New Device Separates Hydrogen From Natural Gas When The Two Gases Are Blended In Pipelines
The title of this post, is the same as that of on this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
This is the introductory paragraph.
With clean hydrogen gaining recognition worldwide as the carbon-free fuel capable of making a significant contribution to addressing climate change, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced it will field test a new technology that can simultaneously separate and compress hydrogen from a blend of hydrogen and natural gas.
It may sound rather mundane, but it means, you can convert surplus electricity into hydrogen and blend it with natural gas and distribute it in the local natural gas grid.
- As natural gas grids can contain a proportion of hydrogen, this shouldn’t be a problem.
- Any user, who needs hydrogen connects one of these clever devices to the grid and it separates out the hydrogen, for your use.
- All very simple and efficient, as you don’t need a second gas grid for hydrogen.
I very much like this idea, which was developed by a Dutch company called HyET Hydrogen.
There is also an explanatory video.
This invention could change the world!
Hydrogen Super-Hub May Be Headed To UK’s Port Of Southampton
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
It is an interesting article and behind Southampton’s move is this proposition.
The hope is that making the location a hydrogen super-hub would greatly reduce its CO2 emissions.
This paragraph, explains what they will do.
This location would not focus on green H2, but would instead use carbon capture, usage, and storage (CCUS) technology to cut back on the CO2 emissions produced through this hydrogen fuel production. In this way, it would provide a zero-emission fuel while decarbonizing much of the process of its creation. It would provide that locally produced fuel to industries and activities that are currently highly polluting.
Note.
- They are not going to generate green hydrogen, which is usually produced by electrolysis using renewable energy.
- So how will they create hydrogen?
- Increasingly, carbon capture, usage, and storage (CCUS) is being talked about, rather than just carbon capture and storage (CCS). Surely, this is an improvement.
- Will we see hydrogen-powered tugs and boats used by the port?
This could be a good move by the Port of Southampton.
This Company May Have Solved One Of The Hardest Problems In Clean Energy
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Vox.
I found the article about an American company called Hytech Power, very interesting.
The company has developed technology called Internal Combustion Assistance (ICA), that improves the fuel consumption and emissions performance of diesel engines, by injecting small amounts of hydrogen and oxygen into the cylinders at the right time.
This is a paragraph from the article, which gives the performance improvements.
HyTech’s offer to that market is pretty remarkable: it claims that its ICA can improve the fuel efficiency of a diesel engine between 20 and 30 percent, reduce particulate matter by 85 percent, and reduce NOx by between 50 and 90 percent. In concert with a DPF and some SCR, it can yield a diesel engine that meets official California standards for an “ultra-low emissions” vehicle.
Note.
- A DPF is a diesel particulate filter.
- SCR is selective catalytic reduction fluids.
Both are expensive!
This paragraph from the article gives some customer feedback.
The ICA has been listed by the EPA as a candidate for emissions-reduction technology; respected testing firm SGS found that the ICA boosted the fuel efficiency of a FedEx delivery truck by 27.4 percent; FedEx is currently road testing the ICA on a fleet of trucks and finding 20 to 30 percent better fuel economy and substantially reduced DPF maintenance costs. In third-party testing, and in limited local sales around Redmond, the ICA has performed as promised.
It never hurt a company to have FedEx on their side! Later on, the article says that Caterpillar are on board and their engines, generators and equipment features heavily on the Hytech Power web site.
If you look at the Wikipedia entry for Hydrogen Fuel Enhancement, you read a lot of sceptical words about this technology.
I would suggest that you read the Vox article, Hytech Power’s web site and the Wikipedia entry in detail before making your mind up.
My decision has been to file Hytech Power in a box, called Must Watch and set up a Google Alert.
For three of the last ten companies, I did that for, I made an investment in the shares. None are trading badly!
Nippon Steel Pledges To Be Carbon Neutral By 2050
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on NikkeiAsia.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Nippon Steel has set a goal to reach net-zero emission by 2050, Nikkei learned on Thursday, a move that could nudge other manufacturers to try to meet Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s pledge to achieve carbon neutrality across the country by the same year.
Nippon Steel, Japan’s biggest steelmaker, will introduce a new way of steelmaking using hydrogen which can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% compared with conventional methods of production. The steelmaker’s new green target will be unveiled in a business plan it is currently drafting which will be published by March 2021.
To my mind, hydrogen is the way to go!
