Transitioning the power generation sector to hydrogen

加拿大致力于从化石燃料过渡到低碳经济，以减缓气候变化。 这一能源转型的一个关键挑战是需要储存来自太阳能、风能和水电资源的可再生能源，以供离网应用使用，并在可变和间歇性发电系统无法满足需求时提供备用电力。 麦吉尔大学的替代燃料实验室（AFL）正在研究解决这一技术差距的几种并行解决方案，包括使用氢和铝等金属作为可回收燃料。铝可以以紧凑和安全的形式储存能量，然后与水反应，在使用点按需产生氢气。 在这两种情况下，氢在发动机中燃烧产生动力。氢的燃烧已经研究了很多年，但仍有一些开放的研究问题。 首先是使用氢燃料对氮氧化物（NOx）排放的影响？ 这将在本项目中通过AFL高压层流火焰设施中的新激光诊断测量来解决。这些新的实验，沿着过去的研究，将用于开发和验证改进的模型，用于在发动机相关的压力下燃烧天然气混合物与氢气。 第二个问题是增加氢含量如何影响实际装置中火焰稳定的细节？ 这将通过在工业相关的湍流旋流燃烧器中使用高速激光诊断的实验来解决。 第三个问题是，氢作为清洁燃料或按需生产氢的金属-水反应堆的最佳市场准入点是什么？这些问题将通过对AFL技术和加拿大背景下的氢电解的新技术经济分析来解决。 这项工作将为增加使用氢和金属燃料作为绿色能源载体开发知识和工具，并帮助加拿大向低碳经济过渡。

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.