Hydrogen Fraction Research Articles

Exploring the potential of Twinkle to unveil the nature of LTT 1445 Ab

ABSTRACT We explore the prospects for Twinkle to determine the atmospheric composition of the nearby terrestrial-like planet LTT 1445 Ab, including the possibility of detecting the potential biosignature ammonia (NH3). At a distance of 6.9 pc, this system is the second closest known transiting system and will be observed through transmission spectroscopy with the upcoming Twinkle mission. Although LTT 1445 Ab has been suggested to be a candidate for a Hycean world, constraints on the interior composition based on its mass and radius suggests that the planet lacks a substantial water layer, and thus the proposed Hycean scenario is disfavoured. We use PETITRADTRANS and a Twinkle simulator to simulate transmission spectra for the more likely scenario of a cold Haber world for which NH3 is considered to be a biosignature. We study the detectability under different scenarios: varying hydrogen fraction, concentration of ammonia, and cloud coverage. We find that ammonia can be detected at an ∼3σ level for optimal (non-cloudy) conditions with 25 transits and a volume mixing ration of 4.0 ppm of NH3. We provide examples of retrieval analysis to constrain potential NH3 and H2O in the atmosphere. Our study illustrates the potential of Twinkle to characterize atmospheres of potentially habitable exoplanets.

Study on SI Engine Operation Stability at Lean Condition—The Effect of a Small Amount of Hydrogen Addition

The lean-burn mode is a solution that reduces the fuel consumption of spark-ignition internal combustion engines and keeps the low exhaust emission, but the stability of the lean-burn combustion process, especially at low loads, needs to be addressed. Enhancing gasoline with hybrid hydrogen oxygen (HHO) gas—a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gases—is proposed to improve combustion of the lean-gasoline mixture. A three-cylinder, spark-ignition, naturally aspirated, MPI engine with HHO gas produced with an alkaline water electrolyzer and introduced as a gasoline enhancement was tested. The amount of hydrogen added to the lean-gasoline mixture (λ = 1.4) was in the range from 0.15 to 1.5%, and the results were compared to the stoichiometric (λ = 1) and pure lean mode (λ = 1.4) gasoline operation. The other authors’ results show that a minimum 3% of the mass fraction of hydrogen is necessary to affect the gasoline combustion process. This paper proved that even a small hydrogen enhancement of gasoline in the amount of 0.3% of the mass fraction improves the combustion stability.

Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotope Fractionation Effects in Different Organ Tissues of Grapes under Drought Conditions.

A study of different grapevine tissues and organs (root, stem, leaf, fruit) water isotope fractionation models from high-quality wine grapes produced in the Helan Mountains, a key wine-producing area in northwestern China, was undertaken. Results showed that δ2H values of local groundwater sources were more negative than rivers and precipitation. Soil water δ2H and δ18O values were significantly higher than those of other environmental water sources. Water from the soil surface layer (0-30 cm, δ2H and δ18O values) was more positive than the deeper layer (30-60 cm), indicating that soil water has undergone a positive fractionation effect. δ2H and δ18O values of tissues and organs from different grape varieties followed a similar pattern but were more negative than the local atmospheric precipitation line (slope between 4.1 to 5.2). The 2H and 18O fractionation relationship in grapevine organs was similar, and 18O has a higher fractionation effect than 2H. δ2H and δ18O values showed a strong fractionation effect during the transportation of water to different grape organs (trend of stem > fruit > leaf). This study showed that 18/16O fractionation in grapes is more likely to occur under drought conditions and provides a theoretical basis to improve traceability accuracy and origin protection of wine production areas.

Measuring the photoionization rate, neutral fraction, and mean free path of H i ionizing photons at 4.9 ≤ z ≤ 6.0 from a large sample of XShooter and ESI spectra

