Berlin: Union opposes ban on combustion engines +++ Australia: PepsiCo adds H2 trucks to its fleet +++ Berlin: Study identifies challenges in converting gas-fired power plants to hydrogen +++ Lubmin: Lhyfe plans 800-megawatt electrolysis plant +++ Canada: Green hydrogen and ammonia production in British Columbia +++ India: ATGL plans hydrogen blending for natural gas customers +++ Research: Sloshing problem in the maritime transport of liquid hydrogen +++ DISCOUNT promotion: Your advertisement on the PtX portal
A selection of PtX topics summarized at the end of the week
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Union is against combustion engines. © German Bundestag
The CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag opposes a ban on climate-neutral combustion engines. In a motion (document 20/9322 ), it calls on the Federal Government to advocate at the European level for the creation of binding regulations by June 2024 that would allow the registration of new vehicles powered exclusively by climate-friendly fuels beyond 2035, thus exempting them from the ban on new registrations of vehicles with combustion engines. Climate-friendly fuels should also be credited towards CO2 fleet emission limits, enabling new vehicles to be used in a CO2-neutral manner in the future, for example, with e-fuels. The group also advocates that the entire life cycle of a vehicle should be considered when assessing its CO2 balance, and that instead of a "tank-to-wheel approach that obscures the CO2 balance," a "cradle-to-grave approach" that takes all influencing factors into account should be used.
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PepsiCo is expanding its vehicle fleet in Australia with the 40-ton “Taurus” developed in China. © Ballard Power
Australia's first hydrogen-powered heavy-duty truck is slated to hit the road by the end of 2023. PepsiCo plans to deploy two fuel cell vehicles in Brisbane. The 40-ton "Taurus" was developed by the Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer Wisdom for urban and regional transport. The vehicle is equipped with a 110-kilowatt fuel cell engine from WBJV (Weichai-Ballard Joint Venture). Ballard contributed stacks from its LCS M series (power density 4,0 kW/L). The truck has a range of 1.000 kilometers. PepsiCo has been testing the Taurus since April. Series production will begin later this year. According to Ballard, 70.000 to 80.000 long-haul transport vehicles on Australian roads will be replaced by hydrogen within the next five years. Wisdom had already signed a letter of intent with Australian dealers HDrive and Pure Hydrogen in 2022, agreeing to the delivery of 12.000 hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks over a period of five years.
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Reiner Lemoine Institute: “H2-Ready Gas Power Plants”
New and existing power plants must be made hydrogen-ready to ensure reliable electricity generation. However, the conversion and new construction of these plants present challenges. Furthermore, "H2 readiness is not yet clearly defined in regulatory terms." These are the findings of a new study by the Reiner Lemoine Institute (RLI). The study describes the technical implications of "H2 readiness" for gas-fired power plants, the necessary conversion measures, the associated costs, and the required regulatory adjustments. In 14 key statements, the researchers formulate proposals for the climate-friendly use of H2 in electricity generation. However, the use of green hydrogen is crucial for the decarbonization of electricity generation. If fossil hydrogen derived from natural gas is used, the emissions from H2 power plants will be similarly high to those of current natural gas power plants. Connecting H2 power plants to the core hydrogen grid and supplying it with green hydrogen is essential.
The paper “H2-Ready Gas Power Plants” is available as a free PDF (40 pages).
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Lhyfe wants to build an 800-megawatt electrolyzer on the site of the former Greifswald nuclear power plant near Lubmin. © EWN Disposal Plant for Nuclear Systems GmbH
French green hydrogen producer Lhyfe plans to produce up to 330 tons of green hydrogen per day in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The 800-megawatt plant is scheduled to go into operation by 2029. The hydrogen produced will be fed into the German hydrogen pipeline network (backbone) currently under construction. The necessary green electricity will come from offshore wind farms. The plant will be located on the site of the former Greifswald nuclear power plant, east of Lubmin. There is also a high-voltage grid connection to the transmission system operator 50Hertz. The project is currently in the development phase and is expected to be operational by 2029. Implementation is still dependent on obtaining operating and construction permits as well as investment decisions. The German government plans to invest around €20 billion by 2032 to support the construction of a 9.700-kilometer pipeline network for hydrogen transport. According to its own statements, Lhyfe has developed a backbone project portfolio in the last two years with an installed electrolysis capacity of 3,8 gigawatts, or 37 percent of its total project pipeline (as of June 2023), including large-scale projects such as in Perl (Saarland; 70 megawatts, construction start 2029) and Delfzijl (Groningen, Netherlands; 200 megawatts), which are located near the future hydrogen transport infrastructures.
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HTEC wants to purchase the green hydrogen produced by Fortescue in Canada for its growing gas station network. © HTEC
Australian Fortescue Metals Group and Canadian fuel provider HTEC plan to establish Canada's first domestic green hydrogen supply chain. The hydrogen and ammonia production facility will be located in Prince George, British Columbia (BC). HTEC will receive the revenue from Fortescue subsidiary Fortescue Energy for its expanding network of hydrogen refueling stations. Details of the offtake commitments will be finalized during the negotiation of the definitive agreements and are contingent upon the feasibility assessment and final investment decisions of both parties. An initial project outline was submitted to the BC Environmental Assessment Office in September 2023.
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Adani Total Gas Ltd. (ATGL), a joint venture between India's Adani Group and Total Energies, is launching a pilot project to blend green hydrogen into a local natural gas network. This will supply over 4.000 residential and commercial customers in Ahmedabad, in the Indian state of Gujarat. Supply is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024-25 (the Indian fiscal year begins on April 1st). The proportion of green hydrogen will be gradually increased to up to eight percent and beyond during the trial phase, depending on regulatory approvals. Following successful completion of the pilot project, the hydrogen-blended fuel will be gradually supplied to larger parts of the city and other licensed areas of ATGL.
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Research: Current methods misrepresent sloshing in maritime transport of liquid hydrogen and liquefied natural gas. Simulations showed that current design parameters do not accurately reflect the phenomenon. © Korea Maritime and Ocean University
Fuels like hydrogen and natural gas can be transported in liquefied form on cargo ships, which is generally considered safer and more efficient than shipping them in gaseous form. South Korean researchers are now pointing out that ship designers and engineers should not ignore the phenomenon of "sloshing," the sloshing of liquids in a tank that is also in motion. Detailed fluid dynamics simulations showed that "current design parameters do not accurately reflect the sloshing phenomenon." If a tank containing a liquid is only partially filled, changes in the ship's speed and direction cause the liquid to move back and forth. This sloshing motion can exert significant pressure on the tank's structure and cause weight shifts. While there are "classification rules" and methods for calculating sloshing loads based on a range of design parameters, these do not adequately address the specific challenges of sloshing. Hyun-Duk Seo of Korea Maritime and Ocean University and Jae-Min Lee of Chonnam National University investigated whether the parameters considered in the guidelines adequately represent the sloshing phenomenon. Their findings: Simulations revealed many aspects of sloshing that the design parameters specified in the classification rules could not accurately represent. Therefore, according to Hyun-Duk Seo, "it is necessary to revise these guidelines so that they address these limitations and ensure the reliable design of liquid cargo tanks."
Study "Investigation of design parameters related to sloshing loads using smoothed particle hydrodynamics and rule-based estimations. Special Collection: Recent Advances in Marine Hydrodynamics"
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Photos
iStock / © Danil Melekhin
