Transitioning the power generation sector to hydrogen

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Canada has committed to transitioning away from fossil fuels to a low-carbon economy in order to mitigate climate change. A key challenge of this energy transition is the need to store renewable energy, from solar, wind and hydroelectric resources, for use in off-grid applications and to provide backup power for when the variable and intermittent power generation systems fall short of demand. The Alternative Fuels Laboratory (AFL) at McGill University is investigating several parallel solutions for addressing this technology gap, including using hydrogen and metals, such as aluminum, as recyclable fuels. The aluminum can store the energy in a compact and safe form and then be reacted with water to produce hydrogen on demand at the point of use. In either scenario, hydrogen is burned in an engine to produce power. The combustion of hydrogen has been studied for many years, but several open research questions remain. The first is what is the effect of using hydrogen fuel on the resulting nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions? This will be addressed in the present project through new laser-diagnostic measurements in the AFL high-pressure laminar-flame facility. These new experiments, along with past research, will be used to develop and validate improved models for the combustion of natural gas blends with hydrogen at engine-relevant pressures. A second question is how does increasing hydrogen content affect the details of flame stabilization in practical devices? This will be addressed by experiments using high-speed laser diagnostics in industrially relevant turbulent swirl burners. A third question is what are the optimal first points of market entry for hydrogen as a clean fuel, or metal-water reactors for producing hydrogen on demand? These questions will be addressed through new techno-economic analyses of the AFL's technology and hydrogen electrolysis in the Canadian context. This work will develop the knowledge and tools for increased use of hydrogen and metal fuels as green energy carriers and help Canada's transition to a low-carbon economy.