Werkwijze voor het bereiden van een waterstofrijke gasstroom en toepassing daarvan voor de bereiding van ammoniak

Hydrocarbon and water are supplied to the anode (2) in a solid fuel cell (1), whilst oxygen is supplied to the cathode (3) to form synthesis gas. Carbon monoxide is converted into carbon dioxide, leaving a hydrogen-rich flow of gas with a low water vapor content. A method for preparing a hydrogen-rich gas stream (B) comprises the conversion of a hydrocarbon fuel in the presence of water and/or oxygen at high temperature.Technology, Policy and Managemen

Process system innovation by design: Towards a sustainable petrochemical industry

Technology, Policy and Managemen

METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF AMMONIA

Abstract of WO 9733828 (A1) The invention relates to a method for the production of ammonia, wherein a hydrogen-comprising discharge flow is utilized for the depletion of oxygen in air. Subsequently the oxygen-depleted air is - as nitrogen-comprising flow - brought into contact with water gas, which is the hydrogen - comprising flow. Oxygen depletion is carried out with the aid of a fuel cell installation (2). The method according to the invention is energy-savin

Modeling for transition management

A framework for the modeling and simulation of transitions is presented. A transition, “substantial change in the state of a socio-technical system”, typically unfolds over a long timespan. We therefore suggest to use simulation to inform transition managers on the effect of their decisions. Transition models preferably meet five functional requirements: to allow for the representation of physical and social components, for material and immaterial interactions, to allow the system structure to change, to compute transition indicators and to capture the effect of interventions. Modeling the decarbonization of the power sector illustrates that an agent-based model allows us to let both the content and the structure of a system to emerge in a simulation.Engineering, Systems and ServicesTechnology, Policy and Managemen

On the Impact of CO2 Emission-Trading on Power Generation Emissions

Under the Kyoto Protocol, governments agreed on and accepted CO2 reduction targets in order to counter climate change. In Europe one of the main policy instruments to meet the agreed reduction targets is CO2 emission-trading (CET), which was implemented as of January 2005. In this system, companies active in specific sectors must be in the possession of CO2 emission rights to an amount equal to their CO2 emission. In Europe, electricity generation accounts for one-third of CO2 emissions. Since the power generation sector, has been liberalized, reregulated and privatized in the last decade, around Europe autonomous companies determine the sectors? CO2 emission. Short-term they adjust their operation, long-term they decide on (dis)investment in power generation facilities and technology selection. An agent-based model is presented to elucidate the effect of CET on the decisions of power companies in an oligopolistic market. Simulations over an extensive scenario-space show that there CET does have an impact. A long-term portfolio shift towards less-CO2 intensive power generation is observed. However, the effect of CET is relatively small and materializes late. Under most scenarios the absolute emissions from power generation rise under most scenarios. This corresponds to the dominant character of current capacity expansion planned in the Netherlands (50%) and in Germany (68%), where companies have announced many new coal based power plants. Coal is the most CO2 intensive option available and it seems surprising that even after the introduction of CET these capacity expansion plans indicate a preference for coal. Apparently in power generation the economic effect of CO2 emission-trading is not sufficient to outweigh the economic incentives to choose for coal.Infrastructures, Systems and ServicesTechnology, Policy and Managemen

Resilience and adaptability of infrastructures: A complex adaptive systems perspective

While we rely on the continuous functioning of infrastructures such as water, electricity and Internet, 100% uptime is not possible. Infrastructure systems must therefore be resilient – they must be capable of flexing in response to disruptions and recovering quickly. In this paper we explore options for supporting infrastructure resilience from a complex adaptive systems perspective. Building on work from the field of social-ecological systems, we introduce a novel definition of infrastructure resilience - the capacity to manage shifts between attractors in infrastructure operation. We define adaptability as the capacity to manage shifts between attractors in infrastructure evolution. To explore the usefulness of these definitions, we introduce a simulation model of an electricity network exposed to perturbations in its environment. The results of this model demonstrate how an evolutionary-level attractor shift leads to greater resilience of the modeled infrastructure. This model and the elaborated definitions can help to guide the development of future models for supporting infrastructure resilience and adaptability in line with a complex adaptive systems perspective.Infrastructures, Systems and ServicesTechnology, Policy and Managemen

Method of operating a molten carbonate fuel cell, a fuel cell, a fuel cell stack and an apparatus provided therewith

