Doctoral Dissertations

Keywords and Phrases

Feedstock; Tri-generation

Abstract

"Countries around the world are trying to reduce their energy consumption, fossil fuel usage, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the International Energy Outlook 2012 released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the estimated fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards proposed for light-duty vehicles for model years 2017-2025 has an increase of 44% in fuel economy and a reduction of 34% in GHG emissions. The use of alternative fuel vehicles and renewable energy sources are, therefore, inevitable toward achieving this goal. Biogas has untapped potential as an alternative energy source. This immediately available resource would allow countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and reliance on fossil fuels. This energy source is created by the anaerobic digestion of a feedstock. Sources for feedstock include organic and inorganic wastes, agricultural wastes, animal by-products, and industrial wastes, each a renewable energy source. A fuel cell can utilize the methane present in biogas using integrated heat, power, and hydrogen systems. A study was performed on both energy flow and resource availability to ascertain not only the type but also the source of feedstock needed to run a fuel cell system continuously while maintaining maximum capacity. A hydrogen fueling infrastructure was also created for the northeastern United States. The infrastructure is to be implemented between 2013 and 2025. The design itself gives priority to customer convenience with minimal additional investments. Extensive research has been done on a generating hydrogen supply from factories and other potential sources that can satisfy the demand in that region. Several markers (e.g., population density, traffic density, legislations, and growth patterns) have driven the process of estimation of the demand."--Abstract, page iv.

Advisor(s)

Midha, A. (Ashok)
Sheffield, John W.

Committee Member(s)

Chandrashekhara, K.
Samaranayake, V. A.
Landers, Robert G.

Department(s)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Degree Name

Ph. D. in Mechanical Engineering

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Spring 2015

Journal article titles appearing in thesis/dissertation

  • Molten carbonate fuel cell combined heat, hydrogen and power system: Feedstock analysis
  • A design for hydrogen production and dispensing for northeastern United States, along with its Infrastructural development timeline

Pagination

x, 74 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographic references.

Rights

© 2015 Yousif M. H. Hamad, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Hydrogen as fuel
Infrastructure (Economics)
Renewable energy sources
Molten carbonate fuel cells
Hydrogen cars
Biogas

Thesis Number

T 10715

Electronic OCLC #

913394384

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