A NASA-Backed Study Will Test Ammonia as a Carbon-Free Alternative to Jet Fuel

 The research team will work with a modified Boeing 737 aircraft to test new ammonia-fueled jet engines.

Most of the aviation industry’s efforts to seek out alternatives to fossil fuels have focused on the viability of electric engines, hydrogen power, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Now, a new study will explore yet another potential alternative: ammonia.

The University of Central Florida announced this week that it would begin testing ammonia as a potential fuel solution for aircraft. The program is backed by a five-year grant from NASA worth $10 million, and it hopes to determine whether ammonia represents a realistic fuel option for commercial airliners.

The team will be led by faculty from the university and experts from Georgia Tech and Purdue. In addition, companies within the aviation sector, such as Boeing, Southwest Research Institute, and the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, have also been tapped to join the program.

Researchers hope to find ways to use ammonia as the main hydrogen carrier to create carbon-free emissions while in flight. To accommodate the new fuel, the team is also developing new jet engine components, using a Boeing 737-8 as a base model.

Dr. Jayanta Kapata, a UCF professor and the study’s lead investigator, believes ammonia could be a carbon-free alternative to conventional gas. “Use of ammonia as an aviation fuel will not produce any carbon dioxide. Ammonia is the only potential alternative aviation fuel that allows a pathway for near-elimination of nitrogen oxides in engine exhaust,” he told Robb Report in an email. “In addition, ammonia can also greatly reduce the formation of contrails that also impact earth’s radiation balance. Thus, among all aviation alternatives, ammonia can provide some unique advantages that can’t be matched by the rest.”

The University of Central Florida's ammonia study begins at a time when airlines such as United and TAP Portugal have begun to implement strategies to use Sustainable Aviation Fuel on commercial flights. However, UCF’s study, which will run through 2027, isn’t the industry’s first flirtation with ammonia. Indeed, Australian company Aviation H2 announced already plans to partially operate its Dassault Falcon 50 business jet on ammonia by mid-2023.

Whether ammonia can offer a scalable carbon-free alternative to conventional gas is an open question. The UCF study, hopefully, will give us some answers when it concludes.

Source:robbreport

ONGC and Greenko set to splash $6.2 billion on Indian green hydrogen and renewable projects

 India’s state-controlled Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and joint venture partner Greenko are poised to spend up to $6.2 billion on renewable energy and green hydrogen projects under the terms of an agreement signed Tuesday, Press Trust of India (PTI) has reported.

The investment, part of ONGC’s ambitious decarbonisation drive, could lead to the development of 5.5 to 7 gigawatts of solar and wind power projects, along with plans for producing green hydrogen, the news agency said, quoting unnamed officials from ONGC.

The two players inked a memorandum of understanding on 26 July “to jointly pursue opportunities in renewables, green hydrogen, green ammonia and other derivatives of green hydrogen”, ONGC said, without disclosing further details on the specific projects.

The green energy deal is likely to be valid for a two-year period, the company noted.

Joint venture plans

ONGC’s agreement with Greenko, one of India's largest renewable energy companies, is aimed at forming a 50:50 joint venture for green energy projects, Upstream understands.

PTI noted the joint venture will set up renewable energy capacity and use the generated power to split water in an electrolyser to produce green hydrogen, which in turn would be used for manufacturing green ammonia.

It added that the renewable plants, together with Greenko’s pump storage power generation system, will give 1.4 GW of “round-the-clock electricity” that would be used to produce 180,000 tonnes per annum of green hydrogen.

The joint venture is expected to effectively produce 1 million tpa of green ammonia as a part of the agreement.

The renewable energy component of the chain would cost about $5 billion, while the hydrogen and ammonia plant would require an additional $ 1.2 billion.

Green hydrogen push

Indian private sector giants like Reliance Industries and Adani have already announced billions of dollars in investments to set up green hydrogen projects.

ONGC’s foray into the sector is in line with India’s National Hydrogen Mission, which is aimed at making India a global green hydrogen hub, ONGC said.

“The activities envisaged under this MoU will contribute towards India’s target of producing 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen per annum by 2030,” the company added.

ONGC said it is looking to de-risk its oil and gas portfolio against “long-term disruptions” and aims to reduce its carbon footprint by moving into renewable energy.

Source:upstreamonline

Top 10 European Based Electrolyser Manufacturers by Capacity

  Top 10 European Based Electrolyser Manufacturers by Capacity

The chart below describes the Top 10 European Based Electrolyser Manufacturers ranked by their current and upcoming capacity on a global basis

1. #hydrogenics / #cummins

2. #thyssenkrupp

3. #NEL

4. #HydrogenPro

5. #ITMPower

6. #Enapter

7. #siemensenergy

8. #Fusionfuelgreen

9. #GreenHydrogenSystems

10. #HydrogenRiseAG

Source:The full chart can be seen here https://lnkd.in/eaHA3X-k

Scientists Introduce a New Green Technology for Polyurethane Production

Scientists at South Ural State University are working with an industrial partner to create a new branch of the chemical industry in the Chelyabinsk Region.

Within the Ural Research Centre project, it is planned to introduce new green technology for polyurethane production and build a plant in the Chelyabinsk Region that will provide high-tech jobs for chemists, chemical technologists, and environmentalists.