ABSTRACT We measure the mean free path ($\lambda _{\rm mfp,H\, \small {I}}$), photoionization rate ($\langle \Gamma _{\rm H\, \small {I}} \rangle$), and neutral fraction ($\langle f_{\rm H\, \small {I}} \rangle$) of hydrogen in 12 redshift bins at 4.85 < z < 6.05 from a large sample of moderate resolution XShooter and ESI QSO absorption spectra. The fluctuations in ionizing radiation field are modelled by post-processing simulations from the Sherwood suite using our new code ‘EXtended reionization based on the Code for Ionization and Temperature Evolution’ (ex-cite). ex-cite uses efficient Octree summation for computing intergalactic medium attenuation and can generate large number of high resolution $\Gamma _{\rm H\, \small {I}}$ fluctuation models. Our simulation with ex-cite shows remarkable agreement with simulations performed with the radiative transfer code Aton and can recover the simulated parameters within 1σ uncertainty. We measure the three parameters by forward-modelling the Lyα forest and comparing the effective optical depth ($\tau _{\rm eff, H\, \small {I}}$) distribution in simulations and observations. The final uncertainties in our measured parameters account for the uncertainties due to thermal parameters, modelling parameters, observational systematics, and cosmic variance. Our best-fitting parameters show significant evolution with redshift such that $\lambda _{\rm mfp,H\, \small {I}}$ and $\langle f_{\rm H\, \small {I}} \rangle$ decreases and increases by a factor ∼6 and ∼104, respectively from z ∼ 5 to z ∼ 6. By comparing our $\lambda _{\rm mfp,H\, \small {I}}$, $\langle \Gamma _{\rm H\, \small {I}} \rangle$ and $\langle f_{\rm H\, \small {I}} \rangle$ evolution with that in state-of-the-art Aton radiative transfer simulations and the Thesan and CoDa-III simulations, we find that our best-fitting parameter evolution is consistent with a model in which reionization completes by z ∼ 5.2. Our best-fitting model that matches the $\tau _{\rm eff, H\, \small {I}}$ distribution also reproduces the dark gap length distribution and transmission spike height distribution suggesting robustness and accuracy of our measured parameters.

Experimental and numerical investigation of combustion characteristics of carbon-free NH3/H2 blends in N2O

A detailed experimental and numerical investigation of the combustion characteristics of carbon-free NH3/H2 blends in N2O was performed in the present work. The experiments with various hydrogen fractions (α = 0–1.0) and equivalence ratios (φ = 0.6–1.4) were performed at ambient pressure (1 atm) and temperature (283 K) in a standard 3.375-L cubic combustion vessel. The explosion behaviors (maximum explosion pressure Pmax and maximum pressure rise rate (dp/dt)max) were obtained from the pressure-time curves. Further, the combustion characteristics (e.g. laminar burning velocity (SL), thermal expansion ratio (σ), flame thickness (δ), effective Lewis number (Leeff) and Markstein length (Lb)) were calculated numerically by means of chemical kinetic analysis using Zhang's mechanism (Zhang et al., Combust. Flame, 2017, 182: 122–141). Besides, sensitivity analyses of the explosion pressure and laminar burning velocity were performed to identify the contribution of dominant elementary reactions. The results show that, for combustion supported by N2O, the flame instability and the potential of deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) should be considered for the evaluation of Pmax and (dp/dt)max. Moreover, the hydrodynamic instability of premixed H2/NH3/N2O flame reaches its peak near the stoichiometric ratio and increases monotonously with the hydrogen fraction. The diffusion-thermal instability is more significant in the leaner mixture, and it is not invariably enhanced with the increase of hydrogen fraction but is relevant to the composition of the mixture. In addition, the sensitivity analysis of explosion pressure demonstrates that R80 (N2O + H2N2+H2O) and R70 (N2O+(M) = N2+O (+M)) are the most dominant reactions contributing to the pressure rise. The sensitivity analysis of laminar burning velocity shows that R70 (N2O+(M) = N2+O (+M)), R71 (N2O + HN2+OH) and R80 (N2O + H2N2+H2O) are the most dominant reactions enhancing laminar burning velocity.

