Demonstration of an Advanced Hydrogen-flexible gas engine delivering Zero-Emissions power for a prosperous California (Project TAH2ØE)
Project Update
The project was executed in May 2024. Since then, the recipient has been finalizing subrecipient agreements and recruiting the technical advisory committee members.
The Issue
Low-carbon fuels such as hydrogen have emerged as a potential means to accelerate the transition to a cleaner economy, providing a pathway by which greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are concentrated upstream, where they can be more easily mitigated, while sectors downstream (e.g., heavy duty transportation, commercial and industrial heat) are electrified or fed with alternative clean fuels. Technological solutions that enable hydrogen switching often come at a trade-off between performance, cost, and emissions (e.g., increasing oxides of nitrogen (NOx)).
Project Innovation
Noble Thermodynamic Systems’ Argon Power Cycle is a retrofittable thermodynamic power cycle technology that uses argon – a noble, non-reactive gas – to replace nitrogen in air. It is a closed-loop process by which the thermodynamic efficiency of the reciprocating, internal combustion engine is radically increased, the generation of air pollutants (e.g., unburned hydrocarbons and NOx) is eliminated, and 100% of the produced carbon dioxide is efficiently captured. This retrofit solution is designed to facilitate a seamless and on-demand transition from 100% fossil gas to 100% hydrogen, and any blend in between and will enable the substitution of conventional fuels (e.g., fossil gas) with hydrogen at no trade off with emissions, performance, and durability. When fed with 100% hydrogen, the technology is rendered a mechanical equivalent to a fuel cell, with comparable or superior cleanliness and efficiency, but at a small fraction of the cost due to the relatively conventional, mass-produced mechanical components. This novel technology represents a paradigm shift in zero-carbon power solutions by providing affordable zero-emission power while improving the financial performance of existing assets through retrofitting.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
Overall, this project will result in improved local air quality by directly reducing GHG and NOx emissions from power generation. Further GHG emissions reduction will be achieved, because increased dispatchability and energy storage will enable the deeper penetration of renewable energy sources with the associated displacement of fossil sources. Benefits of improved grid reliability can be realized through reducing risk of blackouts and power outages by increasing the supply of dispatchable assets to the grid to prevent or mitigate the impact of scheduled power outages and blackouts. The technology will also contribute to reduced water consumption and economic benefits while increasing affordable access to clean energy. This would be achieved by providing a generator that not only does not consume water but generates water as a process byproduct. Economically, the benefits could come from the creation of local jobs related to the construction, operation, and maintenance of the plants alongside increased opportunity for local suppliers and service providers to do business with the power plant.
Affordability
Reducing the cost of clean power infrastructure and minimizing the risk of stranded investments in power generation for California ratepayers can be achieved by increasing electrical generation efficiency and ensuring the affordability of the Argon Power Cycle generator. This will greatly benefit disadvantaged and low-income communities, where energy affordability is closely linked to energy access.
Energy Security
This project will benefit ratepayers by decreasing the State's reliance on imported oil, gas, and fossil-based electricity to meet energy demands by increasing the efficiency of the State’s power generation fleet while enabling the use of locally-produced clean hydrogen.
Environmental Sustainability
Reducing greenhouse gas and oxides of nitrogen emissions from power generation improves air quality and public health in disadvantaged and low-income communities, which are often located in close proximity to heavy industrial hubs and suffer the most from local air pollution.
Reliability
Reliability: Increasing the supply of distributed and dispatchable assets to the grid will help prevent or reduce the impact of planned outages and blackouts, thereby enhancing public safety and boosting economic productivity.
Key Project Members
Subrecipients
Match Partners
