Anish Patil

Flexible Coproduction of Hydrogen and Power Using Internal Reforming Solid Oxide Fuel Cells System

Within the framework of the Greening of Gas project, in which the feasibility of mixing hydrogen into the natural gas network in the Netherlands is studied, we are exploring alternative hydrogen production methods. Fuel cells are usually seen as the devices that convert hydrogen into power and heat. It is less well known that these electrochemical energy converters can produce hydrogen, or form an essential component in the systems for coproduction of hydrogen and power In this paper, the coproduction of hydrogen-rich syngas (that can be converted into hydrogen) and power from natural gas in an internal reforming fuel cell is worked out by flow sheet calculations on an internal reforming solid oxide fuel cell system. The goal of this paper is to study the technical feasibility of such a system and explore its possibilities and limitations for a flexible coproduction. It is shown that the system can operate in a wide range of fuel utilization values at least down to 60% representing highest hydrogen production mode up to 95% corresponding to standard FC operation mode.

Recycling industrial waste heat for sustainable district heating: a multi-actor perspective

Addressing the climate change and energy scarcity problems are two of the most complex sustainability challenges facing not only scientists, but also policy makers. Attempts at tackling these issues should be approached from two fronts: by increasing the energy efficiency (demand side) and by promoting the usage of renewables and non-Greenhouse Gases emitting energy sources (supply side). Usually, there is an agreement among stakeholders about sustainability in general, but there is a notable disagreement about how to achieve it. Thus, this paper proposes a multi-actor modelling and analysis approach as a way forward in systematically studying the system and actors dynamics – this is necessary in order to garner cooperation that will not only get such sustainability projects started, but that will also keep them going. A case study was employed to study the feasibility of using residual industrial heat for sustainable District Heating System. The result of the multi-actor analysis reveals that the Municipality (the initiator of the project) will have far greater success if it includes the perspectives of all the different stakeholders and encourage their participation from the early phases of project design and development.

Investment Decision Making for Alternative Fuel Public Transport Buses: The Case of Brisbane Transport

Cleaner and less polluting public transport buses based on alternative fuels are of paramount importance if cities are to attain their ambitious emissions reduction targets. Public transport buses are high usage vehicles that operate in heavily congested areas where air quality improvements and reductions in public exposure to harmful air contaminants are critical. As such, they are good candidates for achieving both near-term and long-term emission reductions. Decision making for the investment in alternative fuel buses is dependent on future technological development and emissions standards, and it is difficult, given the uncertainty in regards to both these factors. The objective of this paper is to develop an analytical framework that will give us more insight into the trends in emissions standards as well as technology development, and eventually translate these insights into a sound investment decision making strategy. This paper concludes that, due to presence of uncertainties, the decision maker (public transport fleet manager) can take only incremental steps that will allow him or her to safeguard investments. Furthermore, if policy makers are serious about accelerating the diffusion of alternative fuels, they should aim at creating stable policy environment.

Internal Reforming SOFC System for Flexible Coproduction of Hydrogen and Power

In the framework of the project Greening of Gas, in which the feasibility of mixing hydrogen into the natural gas network in the NL is studied, we are exploring alternative hydrogen production methods. Fuel cells are usually only seen as devices that convert hydrogen into power and heat. It is less well known that these electrochemical energy converters can produce hydrogen, or form an essential component in systems for co-production of hydrogen and power. Co-production of hydrogen and power from NG in an Internal reforming fuel cell (IR FC) is worked out by flow sheet calculations on an Internal reforming Solid Oxide fuel cell (IR-SOFC) system. It is shown that the system can operate in a wide range of fuel utilization values at least from 60% representing highest hydrogen production mode to 95% corresponding to ‘normal’ fuel cell operation mode. For the atmospheric pressure system studied here hydrogen and CO content increase up to 22.6 and 13.5 % respectively at a fuel utilization of 60%. Total system efficiency (power + H2 /CO) is increasing significantly at lower fuel utilization and can reach 94 %. Our study confirms that the calculations of Vollmar et al1 ) on an IR-SOFC stack also hold for a complete FC system. Notably that paradoxically a system with the same fuel cell stack when switched to hydrogen production mode can yield more power in addition to the H2 and CO produced. This is because the hydrogen production mode allows for operation at high current and power densities. The same system can double its power output (e.g. from 1.26 MW to 2.5 MW) while simultaneously increasing the H2 /CO output to 3.1MW). Economics of these systems is greatly improved. These systems can also be considered for hydrogen production for the purpose of mixing it with natural gas in the natural gas grid in order to reduce CO2 emissions at the end users, because of the ability to adopt the system rapidly to fluctuations in natural gas/hydrogen demand.Copyright

Transition to Clean Coal Technologies in India

Abstract India has the third largest proven reserves of coal in the world and it is obvious that coal will play a major role in its future development. It is well documented that coal is not an environmentally friendly fuel, unless it is utilized in cooperation with clean coal technologies. This paper uses the Transition Management approach to devise a framework for the transition towards clean coal technologies in India. The concept of Transition Management is firmly rooted in the traditions of system thinking that highlights the co-evolution of the socio-technical systems. In order to make technological change sustainable, technical changes alone are not sufficient – changes in the social dimension – such as user practices, governance and institutions are necessary. The role of the government during the transition process is interactive policy formulation – lowering of legal, institutional and policy obstacles and facilitating knowledge transfer and collaboration between the actors.

Trends in emission standards and the implications for bus fleet management: Technology assessment for Brisbane Transport

Cities around the world have set ambitious emissions reduction targets. They are promoting public transport in order to reduce urban pollution from the transportation sector. Cleaner and less polluting city transit buses are paramount if cities are to attain their ambitious emissions reduction targets, as transit buses are high usage vehicles that operate in heavily congested areas where air quality improvements and reductions in public exposure to harmful air contaminants are critical. Decision to invest in a new bus is based on the cost, technology and emission standards. Frequent changes in the emission standards and evolution of bus technology adds to the uncertainty in decision making. A bus has a life expectancy of about 20 years-during its lifespan if the emission standards change and the bus can no longer satisfy the requirements then it has to be phased out or upgraded to comply with the emission requirements-which costs money and time thus leading to financial and service losses. The objective of a decision maker while investing is to optimize the returns of investments-low costs and lower emissions. This paper will look at the Brisbane Transport as a case study-the aim of this paper is to perform comparative technology assessment and based on that provide recommendations to the Brisbane Transport fleet manager during the selection of new buses, in order to attain the 2026 patronage and emissions targets set by Brisbane.

Actionable solutions to tackle future energy uncertainties

For the hydrogen economy to realize there will be a need for large-scale infrastructure investments. But with tremendous uncertainties surrounding the evolution of the future energy system it would be difficult to actually obtain these investments. In this paper we break this large-scale infrastructure problem into smaller parts and then tackle it. Also there is an opportunity to use the existing technologies as a bridge in the energy system transition -that would also spread the financial risks over time. This paper discusses two actionable solutions for implementing hydrogen economy in the Netherlands /sub i/ffering in the degree of impact (local vs. global) and type (application vs. infrastructure). The paper proposes breaking down this large-scale energy transition into smaller components; this could eventually provide opportunity for the use of strategic investment evaluation models such as real option to obtain investments for the energy infrastructure.