Experimental investigation on in-situ hydrogen generation from depleted heavy oil reservoir by gasification

Fossil energy has been confirmed as the primary raw material for hydrogen generation in chemical factories. In-situ hydrogen generation from depleted oil reservoirs has been considered a prominent technology for hydrogen generation, accompanied by harmful gas storage, over the past few years. In this study, the effects of temperature, reaction time, distinct porous media, and oil/water ratio on hydrogen generation were investigated by simulating in-situ heavy oil gasification using high-temperature and high-pressure reactors. As indicated by the results, besides hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide were also largely generated in the gasification process through water gas shift, oxidation, aquathermolysis, pyrolysis, and so forth. The result suggested that temperature and oil/water ratio exerted relatively significant effects on hydrogen generation due to the boosted forward reaction of water gas shift and steam reforming. Moreover, oxygen would prefer an oxidation reaction with oil instead of hydrogen. It was expressed that the hydrogen fraction decreased and remained constant as residence time went on due to less carbon monoxide generation, and arriving at equilibrium, whereas the gas yield tend to increase. The metallic oxides notably catalyzed hydrogen generation. Some novel insights gained in this study are conducive to achieving high-efficiency hydrogen generation through in-situ heavy oil gasification.

Thermal Integration of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell Systems with External Heat Sources to Maximize Heat Recuperation and Exergetic Efficiency

Green hydrogen is expected to play a significant role as an energy carrier in the future energy system. As the issue of climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions has recently emerged, efforts are being made to change from a carbon-based energy society to a hydrogen-based energy society worldwide. Among several hydrogen production technologies, green hydrogen refers to hydrogen that does not generate carbon dioxide at all in production processes such as water electrolysis by using renewable energy. The hydrogen production through water electrolysis is more mature than other green hydrogen production technologies and is the most popular green hydrogen production method because it is easy to mass-produce with a modular structure. In particular, a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) system, which has the highest efficiency among electrolysis systems, is drawing significant attention.The high efficiency of SOEC systems originates from heat utilization for water electrolysis, which makes it critical to have optimal thermal integration. The SOEC systems operating at the high temperature above 700°C need a significant amount of thermal energy for steam generation and inlet gas heating. To deal with these thermal energy requirements, the internal heat recuperation and the external heat source integration with system components must be implemented in an effective manner. The thermal integration is the most important part of the SOEC system design. However, the majority of previous studies have concentrated on the performance of unit-cells and stacks, ignoring thermal energy consumption of the systems and heat integration.The purpose of this study is to explain the basis of thermal integration and to investigate the effects of internal and external thermal integration on the whole system performance. The basic concept of the thermal integration of SOEC system is presented while considering internal heat recuperation and coupling with external heat sources. By using temperature-heat transfer analysis, the procedure to design the optimal thermal integration of the SOEC system is described. Based on the proposed system, a parametric study with respect to stack operating conditions (i.e., stack inlet temperature, air utilization, steam conversion, hydrogen fractions) is conducted in order to elucidate their effect on the system level performance. Then, the effects of external heat sources such as steam injection, indirect heat transfer with hot fluids and heat supply by an electrical heater are examined, with pinch analysis and exergetic performance evaluation. The results show that high temperature external heat is not always a prerequisite for the SOEC system. The systematic comparison with several heat integration methods provides a clear guideline to maximize the exergetic efficiency when designing and operating SOEC systems. Through the analysis, this study provides understanding the internal and external characteristics of the thermal integration.

Low-carbon economy dispatching of integrated energy system with P2G-HGT coupling wind power absorption based on stepped Carbon emission trading

To improve the renewable energy consumption capacity of integrated energy system (IES) and reduce the carbon emission level of the system, a low-carbon economic dispatch model of IES with coupled power-to-gas (P2G) and hydrogen-doped gas units (HGT) under the stepped carbon trading mechanism is proposed. On the premise of wind power output uncertainty, the operating characteristics of the coupled electricity-to-gas equipment in the system are used to improve the wind abandonment problem of IES and increase its renewable energy consumption capacity; HGT is introduced to replace the traditional combustion engine for energy supply, and on the basis of refined P2G, a part of the volume fraction of hydrogen obtained from the production is extracted and mixed with methane to form a gas mixture for HGT combustion, so as to improve the low-carbon economy of the system. The ladder type carbon trading mechanism is introduced into IES to guide the system to control carbon emission behavior and reduce the carbon emission level of IES. Based on this, an optimal dispatching strategy is constructed with the economic goal of minimizing the sum of system operation cost, wind abandonment cost, carbon trading cost and energy purchase cost. After linearization of the established model and comparison analysis by setting different scenarios, the wind power utilization rate of the proposed model is increased by 24.5%, and the wind abandonment cost and CO2 emission are reduced by 86.3% and 10.5%, respectively, compared with the traditional IES system, which achieves the improvement of renewable energy consumption level and low carbon economy.

