Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers

Following the international trend of using hydrogen as combustible in many industry branches this paper investigates the impact of mixing methane gas with 23% hydrogen (G222) on condensing boilers’ operation. After modeling and testing several boilers with heat exchange surface different designs the authors gathered enough information to introduce a new concept namely High-Performance Condensing Boiler (HPCB). All the boilers that fit into this approach have the same operational parameters at nominal heat load including the CO2 concentrations in flue gases. After testing a flattened pipes condensing boiler a CO2 emission reduction coefficient of 1.1 was determined when converting from methane gas to G222 as combustible. Thus by inserting into the national grid a G222 mixture an important reduction in greenhouse gases can be achieved. For a 28 kW condensing boiler the annual reduction in CO2 emissions averages 1.26 tons value which was experimentally obtained and is consistent with the theoretical evaluation.

On this episode of EAH we sat down with Alejandro Oyarce Barnett Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder at Hystar. Hystar is a technology-focused company specializing in PEM electrolysers for hydrogen production using renewable energy. The company got its start as a spin-off from SINTEF one of Europe’s largest independent research organizations and has raised private funding so the company can focus on production of its high-efficiency PEM units and keep pace with demand for hydrogen generation capacity. Hystar announced on January 11 2023 that the company has closed a Series B funding round of USD 26mn to rapidly scale-up to full commercial operations with an automated GW-capacity production line by 2025.  Alejandro joined us to discuss in more detail the origins of Hystar its technology and the mission at the core of the company.

The podcast can be found on their website.

This study delves into the dynamics of hydrogen production with a specific focus on biogas reforming (BGSMR) for hydrogen generation. It compares the environmental impact of this solution with hydrogen production from natural gas-steam reforming (NGSMR) and commercial electrolysis in the Portuguese context. Various metrics including carbon footprint water depletion energy utilization and waste valorization are employed for a comprehensive comparison. The assessment explores the impact of operational parameters and different off-gas combustion scenarios incorporating water recycling practices. Due to challenges in obtaining detailed data on the actual reforming process the study relies on process simulation techniques primarily using DWSIM. Commercially available data for water electrolysers were used for comparison. In the context of decarbonizing power systems hydrogen from water electrolysis emerges as a competitive option only in a scenario where the power system is 100% reliant on renewable sources particularly with respect to the carbon footprint metric. Biogas systems characterized by near-zero carbon emissions stand out as a favourable option from the near future to the long run. This research contributes valuable insights into the dynamics of hydrogen production shedding light on environmentally viable alternatives across a range of power system scenarios.

BENOPT an optimal material and energy allocation model is presented which is used to assess cost-optimal and/or greenhouse gas abatement optimal allocation of renewable energy carriers across power heat and transport sectors. A high level of detail on the processes from source to end service enables detailed life-cycle greenhouse gas and cost assessments. Pareto analyses can be performed as well as thorough sensitivity analyses. The model is designed to analyse optimal biomass and hydrogen usage as a complement to integrated assessment and power system models

Green hydrogen i.e. produced from renewable resources is attracting attention as an alternative fuel for the future of heavy road transport and long-distance driving. However the benefits linked to zero pollution at the usage stage can be overturned when considering the upstream processes linked to the raw materials and energy requirements. To better understand the global environmental implications of fuelling heavy transport with hydrogen we quantified the environmental impacts over the full life cycle of hydrogen use in the context of the Planetary Boundaries (PBs). The scenarios assessed cover hydrogen from biomass gasification (with and without carbon capture and storage [CCS]) and electrolysis powered by wind solar bioenergy with CCS nuclear and grid electricity. Our results show that the current diesel-based-heavy transport sector is unsustainable due to the transgression of the climate change-related PBs (exceeding standalone by two times the global climate-change budget). Hydrogen-fuelled heavy transport would reduce the global pressure on the climate change-related PBs helping the transport sector to stay within the safe operating space (i.e. below one-third of the global ecological budget in all the scenarios analysed). However the best scenarios in terms of climate change which are biomass-based would shift burdens to the biosphere integrity and nitrogen flow PBs. In contrast burden shifting in the electrolytic scenarios would be negligible with hydrogen from wind electricity emerging as an appealing technology despite attaining higher carbon emissions than the biomass routes

With the synthesis of ammonia with chemical methods global carbon emission is the biggest threat to global warming. However the dependence of the agricultural industry on ammonia production brings with it various research studies in order to minimize the carbon emission that occurs with the ammonia synthesis process. In order to completely eliminate the carbon emissions from ammonia production both the hydrogen and the energy needed for the operation of the process must be obtained from renewable sources. Thus hydrogen can be produced commercially in a variety of ways. Many processes are discussed to accompany the Haber Bosch process in ammonia production as potential competitors. In addition to parameters such as temperature and pressure various plasma catalysts are being studied to accelerate the ammonia production reaction. In this study various alternative processes for the capture storage and complete removal of carbon gas released during the current ammonia production are evaluated and the current conditions related to the applicability of these processes are discussed. In addition it has been discussed under which conditions it is possible to produce larger capacities as needed in the processes studied in order to reduce carbon gas emissions during ammonia production in order to provide raw material source for fertilizer production and energy sector. However if the hydrogen gas required for ammonia production is produced using a solid oxide electrolysis cell the reduction in the energy requirement of the process and in this case the reduction of energy costs shows that it will play an important role in determining the method to be used for ammonia production. In addition it is predicted that working at lower temperature (<400 °C) and pressure (<10 bar) values in existing ammonia production technologies despite increasing possible energy costs will significantly reduce process operating costs.

