CLEAN AND GREEN FUELS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Narsimha Reddy KandadiDepartment of Chemical Engineering

Monash University

OUTLINE

• General issues related to sustainable energy• Environmental and pollution problems with current

transportation fuels • Reformulation of transportation fuels • Clean fuel production• GTL Fuels and their advantageous characteristics• Alternative Gaseous and liquid fuels• Synthesis gas/natural gas refinery• Fuel issues for fuel cells• Issues related to Hydrogen Storage • Conclusions

THE DRIVERS TO ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY

Problems/Concerns Drivers Solutions

Exhaustion of fossil fuels

Increasing costs Energy eficiency

Search for alternatives

Removal of subsidies

Inclusion of “externalities”in the cost of energy

Local and regional environmental quality.

Global warming

Desire to improve quality of air and water

 

Need to avoid climate change

Cleaner fossil fuels, filters, catalizers.

 

Reduced use of fossil fuels

switch to renewables

CO2 capture.

Security of supply Need to guarantee low prices and abundant supply

Reliance on indigenous energy resources

switch to renewables or nuclear

Safety Avoidance major disasters

Develop intrinsically safe reactors. Storage of spent nuclear fuel

Equity Avoidance of social unrest &humanitarian concerns

Policies that stimulate supplying energy services to the poor

VEHICULAR POLLUTION

Pollution from Automotive Vehicles are responsible for ~One-third of all AIR POLLUTION ~50% of SMOG forming VOCs & NOx

>50% of Hazardous Air Pollutants 90% of CO found in urban air

20 pounds of CO2 emitted every gallon of gasoline burning by the vehicle

Low emissions and good fuel economy are both important for the environment

IMPACT OF AIR POLLUTION ON HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

WHO Report(1999) on Health costs due to traffic-related pollution in Europe

Every year air pollution from cars causes 300, 000 extra cases of Bronchitis in Children 15, 000 Hospital Admissions for Heart Disease 395, 000 Asthma attacks in Adults and 162, 000 Asthma attacks in Children in each year

Car pollution kills more people than car accidents

Long-term exposure in adults over 30 years age can cause extra 21,000 premature deaths from Respiratory or Heart diseases

FUELS DECARBONISATION TRENDS

Gasoline Fuel specifications in different countries for 2000 AD

S No

Characteristics California US EU India

1 Lead, g/l 0 0 0 0..5

2 Sulphur, wt ppm 40 185 50-100 200-500

3 Oxygenates All Oxygenates

All Oxygenates

All Oxygenates

Just Ethers

Oxygen, wt%, Max 1.8-2.2 2.1 2.1 2.3

4 Benzene, max vol%

0.8 0.95 1-2 3

5 Olefins, Vol% max 6.0 9.2 5-10 18

6 Aromatics, Vol% Max

25 24 20-30 45

7 Rvp, Kpa max 43.8 60 45-54 70

ADVANTAGEOUS OXYGENATES

The potential benefits of adding oxygenates to gasoline are • Less CO emissions• Reduced unburned hydrocarbon emissions• Decrease in Ozone content in the lower atmospheres of

highly polluted areas• Environment friendly replacement for TEL and aromatics

for Octane requirements for good engine performance• FCC volatile olefins with high photochemical reactivity can

be converted to ethers which decreases volatility and increases octane content with oxygen

FCC GASOLINE ETHERIFICATION WITH ETHANOL WITH NEW BIFUNCTIONAL CATALYST

Etherification Temp,oC

60 65 70 75 80

% Olefins conversion

24 26 41 43 40

% EtOH Conversion

14.1 22.8 26.6 30.3 24.4

Density, g/cc 0.7186 0.7194 0.7208 0.7197 0.7183

Odour Naphtha Pungent Pungent Pungent Pungent

Colour Colorless Colorless Colorless Colorless Pale yellow

VEHICLES WITH NATURAL GAS

• ~ 800,000 - 1.000,000 vehicles in the world running on natural gas

– Russia– Italy– South America– Australia and – North America

• The market position: capable for fuelling vehicles and refuelling stations at an acceptable level of development

• The fuel infrastructure may allow the easy transition to hydrogen supply

SYNTHESIS GAS REFINERYClean and Alternative Molecular Fuels

EMISSIONS PERFORMANCE OF GTL(F-T) DIESEL FUELS

GTL Fuels are far superior to Petroleum derived Diesel

GTL fuel characteristics

 • Cetane - 75• Sulphur - ~0• Aromatics - ~0

Emissions reduction compared to current Diesel

0

20

40

60

80

100

HC CO NOx PM

PollutantsP

oll

uta

nts

red

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ion

,%

HYDROGEN – IDEAL

ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY FUEL • Decarbonise the fuel sphere• Can be realized the zero emission transportation• Can be used in both conventional ICE and Fuel

Cells with water as effluent• Unique combustion characteristics lean burning

with air without NOx –SMOG precursor• Avoids the global climate changes as it can’t

produce CO2• No particulates and unburnt Hydrocarbons

DME AS AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL

• Stationary Applications – Power Plants– Diesel Gensets– Ceramic and Glass Industry

• Transportation– Diesel Engines– CNG

• Fuel for Fuel Cells

DME ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUESPURE DME DOES NOT POSE ANY ENVIORNMENTAL ISSUE DUE TO PHYSICALLY LIKE LPG. LPG INDUSTRY HAS AN OUTSTANDING SAFETY

RECORD 150 000 T/A OF DME USE AS AN AEROSOL PROPELLANT IS BECAUSE OF

ITS ENVIORNMENTALLY BEGING CHARACTERSTICS I.e.o NOT HARMFUL TO OZONE LAYERo READILY DEGRADES IN THE TROPOSPHERE TO CO2 AND H2O o NON TOXICo NON CARCINOGENICo NON TETRAGENo NON TERATOGENo NON MUTAGENo NON CORROSIVE

DISPLAYS A VISIBLE FLAME OVERWIDE RANGE OF AIR FUEL RATIO HEAVIER THAN AIR HENCE NEEDS SAME HANDLING AND SAFETY CARE

AS PROPANE AND LPG

HOW EFFICIENT IS OUR CURRENT VEHICLE ?