Unlocking dynamics of compact methanol reformers during on‐line catalyst activation using transient computational fluid dynamics simulation

AbstractOn‐board methanol reforming is a practical solution to supply hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). For commonly employed Cu‐based reforming catalysts, activation has a profound influence on subsequent reaction performance. However, tailoring of this process at the reformer level has received little research attention. Herein, we present the dynamics of compact methanol reformers with Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts during in situ H2/N2 pre‐activation as a preliminary step of online catalyst activation by computational fluid dynamics simulations. Raising inlet temperatures or hydrogen fractions is demonstrated to accelerate activation while generating a high‐temperature band within the catalyst bed, which hampers effective activation. Increasing the reductant flow rates improves the homogeneity of activation thanks to enhanced convective heat and mass transfer. Notably, we revealed that inlet reductants exceeding 453 K trigger temperature runaway that may severely damage the reformer. These new insights will enlighten optimization of operation and control of on‐board methanol reforming for FCVs.

Molecular analysis of hydrogen-propane hydrate formation mechanism and its influencing factors for hydrogen storage

Combining hydrogen and propane, which acts as a thermodynamic additive, to form hydrates is a promising hydrogen storage method. However, the mechanism of hydrate formation, which is the core of hydrate-based hydrogen storage, remains obscure. In this study, the effects of gas composition, pressure, and temperature on hydrogen–propane hydrate formation kinetics were investigated through molecular dynamics simulations. A hydrogen fraction (Xh) in the range of 0.47–0.67 was optimal for forming hydrate cages, whereas for Xh ≤ 0.37 and Xh ≥ 0.77, propane or hydrogen bubbles formed, which inhibited hydrate formation. Within the simulated pressure range, the number of hydrate cages increased with the increasing pressure. However, the analyzed self-diffusion coefficients suggested that the effect of pressure on the hydrate formation kinetics gradually weakened as the pressure increased up to a certain value. Within the simulated temperature range, the number of hydrate cages increased with temperature up to a point below the hydrogen–propane hydrate phase-equilibrium temperature. This result can be attributed to the increase in the self-diffusion coefficients of hydrogen and propane with the increasing temperature. These results provide valuable microscopic insights into the hydrogen–propane hydrate formation mechanism for hydrate-based hydrogen storage and will be useful in experimental research.

Characteristics of Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotope Composition in Precipitation, Rivers, and Lakes in Wuhan and the Ecological Environmental Effects of Lakes

Wuhan has a dense network of rivers and lakes. Due to the city’s development, the water system has been fragmented, the degradation of lakes is becoming increasingly severe, and the eco-environment has been significantly damaged. By collecting samples of the central surface water bodies in Wuhan, including Yangtze River water, Han River water, lake water, and precipitation, and by utilizing hydrogen and oxygen isotopes and multivariate statistical methods, the hydraulic connectivity and ecological environmental effects between the Yangtze River, the Han River, and the lakes were revealed. The results indicated the following: (1) The local meteoric water Line (LMWL) in the Wuhan area was δD = 7.47δ18O + 1.77. The river water line equation was approximately parallel to the atmospheric precipitation line in the Wuhan area. The intercept and slope of the lake waterline equation were significantly smaller. The enrichment degree of δ18O and δD was Yangtze River < Hanjiang River < lake water. (2) The cluster analysis showed that the lakes could be divided into two types, i.e., inner-flow degraded (IFD) lakes and outer-flow ecological (OFE) lakes. Urban expansion has resulted in fragmentation of the IFD lakes, changing the connectivity between rivers and lakes and weakening the exchange of water bodies between the Yangtze River and lakes. Simultaneously, evaporation has caused hydrogen and oxygen isotope fractionation, resulting in the relative enrichment of isotopes. The IFD lakes included the Taizi Lake, Yehu Lake, and the Shenshan Lake. The OFE lakes and the Yangtze River were active, evaporation was weak, and the hydrogen and oxygen isotopes were relatively depleted, mainly including the Huangjia Lake, the East Lake, the Tangxun Lake, etc. (3) The excessive deuterium (d-excess) parameter values in the Yangtze River and the Han River water were positive. In contrast, the d values in the lakes were mainly negative. In the case of a weakened water cycle, the effect of evaporation enrichment on lake water δ18O and δD had a significant impact. It is suggested that the water system connection project of “North Taizi Lake-South Taizi Lake-Yangtze River” and the small lakes connecting to large lakes project of “Wild Lake-Shenshan Lake-Tangxun Lake” should be implemented in time to restore the water eco-environment.

