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Simulation and Techno-Economic Analysis of a Power-to-Hydrogen Process for Oxyfuel Glass Melting
(2021)
As an energy-intensive industry sector, the glass industry is strongly affected by the increasingly stringent climate protection targets. As established combustion-based production systems ensure high process stability and glass quality, an immediate switch to low greenhouse gas emission processes is difficult. To approach these challenges, this work investigates a step-by-step integration of a Power-to-Hydrogen concept into established oxyfuel glass melting processes using a simulation approach. This is complemented by a case study for economic analysis on a selected German glass industry site by simulating the power production of a nearby renewable energy park and subsequent optimization of the power-to-hydrogen plant performance and capacities. The results of this study indicate, that the proposed system can reduce specific carbon dioxide emissions by up to 60%, while increasing specific energy demand by a maximum of 25%. Investigations of the impact of altered combustion and furnace properties like adiabatic flame temperature (+25 °C), temperature efficiency (∆ξ = −0.003) and heat capacity flow ratio (∆zHL = −0.009) indicate that pure hydrogen-oxygen combustion has less impact on melting properties than assumed so far. Within the case study, high CO2 abatement costs of 295 €/t CO2-eq. were determined. This is mainly due to the insufficient performance of renewable energy sources. The correlations between process scaling and economic parameters presented in this study show promising potential for further economic optimization of the proposed energy system in the future.
An innovative adsorber plate heat exchanger (APHE), which is developed for application in adsorption heat pumps, chillers and thermal energy storage systems, is introduced. A test frame has been constructed as a representative segment of the introduced APHE for applying loose grains of AQSOA-Z02. Adsorption kinetic measurements have been carried out in a volumetric large-temperature-jump setup under typical operating conditions of adsorption processes. A transient 2-D model is developed for the tested sample inside the setup. The measured temporal uptake variations with time have been fed to the model, through which a micro-pore diffusion coefficient at infinite temperature of 2 E−4 [m2s−1] and an activation energy of 42.1 [kJ mol−1] have been estimated. A 3-D model is developed to simulate the combined heat and mass transfer inside the APHE and implemented in a commercial software. Comparing the obtained results with the literature values for an extruded aluminium adsorber heat exchanger coated with a 500 μm layer of the same adsorbent, the differential water uptake obtained after 300 s of adsorption (8.2 g/100 g) implies a sound enhancement of 310%. This result proves the great potential of the introduced APHE to remarkably enhance the performance of adsorption heat transformation appliances.
The vapor pressures of two binary mixtures containing 2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) + 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI) and TFE + 2-pyrrolidone (PYR), were investigated at temperatures T = (274.15 to 423.15) K using two different static method installations. Both combinations were modelled using an extended Clausius-Clapeyron equation with concentration dependent parameters and the NRTL equation with temperature dependent parameters. The best fit was obtained using the NRTL equation.
Unified Methodology to Identify the Potential Application of Seasonal Sorption Storage Technology
(2020)
In this study, the definition of a new methodology for a preliminary evaluation of the working boundary conditions under which a seasonal thermal energy storage (STES) system operates is described. The approach starts by considering the building features as well as the reference heating system in terms of solar thermal collectors’ technology, ambient heat sinks/source, and space heating distribution systems employed. Furthermore, it is based on a deep climatic analysis of the place where the STES needs to be installed, to identify both winter and summer operating conditions. In particular, the STES energy density is evaluated considering different space heating demands covered by the STES (ranging from 10% up to 60%). The obtained results demonstrate that this approach allows for the careful estimation of the achievable STES density, which is varies significantly both with the space heating coverage guaranteed by the STES as well as with the ambient heat source/sink that is employed in the system. This confirms the need for careful preliminary analysis to avoid the overestimation of the STES material volume. The proposed approach was then applied for different climatic conditions (e.g., Germany and Sweden) and the volume of one of the most attractive composite sorbent materials reported in the literature, i.e., multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT)-LiCl, using water as the working fluid, needed for covering the variable space heating demand in a Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) was calculated. In the case of Swedish buildings, it ranges from about 3.5 m3 when 10% of the space heating demand is provided by the STES, up to 11.1 m3 when 30% of the space heating demand is provided by the STES.
tabilizing the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on the atmosphere is a key step towards solving the global climate change problems. Storage technologies play an essential role in compensating the discrepancy between surplus energy and peak times. Sorption processes, in particular, offer an environment friendly way for almost loss-free heat (of adsorption or absorption) and cold storage. This work is dedicated first to analytically investigate the potential of applying NaY-Water/Zeolite as a working pair for heat and cold storage upon utilizing high temperature heat. It turned out that, the mass of the adsorber heat exchanger increases the useful specific heat stored from 229 kWh/tzeolite for the ideal storage to 538 kWh/tzeolite or even higher depending on the thermal capacity of the adsorber heat exchanger (AdsHX). Contrary to that trend, COP will decrease with increasing the thermal capacity of the AdsHX. Sensible heat losses between charging and discharging phases do have a negative effect on both stored heating capacity and COP.
In addition, an innovative hybrid steam power cum adsorption storage process is introduced and analytically investigated at different ambient conditions and time scenarios for on-peak and off-peak durations over the day. The introduced hybrid process seems quite promising in achieving electrical power production and efficiency enhancements during peak load durations. The extent of enhancing both performance indicators increases with increasing the ambient temperature difference between peak and off-peak times.
