Hydrogen natural gas

Hydrogen Natural Gas (as Methane) LPG (as Propane) Gasoline (as Octane) Methanol... 

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices transforming the heat of combustion of a fuel (hydrogen, natural gas, methanol, ethanol, hydrocarbons, etc.) directly into electricity. The fuel is electrochemically oxidized at the anode, whereas the oxidant (oxygen from the air) is reduced at the cathode. This process does not follow Carnot s theorem, so that higher energy efficiencies are expected up to 40-50% in electrical energy and 80-85% in total energy (heat production in addition to electricity). 

Swain, M.R., Shriber, J., and Swain, M.N., Comparison of hydrogen, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and gasoline leakage in a residential garage, Energ. Fuels, 12, 83,1998. 

Figure 17.4. Different long-term hydrogen, natural gas and electricity demand projections for the EU25.

Hydrogen is produced commercially in almost a dozen processes. Most of them involve the extraction of the hydro part from hydrocarbons. The most widely used, least costly process is steam reforming, in which natural gas is made to react with steam, releasing hydrogen (Hohhmarm, 2002). While using steam to reform natural gas has proven the cheapest way to produce commercial hydrogen, natural gas is still a hydrocarbon and emits CO in the conversion process (Rifkin, 2002 Ami, 2004). 

A fuel cell is an electrochemical conversion device that has a continuous supply of fuel such as hydrogen, natural gas, or methanol and an oxidant such as oxygen, air, or hydrogen peroxide. It can have auxiliary parts to feed the device with reactants as well as a battery to supply energy for start-up. 

Hydrogen natural gas mixtures (NaturalHy, EU 6th FP project) (TUBITAK-MRC and ICDAS). 500 kW Molten Carbonate Fuel-Cell Plant (international project) (TUBITAK-MRC). 

S. P. Salanki, J. S. Wallace, The use of Hydrogen-Natural Gas Mixtures in a lean-Bum IC engine . Proceedings of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Conference. Vancouver 2003, Canada (2003). 

Many fuel cell systems have been developed since the first discovery of Sir William Grove. Fuel cell systems can produce electricity from several fuels (hydrogen, natural gas, alcohols, etc.) for many applications stationary power plants, power train sources, APU, and electronic portable devices, with nearly the same energy efficiency (around 40% in electric energy), irrespective of their size (from tens of MW for power plants to a few W for portable electronics). 

Each of the various end-use applications possible in the SWB facilities (i.e. production of heat, cold, or mechanical power) required its own mixture of hydrogen, natural gas and oxygen and its own subsystems. 

Property Hydrogen Natural Gas Propane Gasoline Vapor... 

The dominant feedstock is naphtha, although in some cases hydrogenated natural gas liquids (H-NGL or condensates) are used. However, the choice of condensate is probably restricted to those with a low end point (i.e. they are very similar to naphtha such as A-180 from Saudi Arabia). There is a small use of LPG (butane and propane) in some of the cracking operations. 

Altmann, M., Weindorf, W., Wurster, R., Mostad, H., Weinberger, M., Filip, G. (2004). FCSHIP environmental impacts and costs of hydrogen, natural gas and conventional fuels for fuel cell ships. In Proc. 15 World Hydrogen Energy Conf., Yokohama. 30A-05, CD Rom, Hydrogen Energy Soc. Japan. 

Other reliables are likely to play smaller roles in the transition to hydrogen. Natural gas will be used to manufacture hydrogen using "advanced" steam methane reforming (SMR) processes for much of the twenty-first century. The heat for SMR will be provided by nuclear sources, not by natural gas. The requirements for sustainability will require sequestering the waste product—carbon dioxide. This means nearby sequestering sites, leakproof over at least 1000-year time frames, must be available. This need will ultimately place a cap on hydrogen production from natural gas. 

Fuels Diesel and residual oil Natural gas, biogas, propane Natural gas, biogas, propane, distillate oil Natural gas, biogas, propane, distillate oil Hydrogen, natural gas, propane... 

Water Syngas Hydrogen Natural gas Calculated values... 

Let us consider a solid oxide electrolyte reactor in which one side ofthe membrane is in contact with ambient air, and the other side (referred to as the working electrode) is fed either by an inert or a reactive gas (a mixture of hydrogen, natural gas, hydrocarbons, CO, etc. and H2O and/or CO2). Figure 12.5 shows, in graphical terms, the voltage variation of the working electrode referred to air as a function of the current. 

Until such time that a hydrogen infrastructure exists, hydrogen/natural gas fuel blends provide a logical transition to fully hydrogen-powered vehicles. These vehicles can operate on either fuel, depending on availability. 

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