ADVANTAGES OF FUEL CELLS OVER OTHER POWER SOURCES

  Environmentally friendly High power density High energy conversion efficiency Operation at low temperatures and pressures Zero to very low emissions dependent on fuel Site flexibility Fuel flexibility Quiet operation Cogeneration capability Responsiveness to load variations

SUITABLE FOR MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING AUTOMOTIVE

AUTOMOTIVE FUEL CELL DRIVERS

• Kyoto agreement requires CO2 reduction• Europe will reduce car CO2 emissions• Aggressive fuel/CO2 taxes• California Zero Emission Vehicle by 2003

Public policy will help build a market for Fuel Cell Vehicles

COMPARISON OF EFFICIENCY

AUTOMOBILE POWER SYSTEMS

HYDROGEN ECONOMY CONCEPTUAL APPROACH

FUELS ISSUES FOR FUEL CELLS IN TRANSPORTATION SECTOR

PROJECTED FC VEHICLE PERFORMANCE: LIGHT WEIGHT HYBRID VEHICLE

FUELS AND PROCESSING STEPS IN FUEL PROCESSOR FOR FUEL CELLS

Fuel cellFUEL PROCESSOR

Fuel evaporation Syngas generation Water-gas shift CO clean-up

Natural GasGasolineAlcohol + O2 + H2O

PowerH2

    60 - 200°C R-OH (l) R-OH (g)HC (l) HC (g)

Partial OxidationSteam ReformingAutothermal Reforming 750 - 1000°C HC + H2O + O2 CO, H2, CO2, H2O

High TemperatureMedium TemperatureLow Temperature 200 - 550°C CO + H2O CO2 + H2

Preferential OxidationMembranes  ambient - 70°C CO + O2 CO2

 

FUELS FOR FUEL CELL POWERED VEHICLES

[Fuel Report by California Energy commission, July’99]

PROMISING FUEL PROPERTIES OF METHANOL FOR PEM FUEL CELLS

• Liquid having high energy density at ambient temperature and pressure,

• High energy storage capacity• Simple molecule• Sulfur free • Fairly easy to reform into hydrogen rich gas –

lower reforming temperature • High hydrogen to CO2 ratio in comparison with

other processing options• Low carbon monoxide yield(CO)

MONASH’S FUEL PROCESSOR AND FUEL CELL SYSTEMS

The fuel processor with C1 Fuels and H2 storage for both PEMFC & AFC with major Australian Fuels-syngas, NG. LPG etc.

 

I. COMPACT FUEL REFORMER WITHOUT THE CO CLEANUP STEP • MeOH/DME/Methyl formate reforming

II. CARBON DIOXIDE FREE HYDROGEN PRODUCTION

• Catalytic Decomposition of NG & LPG CH4 = C + 2H2 H = + 75.6Kj/mol

C2H6 = 2C+ 3 H2 H = + 83.7Kj/mol

C3H8 = 3C + 4 H2+ H = + 103.8Kj/mol

nC4H10 = 4C + 5 H2+ H = + 125.5Kj/mol

• Catalytic Reforming of NG & LPG to Aromatics and H26CH4 = C6H6 + 9H2

3C2H6 = C6H6+ 6 H2

C3H8 = C6H6 + 5 H2

III. NOVEL MATERIALS FOR HYDROGEN STORAGE• Hybrid Novel Carbon Materials with Metal Hydrides

ON-BOARD HYDROGEN STORAGE

The challenges of fuelling for fuel cell vehicles

• The biggest issue is how to provide fuel

• The space needed to store the fuel on board the vehicle

• Efficient ways for processing fossil fuels on board must be developed

• Even though reforming is a gentler process than combustion, it still introduces trace emissions, which will dragged down overall efficiency

 

Efficiency and Technical difficulty – Direct hydrogen vehicles are the most efficient, followed by on-board processor of methanol and then gasoline

HYDROGEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND STORAGE

HYDROGEN PRODUCTION AND DISPENSING

TARGETS AND STATUS

ON – BOARD OFF-BOARD

CONCLUSIONS• Utility Sustainable energy concepts are critical for global

climate change and resource diversification

• Clean as well as molecular fuels are going to play prominent role to transition to decarbonisation of fuels

• Synthesis gas will be the feedstock for both clean as well as molecular fuels for both Combustion engines and Fuel Cells

• C1 oxygenates such as MeOH, DME, Methyl formate can be efficient conventional fuels and source for low temperature hydrogen production by steam reforming

• CO2 free H2 production fro low temperature fuel cells from NG and lower hydrocarbons have both economic and technical advantages

• New adsorbents for H2 storage can realize the zero emission concepts