Laminar burning velocities and Markstein numbers for pure hydrogen and methane/hydrogen/air mixtures at elevated pressures

Spherically expanding flame propagations have been employed to measure flame speeds for H2/CH4/air mixtures over a wide range of H2 fractions (30 %, 50 %, 70 and 100 % hydrogen by volume), at initial temperatures of 303 K and 360 K, and pressures of 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 MPa. The equivalence ratio (ϕ) was varied from 0.5 to 2.5 for pure hydrogen and from 0.8 to 1.2 for methane/hydrogen mixtures. Experimental laminar burning velocities and Markstein numbers for methane/hydrogen/air mixtures at high pressures, which are crucial for gas turbine applications, are very rare in the literature. Moreover, simulations using three recent chemical kinetic mechanisms (Konnov-2018 detailed reaction, Aramco-2.0-2016 and San Diego Methane detailed mechanism (version 20161214)) were compared against the experimentally derived laminar burning velocities. The maximum laminar burning velocity for 30 % and 50 % H2 occurs at ϕ = 1.1. However, it shifts to ϕ = 1.2 for 70 % H2 and to ϕ = 1.7 for a pure H2 flame. The laminar burning velocities increased with hydrogen fraction and temperature, and decreased with pressure. Unexpected behaviour was recorded for pure H2 flames at low temperature and ϕ = 1.5, 1.7 wherein ul did not decrease when the pressure increased from 0.1 to 0.5 MPa. Although, the measurement uncertainty is large at these conditions, the flame structure analysis showed a minimum decline in the mass fractions of the active species (H, O, and OH) with the rise in the initial pressure. Markstein length (Lb) and Markstein number (Mab and Masr) varied non-monotonically with hydrogen volume fraction, pressure and temperature. There was generally good agreement between simulations and experimentally derived laminar burning velocities, however, for experiments of rich-pure hydrogen at high initial pressures, the level of agreement decreased but remained within the limits of experimental uncertainty.

Effect of hydrogen addition on the laminar burning velocity and the flame stability of n-dodecane reacting with air at elevated pressures

The effects of hydrogen addition on the premixed laminar burning characteristics of n-dodecane reacting in air were experimentally investigated using the freely expanding spherical flame method. The initial operating conditions were temperature = 425 K, pressure = 1 ˗ 4 bar, equivalence ratio = 0.8–1.4, and mole fraction of H2 in n-dodecane-H2 mixture = 0–40%. Nonlinear stretch extrapolation schemes were implemented to minimize the uncertainty in the estimation of unstretched flame speed as the binary fuel mixtures of n-dodecane and H2 had non-unity Lewis numbers. All experimental operating conditions were simulated in CHEMKIN using a planar flame model with three different reaction mechanisms. The statistical uncertainty estimated for the LBV was below ±6.93%. The LBV increased by three/two times at off–stoichiometric/stoichiometric mixtures as the mole fraction of hydrogen (XH2) increased from 0 to 40% in n-dodecane. The rich mixtures of n-dodecane-air (ϕ = 1.4) were unstable to thermo-diffusive effects due to the lower mass diffusivity of n-dodecane and Le < 1, in contrast, H2 blending to the n-dodecane by keeping the other parameters being same transformed it from an unstable to a stable one. The effective Lewis number and Markstein length decreased with an increasing XH2 in n-dodecane, indicating that the mixtures were stable to thermo-diffusive effects, but with further increase in XH2, there may be a transition in flame stability. H2 addition resulted in an earlier onset of hydrodynamic instability due to a reduction in the flame thickness. In addition, sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the key reactions responsible for the enhanced reactivity associated with H2 addition. The reaction pathway and emission analysis showed a significant reduction in CO2 and CO emissions. Finally, an increase of initial pressure decreased the LBV for all investigated mixtures.

