The applied usage and modeling of activated carbon storage systems
Abstract
[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Storage of natural gas by adsorption or Adsorbed Natural Gas (ANG) has the potential to emerge as a viable option to relieve a major share of the transportation industry’s energy needs. However in spite of the many advantages associated with ANG storage methods over liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) there are some design concerns that must be properly addressed on the performance of charge and discharge cycles on and ANG system. One major problem with ANG technologies is the thermal effects during adsorption and desorption phenomena as it tends to have a negative effect on storage capacities. At the level of the storage bed, the release of significant heat during adsorption and cooling during desorption has detrimental effects on the performance of the storage system. Hence, in order to design an ANG storage system, the vessel’s heat and mass transfer properties must be carefully managed and controlled to maximize the performance of the bed. With the intentions of improving the understanding of the mass and energy transport within the ANG storage system, a 1D model was developed as a means to simulate charging and discharge cycles within the ANG tank. A major innovation from current literature in ANG is the use of parametric studies to effectively model mass and energy transfer in a commercial bus or commercial truck fleets. Predictable daily routes of these vehicles would make the use of ANG very favorable for managing the thermal effects during the operating conditions during both charging and discharging. Various usage scenarios and parameters are used to monitor mass and energy transfer and tank cycling within the system as a part of daily usage scenarios. Adsorbent materials, thermodynamic properties for carbon bed are also quantitatively measured from experimental uptake data for methane on ALL-CRAFT activated carbons at temperatures ranging from 223-298 K and pressures up to 700 psia to analyze the ability of ALL-CRAFT carbons in these usage scenarios. Employing the proposed simulations and thermodynamic approaches, this thesis examines the theoretical framework for adsorption applying fundamentals of adsorption and desorption for the charge and discharge processes of an ANG storage system for understanding the behaviors of natural gas in an ANG vessel.
Degree
M.S.
Thesis Department
Rights
Access is limited to the campuses of the University of Missouri.