Hydrogen supplementation in diesel Compression Ignition (CI) engines is gaining more attention since it is considered as a feasible solution to tackle the challenges that are related to the emission regulations that will be applied in the forthcoming years. Such a solution is very attractive because it requires only limited modifications to the existing technology of internal combustion CI engines. To this end numerous work on the investigation of an engine’s performance and the effects of emissions when hydrogen is supplied in the engine’s cylinders has been completed by researchers. However contradictory results were found among these studies regarding the efficiency of the engine and the emission characteristics achieved compared to the diesel-only operation. The different conclusions might be attributed to the different characteristics and technology level of the engines that were utilized as well as on the chosen operational parameters. This paper aims to present an overview of the experimental studies that have examined the effects of hydrogen addition in CI four-stroke diesel engines reporting the characteristics of the utilized engines the quantities of hydrogen tested the method of hydrogen induction used as well as the operational conditions tested in order to help interested researchers to easily identify relevant and appropriate studies to perform comparisons or validations by repeating certain cases. The presented data do not include any results or conclusions from these studies. Furthermore an experimental configuration along with the appropriate modifications on a heavy-duty auxiliary generator-set engine that was recently developed by the authors for the purposes of the HYMAR project is presented.

Hydrogen energy storage (HES) systems have recently received attention due to their potential to support real-time power balancing in a power grid. This paper proposes a data-driven model predictive control (MPC) strategy for HES systems in coordination with distributed generators (DGs) in an islanded microgrid (MG). In the proposed strategy a data-driven model of the HES system is developed to reflect interactive operations of an electrolyzer hydrogen tank and fuel cell and hence the optimal power sharing with DGs is achieved to support real-time grid frequency regulation (FR). The MG-level controller cooperates with a device-level controller of the HES system that overrides the FR support based on the level of hydrogen. Small-signal analysis is used to evaluate the contribution of FR support. Simulation case studies are also carried out to verify the accuracy of the data-driven model and the proposed strategy is effective for improving the real-time MG frequency regulation compared with the conventional PI-based strategy.

Shipping accounts for about 3% of global CO2 emissions. In order to achieve the target set by the Paris Agreement IMO introduced their GHG strategy. This strategy envisages 50% emission reduction from international shipping by 2050 compared with 2008. This target cannot be fulfilled if conventional fuels are used. Amongst others hydrogen is considered to be one of the strong candidates as a zero-emissions fuel. Yet concerns around the safety of its storage and usage have been formulated and need to be addressed. “Safety” in this article is defined as the control of recognized hazards to achieve an acceptable level of risk. This article aims to propose a new way of comparing two systems with regard to their safety. Since safety cannot be directly measured fuzzy set theory is used to compare linguistic terms such as “safer”. This method is proposed to be used during the alternative design approach. This approach is necessary for deviations from IMO rules for example when hydrogen should be used in shipping. Additionally the properties of hydrogen that can pose a hazard such as its wide flammability range are identified.

Eliminating CO₂ emissions from industry and transport in line with the 1.5⁰C climate goal

To avoid catastrophic climate change the world needs to reach zero carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in all all sectors of the economy by the 2050s. Effective energy decarbonisation presents a major challenge especially in key industry and transport sectors.



The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has produced a comprehensive study of deep decarbonisation options focused on reaching zero into time to fulfil the Paris Agreement and hold the line on rising global temperatures.



Several sectors stand out as especially hard to decarbonise. Four of the most energy-intensive industries (iron and steel chemicals and petrochemicals cement and lime and aluminium) and three key transport sectors (road freight aviation and shipping) could together account for 38% of energy and process emissions and 43% of final energy use by 2050 without major policy changes now the report finds.



Reaching zero with renewables considers how these sectors could achieve zero emissions by 2060 and assesses the use of renewables and related technologies to achieve this. Decarbonisation options for each sector span efficiency improvements electrification direct heat and fuel production using renewables along with CO₂ removal measures.



Without such measures energy and process emissions could amount to 11.4 gigatonnes from industry and 8.6 gigatonnes from transport at mid-century the report indicates. Along with sector-specific actions cross-cutting actions are needed at higher levels.



The report offers ten broad recommendations for industries and governments:

1. Pursue a renewables-based strategy for end-use sectors with an end goal of zero emissions.

2. Develop a shared vision and strategy and co-develop practical roadmaps involving all major players.

3. Build confidence and knowledge among decision makers.

4. Plan and deploy enabling infrastructure early on.

5. Foster early demand for green products and services.

6. Develop tailored approaches to ensure access to finance.

7. Collaborate across borders.

8. Think globally while utilising national strengths.

9. Establish clear pathways for the evolution of regulations and international standards.

10. Support research development and systemic innovation.



With the right plans and sufficient support the goal of reaching zero is achievable the report shows.