Techno-economic and environmental optimization of a combined regenerated gas turbine and supercritical CO2 cycle based on methane and hydrogen mixture as fuel for environmental remediation

Achieving power generation systems with high efficiency and low emission of environmental pollutants is one of the requirements of a sustainable environment. In this study, a hybrid power generation system based on gas turbine (GT) with regenerator configuration is introduced. A supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) cycle is used to recover the waste heat from GT exhaust gases. In order to reduce the emission of environmental pollutants, the combination of hydrogen and methane is used as GT fuel. In order to investigate the effect of using hydrogen in the fuel composition, the fraction of hydrogen is changed between 0 and 50% and its effect on performance, environmental, and economic factors is investigated. Also, the effect of design parameters such as compressor pressure ratio (CPR) and turbine inlet temperature (TIT) of GT and sCO2 cycles on exergy efficiency, total cost rate (TCR), and normalized pollutants emission index are investigated. Then, by performing a bi-objective optimization process with the aim of achieving maximum exergy efficiency and minimum TCR, the optimal operating point is extracted. At the optimal operating point, exergy efficiency is 44% and TCR is 6 dollars/second.

Effects of fuel-hydrogen levels on combustion, operability, and emission parameters of CH4/H2/O2/CO2 stratified flames in a dual-swirl gas turbine burner

Towards the development of emission-free hydrogen gas turbines with wider operability limits, the combined effects of lean premixed combustion, dual combustion (combustion staging), hydrogen enrichment, and oxy-fuel combustion on the combustion and emission characteristics of CH4/H2/O2/CO2 flames are investigated in a dual annular counter-rotating swirl burner. The central stream is of a higher equivalence ratio (∅) of 0.9 for stable flame ignition, whereas the annular stream is of a lower ∅ of 0.65 to maintain the burner’s environmental performance. The stratified flame reactions are modelled using the partially premixed combustion model, which has been validated using the available experimental data. The inner recirculation zone becomes smaller as the hydrogen fraction (HF) becomes higher until it vanishes and there exists only an outer recirculation zone when the secondary hydrogen fraction approaches 100%. For 100% HF in both primary and secondary flow, the maximum combustion temperature within the combustor was observed to be as high as 2350 K. Increasing HF makes the flame more compact and anchored to the burner centre body with faster kinetics, less ignition delay time, and, accordingly, with increased potential for flashback. The product formation rate was found to increase in the inner shear layer at higher HF, implying a higher flame intensity and a more compact flame. The hydrogen fraction of the primary stream (maintained at higher equivalence ratio) is observed to be dominant in regulating CO mole fractions. Stable well-anchored flames are obtained over the considered fuel mixtures, indicating the role of stratified combustion in widening the operability of gas turbine combustors under stratified combustion conditions.

Simulation of temperature swing adsorption process to purify hydrogen for fuel cell uses by SAPO34 as adsorbent

To purify hydrogen gas from synthesis gas using a adsorption process, SAPO 34 adsorbent was used. Due to the strong adsorption of carbon dioxide in this adsorbent, it is not possible to recover the adsorbent by reducing the pressure alone, and it is necessary to use thermal operations for recovery. For this purpose, a temperature swing adsorption (TSA) process is used to increase the purity of hydrogen for use in fuel cells. To investigate the optimum operational conditions, various temperatures and different pressures of input gas were investigated to compare the purity and recovery of adsorption process. The TSA process was simulated for pressures of 11, 22 and 33 bars and the recovery percentage of each process was calculated. According to the results obtained, the recovery value at 33 bars is better than the other two pressures, but due to the fact that operational and initial costs increase at high pressures; 22 bar pressure was chosen to present the remaining results. In this work, the total amount of material and the molar rate are also reported. The average purity of the components in the product and waste outlet streams has also been presented. Accordingly, the average molar fraction of hydrogen in the product outlet stream is 99.96% in the temperature increase stage, 99.94% and in the stream used for temperature reduction is 99.96%.