On the Development of a Building Insulation using Air Layers with Highly Reflective Interfaces
(2021)
In this work, a novel building insulation system implying wooden fiberboards and intermediate air layers with highly reflective interfaces for the reflection of longwave IR radiation is introduced. A wall test sample with a double air insulation layer has been built and experimentally investigated in a dedicated setup, which consists of a differential climatic chamber to simulate different indoor and outdoor conditions. The test results have been utilized in validating the developed simulation model. In addition, a thorough numerical parameter study has been conducted, through which the general design rules of the introduced insulation system for realizing the lowest possible effective thermal conductivity have been defined. Furthermore, a multi-air-layer-insulation concept is developed, and the energy saving potential is evaluated. It turned out that, emissivity, object size and air layer thickness are the most dominant design parameters which influence the thermal conductivity of the introduced insulation. A thermal conductivity of 0.033 W/(mK) has been estimated for a multi-air-layer insulation with 7 layers. The obtained results prove the high insulation potential of the introduced building insulation system compared with insulating materials available in the market while outlining their limitations.
What commonalities are there in sustainable or unsustainable heating practices in five high-income, high-emitting western European countries? What preferences do a nationally representative sample of the public in these countries hold towards low-carbon options? It is imperative that climate policy researchers and practitioners grapple with the difficulty of decarbonizing heat, which remains the largest single end-use service worldwide and which accounts about half of total final energy consumption. Based on a comparative assessment of five representative national surveys in Germany (N = 2009), Italy (N = 2039), Spain (N = 2038), Sweden (N = 2023), and the United Kingdom (N = 2000), this study explores the demographics and geography of household heat decarbonisation in Europe. By analyzing our country level data as well as our combined sample of 10,109 respondents, it investigates how people conceive of the purposes of low-carbon heat, their preferences for particular forms of heat supply, and their (at times odd) practices of heat consumption and temperature settings. Grounded in its original data, the study organizes its findings inductively across the five themes of literacy (heating knowledge, awareness and control), sustainability (heating practices, dynamics and conflicts), temperature (heating satisfaction and preferences), desirability of change (low-carbon heating priorities, business models and trust), and culture (country and national variation). The study also explores intersections between these dimensions, using multivariate analysis, as well as how preferences differ according to varying types of actors as well as geography and space.
The growing efforts for the development of clean and efficient energy systems require the use of a multi-disciplinary approach and the integration of multiple generation appliances. Among the fields that can be considered enabling technologies, adsorption systems for air conditioning and thermal energy storages, are constantly increasing their maturity. However, for a proper design and integration of such systems, there is the need for a simulation framework that is reliable and computationally convenient. In the present paper, the implementation of a dynamic model for adsorption systems is presented, which includes different components (adsorber, phase changer, sorption materials) and is structured as a library. Modelica language and the commercial software Dymola (R) are used for the analysis. Data for different heat exchangers and working pairs are calibrated using experimental results and the calibrated model is subsequently used for the design of an adsorber based on a plate heat exchanger for thermal energy storage applications. The results proved that the model is fast and can reproduce experimental results with good accuracy, thus being a useful tool for the design and optimization of the different components of sorption systems.
The present work aims at the thermodynamic analysis of different working pairs in adsorption heat transformers (AdHT) for low-temperature waste heat upgrade in industrial processes. Two different AdHT configurations have been simulated, namely with and without heat recovery between the adsorbent beds. Ten working pairs, employing different adsorbent materials and four different refrigerants, have been compared at varying working boundary conditions. The effects of heat recovery and the presence of a temperature gradient for heat transfer between sinks/sources and the AdHT components have been analyzed. The achieved results demonstrate the possibility of increasing the overall performance when internal heat recovery is implemented. They also highlight the relevant role played by the existing temperature gradient between heat transfer fluids and components, that strongly affect the real operating cycle of the AdHT and thus its expected performance. Both extremely low, i.e., 40-50 degrees C, and low (i.e., 80 degrees C) waste heat source temperatures were investigated at variable ambient temperatures, evaluating the achievable COP and specific energy. The main results demonstrate that optimal performance can be achieved when 40-50 K of temperature difference between waste heat source and ambient temperature are guaranteed. Furthermore, composite sorbents demonstrated to be the most promising adsorbent materials for this application, given their high sorption capacity compared to pure adsorbents, which is reflected in much higher achievable specific energy.
As part of a systematic approach towards the search for alternative absorption heat pump (AHP) working pairs that could potentially provide comparable performance to conventional ones, a previous work performed a detailed theoretical cycle analysis and simulation that revealed concrete correlations between key working fluid thermophysical properties and AHP performance indicators. Following this work, targeted combinations of two organic refrigerants, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) and 2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropanol (5FP) and two organic absorbents, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI) and 2-pyrrolidone (PYR) were tested in a prototype 5 kW AHP, based on a highly compact plate heat exchanger design, which has been previously introduced. The purpose of this effort was to test the findings of the previous work with experimental measurements. The working pair combinations were also subjected to vapor liquid equilibrium (VLE) and viscosity measurements, in order to determine reliable activity coefficient and improve the accuracy of the simulations. The experimental performance data agree well with the COP simulations and show to be consistent with the conclusions derived from the previous theoretical work.
