On the economics of producing methane using H2 in the coal hydrogenation to methane technology
Thread Content
The technology for producing methane through coal hydrogenation requires H2 as a reactant. However, H2 is already a relatively clean gaseous fuel, and its heat value per unit mass is also higher than that of methane (the heat value of methane is 50.07 MJ/Kg)； The calorific value of natural gas is: 88 MJ/Kg ； The calorific value of hydrogen is 1560 MJ/Kg; then why is H2 still used to produce methane? Moreover, the production of H2 is very difficult. Or, considering transportation and storage safety, methane, or natural gas, is more reliable than H2. Additionally, in terms of heat value per unit volume, methane or natural gas indeed has a higher value than H2. (The high calorific value of methane is 39,829 KJ/m3, while its low calorific value is 35,807 KJ/m3; the high calorific value of hydrogen is 12,789 KJ/m3, and its low calorific value is 10,779 KJ/m3.) I hope to discuss this with all of you who are interested in this topic.
First of all, hydrogen is prone to explosion; it’s not safe!
I can only consider the potential risks associated with H2 in terms of transportation and storage safety. Is that the only reason?
Is the calorific value of hydrogen higher than that of methane? Go back and check it properly again.
It is clearly stated in the original post that the heat value per unit mass of H2 is higher than that of CH4, while the heat value per unit volume of CH4 is higher than that of H2
Just the aspect of transportation and storage alone is enough to determine that hydrogen is not suitable for commodity trading
Hydrogen has a lower combustion value per unit volume than methane, which results in higher costs for materials used in storage and transportation, as well as greater risks
The use of hydrogen energy is the cleanest option for humanity, but due to its low energy density, it does not have any advantages in traditional systems where chemical energy is first converted into thermal energy and then into mechanical energy. Developing hydrogen fuel cells is one possible solution, but the key issue is that fuel cells are still a long way from being widely used; therefore, at present the use of hydrogen remains more of an ideal concept. Furthermore, the storage, transportation, and use of hydrogen present significant challenges; its corrosiveness, hazards, low energy density, and difficulty in transportation all pose considerable difficulties. Given that the advantages in terms of energy conversion are not significant, the use of hydrogen has followed the traditional approach. It is hoped that new ways of utilizing hydrogen can be found in the future, so that it can be promoted and applied as soon as possible.
The calorific value of methane gas is 35.9 MJ, while that of hydrogen gas is 12.80 MJ