Computational fluid dynamic modeling of methane-hydrogen mixture transportation in pipelines: Understanding the effects of pipe roughness, pipe diameter and pipe bends

A computational fluid dynamic modeling framework is developed to quantify frictional losses, assess the energy efficiency of transport, and characterize the mixing behavior of methane-hydrogen blends across representative regions of a large gas network such as transmission, distribution, and household pipeline sections. The principal conclusions from the present study are: (i) The increase in the energy required for transporting hydrogen as methane-hydrogen blends depends on the volume fraction of hydrogen, the nature of the flow conditions, pipe diameter, pipe roughness and pipe bends. (ii) Pipelines that have larger surface roughness or smaller diameters or those with bend sections require greater energy for transporting gas blends. (iii) The methane-hydrogen gas blends develop a core-annular flow pattern under steady state conditions with the denser and more viscous methane flowing near the pipe wall as the annulus while the less dense and less viscous hydrogen concentrated more towards the mid-sections of the pipelines.

Performance analysis of methanol steam micro-reformers for enhanced hydrogen production using CFD

Present study shows the performance analysis of methanol steam reforming considering different miniature-scale reformer geometries. Three different types of 3D models of steam reformers have been considered: straight annular, spiral, and serpentine-type reactors. Each reformer is packed with a copper-based catalyst to enhance the reaction between steam and methanol. Methanol steam reforming is an endothermic reaction with a two-step mechanism, whose reaction kinetic models were mathematically implemented. The study shows different hydrodynamic aspects of the flow fields through the catalyst bed, the conversion of methanol, and production of hydrogen for each type of reactors. Simulations were carried out at different temperatures and inlet velocities to study the methanol conversion and identify the most optimized reformer design. It was found that in the spiral and serpentine-type reformer, the methanol conversion was more due to the bending in the tubular reactor, which disturbs the flow field with an enhancement of mixing, causing more conversion. Spiral reformer exhibited conversion up to 91.16% at 650 K and producing 0.15 mass fraction of hydrogen, which was found to be 3% more than the conversion achieved in serpentine type and almost 8% more than the straight annular type geometry when the inlet velocity was kept at 0.1 m/s for all the cases.

Recent progresses in H2NG blends use downstream Power-to-Gas policies application: An overview over the last decade

This paper attempts to give a broad overview on technologies progress status, effects, perspectives, and issues associated to H2NG widespread applications. It deepens and completes the content of previous reviews by including hitherto unreviewed aspects as far as possible. To do so, a holistic approach has been used by surveying technical, energy, environmental, economic and safety issues related to the hydrogen mixtures’ use. This review aims to provide support for a broader understanding of the problem, starting from the simple list of mixtures properties up to their impact on both NG pipelines and end-use devices. Hydrogen injection affects several blend characteristics and gas network parameters. Mixing limits are also related to Wobbe index variations and safety aspects due to the flashback risk. Numerous works have shown that hydrogen fractions of 10% allow parameters to be kept within acceptable ranges, and up to 20% are not related to significant risks.

Analysis of methane pyrolysis experiments at high pressure using available reactor models

Most batch reactor methane thermal decomposition (MTD) studies have focused on sub-atmospheric pressures. In this study, MTD experiments were performed between 892 K and 1292 K and 4 atm inside a quasi-isothermal quartz batch reactor at residence times ranging from 0 to 300 s. At a given temperature, elevated pressure resulted in higher methane conversion compared with the sub-atmospheric conditions. A zero-dimensional, closed, isochoric, homogeneous gas-phase model was used to compare numerical predictions from available reaction mechanisms in literature to experimental data. It was found that most models accurately predict conversion at low pressure and high temperature and at high pressure and high temperature, but did not accurately predict methane, hydrogen, and intermediate species mole fractions at 4 atm and either 892 K or 1093 K. A reaction path analysis showed the reactions responsible for the delay in hydrogen formation at elevated pressure are 2CH3(+M)⟺ C2H6, C2H6 ＋ CH3⟺ C2H5 ＋ CH4, C2H6 ＋ H ⟺ C2H5 ＋ H2 and C2H5(+M)⟺ C2H4 ＋ H, where M is the collision partner. A gas-phase model accounting for the solid carbon shows that the observed discrepancy is not due to the unavailability of the carbon formation model but to slower reaction kinetics, especially at lower temperatures. The experimental data presented can be used to obtain a methane pyrolysis reaction mechanism suitable for high pressure conditions.