-TEST-6C performed within the InsHyde project by INERIS consisting of a 1 g/s vertical hydrogen release for 240 s from an orifice of 20 mm diameter into a rectangular room (garage) of dimensions 3.78x7.2x2.88 m in width length and height respectively. Two small openings at the front and bottom side of the room assured constant pressure conditions. During the test hydrogen concentration time histories were measured at 12 positions in the room for a period up to 5160 s after the end of release covering both the release and the subsequent diffusion phases. The benchmark was organized in two phases. The first phase consisted of blind simulations performed prior to the execution of the tests. The second phase consisted of post calculations performed after the tests were concluded and the experimental results made available. The participation in the benchmark was high: 12 different organizations (2 non-HYSAFE partners) 10 different CFD codes and 8 different turbulence models. Large variation in predicted results was found in the first phase of the benchmark between the various modelling approaches. This was attributed mainly to differences in turbulence models and numerical accuracy options (time/space resolution and discretization schemes). During the second phase of the benchmark the variation between predicted results was reduced.
Experimental and Numerical Study on Spontaneous Ignition of Hydrogen-methane Jets in Air
Sep 2013
Publication
This paper is an investigation of the spontaneous ignition process of high-pressure hydrogen and hydrogen-methane mixtures injected into air. The experiments were conducted in a closed channel filled with air where the hydrogen or hydrogen–methane mixture depressurised through different tubes (diameters d = 6 10 and 14 mm and lengths L = 10 25 40 50 75 and 100 mm). The methane addition to the mixture was 5% and 10% vol. The results showed that only 5% methane addition may increase even 2.67 times the pressure at which the mixture may ignite in comparison to the pressure of the pure hydrogen flow. The 10% of methane addition did not provide an ignition for burst pressures up to 15.0 MPa in the geometrical configuration with the longest tube (100 mm). Additionally the simulations of the experimental configuration with pure hydrogen were performed with the use of KIVA numerical code with full kinetic reaction mechanism.
Impact of Hydrogen Injection on Natural Gas Measurement
Dec 2021
Publication
Hydrogen is increasingly receiving a primary role as an energy vector in ensuring the achievement of the European decarbonization goals by 2050. In fact Hydrogen could be produced also by electrolysis of water using renewable sources such as photovoltaic and wind power being able to perform the energy storage function as well as through injection into natural gas infrastructures. However hydrogen injection directly impacts thermodynamic properties of the gas itself such as density calorific value Wobbe index sound speed etc. Consequently this practice leads to changes in metrological behavior especially in terms of volume and gas quality measurements. In this paper the authors present an overview on the impact of hydrogen injection in natural gas measurements. In particular the changes in thermodynamic properties of the gas mixtures with different H2 contents have been evaluated and the effects on the accuracy of volume conversion at standard conditions have been investigated both on the theoretical point of view and experimentally. To this end the authors present and discuss the effect of H2 injection in gas networks on static ultrasonic domestic gas meters both from a theoretical and an experimental point of view. Experimental tests demonstrated that ultrasonic gas meters are not significantly affected by H2 injection up to about 10%.
Fast Turbulent Deflagration and DDT of Hydrogen-Air Mixtures in Small Obstructed Channel
Sep 2007
Publication
An experimental study of flame propagation acceleration and transition to detonation in hydrogen-air mixture in 2 m long rectangular cross section channel filled with obstacles located at the bottom wall was performed. The initial conditions of the hydrogen-air mixture were 0.1 MPa and 293 K. Three different cases of obstacle height (blockage ratio 0.25 0.5 and 0.75) and four cases of obstacle density were studied with the channel height equal to 0.08 m. The channel width was 0.11 m in all experiments. The propagation of flame and pressure waves was monitored by four pressure transducers and four in house ion probes. The pairs of transducers and probes were placed at various locations along the channel in order to get information about the progress of the phenomena along the channel. To examine the influence of mixture composition on flame propagation and DDT the experiments were performed for the compositions of 20% 25% and 29.6% of H2 in air by volume. As a result of the experiments the deflagration and detonation regimes and velocities of flame propagation in the obstructed channel were determined.
Laser-Induced Generation of Hydrogen in Water by Using Graphene Target
Jan 2022
Publication
A new method of hydrogen generation from water by irradiation with CW infrared laser diode of graphene scaffold immersed in solution is reported. Hydrogen production was extremely efficient upon admixing NaCl into water. The efficiency of hydrogen production increased exponentially with laser power. It was shown that hydrogen production was highly efficient when the intense white light emission induced by laser irradiation of graphene foam was occurring. The mechanism of laser-induced dissociation of water is discussed. It was found that hydrogen production was extremely high at about 80% and assisted by a small emission of O2 CO and CO2 gases.
Economic Evaluation of Renewable Hydrogen Integration into Steelworks for the Production of Methanol and Methane
Jun 2022
Publication
This work investigates the cost-efficient integration of renewable hydrogen into steelworks for the production of methane and methanol as an efficient way to decarbonize the steel industry. Three case studies that utilize a mixture of steelworks off-gases (blast furnace gas coke oven gas and basic oxygen furnace gas) which differ on the amount of used off-gases as well as on the end product (methane and/or methanol) are analyzed and evaluated in terms of their economic performance. The most influential cost factors are identified and sensitivity analyses are conducted for different operating and economic parameters. Renewable hydrogen produced by PEM electrolysis is the most expensive component in this scheme and responsible for over 80% of the total costs. Progress in the hydrogen economy (lower electrolyzer capital costs improved electrolyzer efficiency and lower electricity prices) is necessary to establish this technology in the future.
Production of Ultra-dense Hydrogen H(0): A Novel Nuclear Fuel
Mar 2021
Publication
Condensation of hydrogen Rydberg atoms (highly electronically excited) into the lowest energy state of condensed hydrogen i.e. the ultra-dense hydrogen phase H(0) has gained increased attention not only from the fundamental aspects but also from the applied point of view. The physical properties of ultra-dense hydrogen H(0) were recently reviewed summarizing the results reported in 50 publications during the last ten years. The main application of H(0) so far is as the fuel and working medium in nuclear particle generators and nuclear fusion reactors which are under commercial development. The first fusion process showing sustained operation above break-even was published in 2015 (AIP Advances) and used ultra-dense deuterium D(0) as fuel. The first generator giving a high-intensity muon flux intended for muon-catalyzed fusion reactors was patented in 2017 using H(0) as the working medium. Here we first focus on the different nuclear processes using hydrogen isotopes for energy generation and then on the detailed processes of formation of H(0). The production of H(0) employs heterogeneous catalysts which are active in hydrogen transfer reactions. Iron oxide-based alkali promoted catalysts function well but also platinum group metals and carbon surfaces are active in this process. The clusters of highly excited Rydberg hydrogen atoms H(l) are formed upon interaction with alkali Rydberg matter. The final conversion step from ordinary hydrogen Rydberg matter H(l) to H(0) is spontaneous and does not require a solid surface. It is concluded that the exact choice of catalyst is not very important. It is also concluded that the crucial feature of the catalyst is to provide excited alkali atoms at a sufficiently high surface density and in this way enabling formation and desorption of H(0) clusters. Finally the relation to industrial catalytic processes which use H(0) formation catalysts is described and some important consequences like the muon and neutron radiation from H(0) are discussed.
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.
No more items...