Isocyanate-free PU Production

SUSU began cooperation with the Modern Insulation Technologies plant, which produces thermally insulated pipes for heat pipelines of housing and communal services as well as oil and gas transportation.

Polyurethane foam is used for pipe insulation. Polyurethane is the most widespread polymer in the world and is used to manufacture a wide range of products in a variety of industries: clothing, footwear, furniture, and heat insulation.

"Three countries are the largest producers of polyurethane in the world: Germany, USA, and China, but now imports from the USA and Europe have been suspended, and exports from China will not be able to cover all the market needs. Russia is a big market for this material, and the Chelyabinsk Region is the biggest consumer in our country. The Chelyabinsk Region accounts for 50 thousand tons out of 250 thousand tons of polyurethane consumed in Russia. The consumption of polyurethane foam is mainly directed toward construction materials and the production of pipes with thermal insulation.

Plants in Europe and China use technology developed in the 1920s. The production process uses phosgene, a chemical warfare gas, so any accident at a plant could cause an environmental disaster. SUSU scientists suggest a technology that does not use phosgene, i.e., isocyanate-free production.

This technology has proven its effectiveness in laboratory conditions, but it has not yet been used in real-world applications. Scientists must transfer production from laboratory conditions to plants. In addition, they are planning on using locally produced raw materials so the technology will be import-independent.

"Our partner company has an area prepared for the construction of the plant; this is a very difficult job that requires outside specialists. The university is performing a scientific study on the possibilities of applying this technology in production. This is the first step in creating a new industry in the Chelyabinsk Region and new jobs in the region. It is an undoubted advantage that this form of production will not harm the environment.

The fulfillment of this project will improve the quality and level of training of specialists in chemistry, chemical technology, energy and resource conservation, and ecology, and will expand the range and level of scientific research.

Source: South Ural State University

Sumitomo Chemical to Unveil New Family of LFT Liquid Crystal Polymers

 Sumitomo Chemical Advanced Technologies has developed and will soon commercialize a new family of long-fiber thermoplastic (LFT) compounds with high-performance liquid crystal polymer (LCP) matrices reinforced with 13-mm chopped carbon fiber or fiberglass.

Enhancing the Thermal and Mechanical Performance:

The new materials are currently undergoing customer evaluations in several industries and developmental quantities of two grades — SUMIKASUPER™ SCG-379 with 30-50% fiber-weight fraction (FWF) E-glass and SUMIKASUPER™ SCG-420 with 30-40% FWF high-modulus carbon fiber — are available to interested parties for testing.

An LCP matrix and the option for carbon fiber reinforcement will significantly upgrade the thermal and mechanical performance available from LFT technology and the products are being targeted to replace alloys of aluminum and magnesium as well as steel.

The vast majority of all commercial LFT products feature fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene (PP), although higher temperature polyamide 6 and 6/6 (PA6, PA6/6) have been gaining market share in this segment.

Beyond automotive, which still consumes the majority of LFT materials, the products have expanded into applications in the sporting goods, power tool, and appliance industries. And commercial carbon fiber reinforced LFT grades are available in PP, PA, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and polyethersulfone (PES).

The new LFT-LCPs grades have been under development for four years. The most challenging issue to overcome was finding the right fibers to maximize the performance of the LCP compounds.

“It has long been established that mechanical properties of plastics increase with longer fiber lengths,” explains Takayuki Sugiyama, Sumitomo product manager. “However, it also is well known that rarely do fibers longer than 2 mm survive the screw, runners, and gates to make it into the mold and the molded part during the injection molding process. Therefore, the advantage of starting with significantly longer fiber reinforcement in LFT materials is not being fully realized.”

Source: Sumitomo Chemical/Omnexus

The hydrogen scooter from BMW Partner TVS Motors

BMW G 310 models are manufactured at TVS in India, TVS also acquired the English motorcycle brand Norton. The latest development in India is the fuel cell scooter.

The iQube electric scooter from TVS, which can be pre-ordered in India, is still fairly new. Prices: converted from about 1400 euros. Deliveries of the top version of the iQube ST, which will operate at speeds above 80 km/h and have a range of 145 km, are scheduled to begin in August 2022. With a capacity of 4.5 kWh in the battery pack.

A fuel cell instead of a battery

The next advancement appears to be a fuel cell version, which is currently being developed at TVS. A big advantage of fuel cell technology: Hydrogen is refueled within a few minutes, as was previously the case with gasoline, which means the batteries do not need to be charged for hours. A relatively simple arrangement of components can be seen in the now-leaked patent drawing: Two hydrogen gas tanks are almost vertical under the handlebars, covered with plastic cladding, and the fuel cell is more horizontal under the seat. There is also a small battery for the onboard electronics and for the temporary storage of electro-generated electricity, as well as an electric motor close to the rear drove wheel.

Set up as simply as possible

The development specification here is likely to be “easy to assemble and repair”, as this is the only way to obtain the new technology with a chance of acceptance by Indian and Asian target groups. Some basic requirements for this have yet to be established, above all a network of a filling station for hydrogen, which is highly volatile and therefore difficult to transport and store. In addition, it must be clarified how to generate hydrogen, whether it is “green”, i.e. sustainable solution that not only reduces CO2 emissions locally but can also be persuasive in the general analysis.

Source:technewsinsight