Arcola Energy Introduces A-Drive Fuel Cell Powertrain Platform
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on NGTNews.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Arcola Energy, a company that specializes in hydrogen and fuel cell systems, has developed a proprietary hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) powertrain platform – designed for vehicle applications requiring high-duty cycle capabilities and fast refueling.
\we will see more hydrogen powertrains produced by big companies; like Cummins and Daimler and small companies like Arcola.
Many of the smaller ones, will perish. just like many smaller car companies did in the first seventy years of the twentieth century. Who remembers names like Allard, Borgward, Humber, Panhard and Riley?
I suspect, that in the near future, wherever you live and you come up with an idea, that needs zero-carbon motive power, there will be a convenient company to provide you with that power, using hydrogen.
One of my clients with Daisy used to be Cummins Engines. They told me most firmly, that if I ever needed a diesel engine to provide power for an application, they would customise one of their engines to fit my application.
Now that Cummins have gone into hydrogen in a big way with the purchase of Hydrogenics, will we see a similar philosophy?
Hydrogen Is A Trillion Dollar Bet On The Future
The title says it all on this article on Bloomberg.
Read it!
Strangely, it doesn’t mention the Shell Blue Hydrogen Process, that I wrote about in Shell Process To Make Blue Hydrogen Production Affordable.
Talgo Unveils Plan To Have Vittal-One Hydrogen Train Operational By 2023
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
This is the most important paragraph of the report.
The company explained that the fuel cell technology it designed for its train is modular. In this way, the tech can be installed on any type of existing train. In this way, the transition away from diesel and into hydrogen fuel. That said, Talgo did underscore that its Vittal platform was the primary reason for which the H2 solution was designed. The company is hoping to win several Spanish tenders, as well as those in other countries, for this regional and commuter train.
Talgo hopes to start testing their train next year.
They certainly seem to have got their skates on, or whatever the Spanish say!
A Hydrogen Train For Scotland
Consider.
- Scotland has a major need for a large number of zero-carbon trains to decarbonise routes outside the Central Belt, which is extensively electrified.
- Talgo are building a factory at Longannet in Scotland.
- Talgo’s Vittal-One train has a modular hydrogen traction system, but the train is designed for European standards.
- This page on the Talgo web site, describes the design philosophy behind the Talgo Vittal. After reading that page, I feel Talgo could build a version of the train for the UK. There are already standard gauge versions in Germany and they’d just need to make a different body, that was about a 100 mm. narrower.
- The Talgo Vittal is a 100 mph train, which is what Scotland needs.
So I feel that Talgo have the technology to build a hydrogen-powered regional train for the UK. And the island of Ireland, which uses a 1600 mm track gauge, which is not far from the Iberian gauge of 1668 mm gauge!
The question has to be asked about, when Talgo chose the location for the factory, were there any nods and winks with the Scottish Government about the country’s future train needs?
It certainly appears that Scotland has the need and the hydrogen, and Talgo has the technology, to decarbonise the railways North and South of the Central Belt in Scotland.
Fuel Cell Mireo Plus H To Be Trialled In Baden-Württemberg
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the opening paragraph.
Deutsche Bahn and Siemens Mobility are to trial a fuel cell powered regional trainset in revenue service between Tübingen, Horb and Pforzheim in 2024, along with a green hydrogen fuelling plant.
These two paragraphs describe the train.
Siemens Mobility is to supply a two-car Mireo Plus H trainset derived from its Mireo Plus regional multiple-unit family, equipped with a newly developed hydrogen fuel cell drive and a lithium-ion battery.
The 1·7 MW traction power rating is expected to offer a comparable performance to the electric version, with an acceleration rate of 1·1 m/s² and a maximum speed of 160 km/h. Sufficient hydrogen will be stored onboard to give an operating range of up to 600 km, with the promoters envisaging that a three-car variant could have a range of 1 000 km.
The article doesn’t say anything about, whether the train can use electrification, but as the train is based on a conventional electric train, I would assume it is possible.
Italian Operator Orders Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trains
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Alstom is to supply Ferrovie Nord Milano with six hydrogen fuel cell multiple-units for use by the Lombardia regional operator’s Ferrovienord subsidiary on the non-electrified Brescia – Iseo – Edolo line from 2023.
The trains will be based on the Alstom Coradia Stream train, with technology coming from the Alstom Coradia iLint
Talgo: Our Hydrogen Train Will Be Ready In 2023
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway News.
This sentence from the opening paragraph, gives and explains the name.
The train will be called Talgo Vittal-One, which Talgo says is a reference to hydrogen’s atomic number.
It appears to be a commuter and regional train.
The Anonymous Widower 