A method of operating a molten carbonate fuel cell having an anode and a cathode and in between a matrix comprising molten carbonate. Carbon dioxide is introduced into the matrix at a distance from the cathode. This greatly reduces the cathode's deterioration and in the system design increases the control potential of the fuel cell. A fuel cell or a fuel cell stack using said method. Method of generating electricity in a fuel cell, wherein water and carbonaceous material are heated at high temperature, yielding hydrogenous gas for the anode. The hydrogenous depleted gas from the anode is supplied with oxygenous gas and at least partially oxidized, producing heat for heat exchange with the water and carbonaceous material. Installation comprising a reform unit and a fuel cell using said method.Technology, Policy and Managemen

On the development of Agent-Based Models for infrastructure evolution

Infrastructure systems for energy, water, transport, information etc. are large scale socio-technical systems that are critical for achieving a sustainable world. They were not created at the current global scale at once, but have slowly evolved from simple local systems, through many social and technical decisions. If we are to understand them and manage them sustainably, we need to capture their full diversity and adaptivity in models that respect Ashby's law of requisite variety. Models of evolving complex systems must themselves be evolving complex systems that can not be created from scratch but must be grown from simple to complex. This paper presents a socio-technical evolutionary modeling process for creating evolving, complex agent based models for understanding the evolution of large scale socio-technical systems such as infrastructures. It involves the continuous co-evolution and improvement of a social process for model specification, the technical design of a modular simulation engine, the encoding of formalized knowledge and collection of relevant facts. In the paper we introduce the process design, the requirements for guiding the evolution of the modeling process and illustrate the process for Agent Based Model development by showing a series of ever more complex models.Section Energy and IndustryTechnology, Policy and Managemen

Diffusion: Key to Horticulture Innovation Systems

Horticulture, a pillar of the Dutch economy, has already achieved remarkable productivity increases through the use of natural gas for heating, lighting and CO2. Further innovative technologies that could aid the transition toward sustainable energy use, including heat/cold storage and deepgeothermal heat sources, are currently in development and spreading. However, there is a need to better understand the processes of technology diffusion in this industrial cluster to help stakeholders retain their competitive advantage and establish the best way to influence the energy future in the region and in the sector. This presentation discusses the experimental results of a series of agent based models of the greenhouse horticulture sector in the Netherlands, simulating the technological innovation decisions of greenhouse growers. Surveys of greenhouse growers suggest that innovation decisions are made on the basis of personal experience and information shared from other growers. In the model, each greenhouse grower must learn how to operate a greenhouse by evaluating their repertoire of technologies, exchanging information with other growers about their technological evaluations and purchasing new technologies to augment, expand or replace the existing selection. The interactions of greenhouse growers and the flow of information between them lead to emergent patterns, including diversity, adaption and complexity, in the diffusion of technologies throughout the community. These emergent patterns of diffusion indicate that technological innovations develop and spread according to evolutionary mechanisms, suggesting that influencing, supporting or advocating the diffusion of sustainable technologies in this sector must also follow evolutionary mechanisms. As an evolving system, the reality of technology, innovation and transitions may require new approaches to management that work with, rather than against, the properties of evolving systems. Survey results, horticulture cluster background, model design and simulation results will be presented and implications for regional industrial management are discussed.Infrastructures, Systems and ServicesTechnology, Policy and Managemen

Integration of Life Cycle Assessment Into Agent-Based Modeling: Toward Informed Decisions on Evolving Infrastructure Systems

A method is presented that allows for a life cycle assessment (LCA) to provide environmental information on an energy infrastructure system while it evolves. Energy conversion facilities are represented in an agent-based model (ABM) as distinct instances of technologies with owners capable of making decisions based on economic and environmental information. This simulation setup allows us to explore the dynamics of assembly, disassembly, and use of these systems, which typically span decades, and to analyze the effect of using LCA information in decision making. We were able to integrate a simplified LCA into an ABM by aligning and connecting the data structures that represent the energy infrastructure and the supply chains from source to sink. By using an appropriate database containing life cycle inventory (LCI) information and by solving the scaling factors for the technology matrix, we computed the contribution to global warming in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents in the form of a single impact indicator for each instance of technology at each discrete simulation step. These LCAs may then serve to show each agent the impact of its activities at a global level, as indicated by its contribution to climate change. Similar to economic indicators, the LCA indicators may be fed back to the simulated decision making in the ABM to emulate the use of environmental information while the system evolves. A proof of concept was developed that is illustrated for a simplified LCA and ABM used to generate and simulate the evolution of a bioelectricity infrastructure system.Infrastructures, Systems and ServicesTechnology, Policy and Managemen