Energy Conversion and Management最新文献

{"title":"Transitioning towards sustainable trucking: Assessing environmental-economic suitability of alternative fuels for long-haul, heavy-duty transport","authors":"Arjun Bopaiah ,&nbsp;Rory F.D. Monaghan","doi":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121176","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121176","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heavy-duty trucks are a significant contributor to transport emissions. The transition from diesel to zero- or low-carbon renewable energy is a promising solution to decarbonising trucks. It remains unclear which low-carbon emission powertrain types are techno-economically competitive with diesel powertrains. This work conducts a comprehensive techno-economic and environmental analysis of four zero- or low-carbon emission powertrains: (1) battery electric vehicle, (2) fuel cell electric vehicle with onboard gaseous hydrogen storage, (3) fuel cell electric vehicle with onboard liquid hydrogen storage, and (4) gaseous hydrogen fuelled internal combustion engine vehicle. The total cost of ownership, well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions and the total cost of carbon abatement are evaluated for each truck type. The hourly electricity/hydrogen demand for trucks is met by modelling three different energy supply scenarios: (a) grid electricity, (b) wind, and (c) hybrid, which is a combination of wind and grid electricity compliant with the Renewable Energy Directive II. The results show that the most cost-effective zero- or low-emission trucking choice strongly depends on the energy supply scenario, large-scale stationary energy storage costs and the required driving distance of the trucks before refuelling/recharging. Battery electric vehicles are the most cost-effective trucking choice for required driving distances <span><math><mrow><mo>&lt;</mo><mn>600</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>k</mi><mi>m</mi><mo>/</mo><mi>d</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>y</mi></mrow></math></span> in the hybrid scenario. The cost of operating battery electric vehicles increases sharply with driving distances <span><math><mrow><mo>≥</mo><mn>600</mn><mspace></mspace><mi>k</mi><mi>m</mi><mo>/</mo><mi>d</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>y</mi></mrow></math></span>, and a fuel cell electric vehicle with onboard gaseous hydrogen storage provides the lowest ownership and carbon abatement costs in the hybrid scenario. The sensitivity analysis showed that higher truck fuel economy and deploying en-route refuelling stations improved the cost competitiveness of heavy-duty trucks. The findings from this study show that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and both battery and hydrogen trucks have a role in decarbonising trucks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11664,"journal":{"name":"Energy Conversion and Management","volume":"353 ","pages":"Article 121176"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146146461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Design of a regional hydrogen supply chain framework: A case study for Central America","authors":"Mario Montalvan ,&nbsp;Kaveh Khalilpour ,&nbsp;Reinhard Madlener","doi":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121172","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121172","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents a comprehensive framework for establishing a hydrogen supply chain network in Central America, encompassing Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama, in alignment with global decarbonization efforts. Utilizing Mixed Integer Linear Programming, the research assesses the techno-economic feasibility of hydrogen integration, focusing on its role in freight transportation and regional electricity supply. The findings highlight alkaline electrolysis as the preferred production method, with liquefied hydrogen and ammonia identified as optimal carriers. Costa Rica and Nicaragua emerge as key production hubs, supplying hydrogen to neighboring countries via sea transport. The estimated levelized cost of hydrogen is 10.84 USD/kg, largely driven by electricity prices, with projections indicating a reduction to 5.16 USD/kg by 2050. A comparative analysis suggests that under specific conditions, hydrogen could achieve cost parity with diesel by 2050. While acknowledging data limitations and socio-economic uncertainties, this study provides critical insights into hydrogen’s potential role in Central America’s energy transition, serving as a foundation for future research and policy development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11664,"journal":{"name":"Energy Conversion and Management","volume":"353 ","pages":"Article 121172"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146160945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative techno-economic analysis of a directly coupled production of methanol and formalin as example for improved hydrogen management in the chemical industry","authors":"Pia Münzer,&nbsp;Bruno Lacerda de Oliveira Campos,&nbsp;Ulrich Arnold,&nbsp;Jörg Sauer","doi":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121216","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121216","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the context of carbon–neutral production, sustainable H₂ will become a crucial resource and key element for the transformation of the chemical industry. In this study, the potential of inter-plant H₂ networks is demonstrated in the context of methanol and its derivatives. In order to assess the impact of the exploitation of untapped H₂-rich waste streams, a process chain for the directly coupled production of CO₂-based methanol and formaldehyde was chosen. It is shown that including a H₂ loop between a modified silver catalyst processes for formaldehyde production and the feed stream of CO₂-based methanol synthesis results in an increase in process performance as well as economic benefits. Directly coupled production leads to utilization ratios of 98% and 99% for CO₂ and H₂, respectively, while exergy efficiencies are improved by up to 4.5%pt. Economic evaluation shows that improved H₂ management not only yields savings in operational expenditures but also lowers capital investments. Over a wide range of assumed H₂ prices, small decentralized plants become more competitive when both subprocesses are directly linked. Minimum selling prices between 836 €·t⁻¹ and 852 €·t⁻¹ are reached for methanol in integrated plants, corresponding to a decrease of 3 to 13.5%pt when compared to separately operated CO₂-based methanol synthesis followed by conventional formaldehyde production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11664,"journal":{"name":"Energy Conversion and Management","volume":"353 ","pages":"Article 121216"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146186725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pyrolysis of plastics in a multi-zone reactor: system performance and characterization of oil, gas and char","authors":"Angela Amponsah Darko,&nbsp;Meryam Thulficar,&nbsp;Kevin J. Whitty","doi":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121192","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121192","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pyrolysis of plastics is typically performed using a single-stage reactor operating at one temperature, limiting opportunities to separately optimize devolatilization and vapor-phase cracking. This study evaluated a novel multi-temperature-zone approach for enhancing liquid product quality during the pyrolytic conversion of plastics. A batch reactor with six independently controlled heating zones was used to assess how sequential temperature profiles influence oil yield and viscosity of pure plastics and various plastic mixtures. Initial screening showed that exposing the solid feed to high temperatures while directing the resulting vapors through progressively cooler zones provided a favorable balance of cracking and condensation. In targeted experiments, a profile of 600 °C in the melting/vaporization section followed by staged combinations of 600 °C and 400 °C in the vapor residence section was tested to vary secondary cracking severity. Operating the reactor so the melting and vaporization section was 600 °C followed by a vapor residence profile that starts at 600 °C and cools to 400 °C delivered the best performance, significantly reducing oil viscosity while improving liquid yield and reducing production of byproduct gases and char compared with other profiles. Using this configuration, oil yields ranged from 59% to 95% depending on the composition of the plastic tested. These results demonstrate that extended and tailored vapor cracking zones promote formation of low-viscosity oils that are easier to handle, more compatible with existing refining infrastructure, and better suited for energy and chemical upgrading. The staged temperature approach therefore offers a practical pathway for increasing the value of pyrolysis products from plastic waste.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11664,"journal":{"name":"Energy Conversion and Management","volume":"353 ","pages":"Article 121192"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146186887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Heat integration aspects of exothermic biomethanation ─ A pilot reactor with shell-and-tube heat exchange capability","authors":"Nicolaas Engelbrecht ,&nbsp;Herald W. Ambrose ,&nbsp;Mads U. Sieborg ,&nbsp;Michael V.W. Kofoed","doi":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121168","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121168","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biomethane (CH₄) production from green hydrogen (H₂) is a renewable replacement for fossil natural gas. As in the case of other hydrogenation reactions, the methanation of CO₂ for biomethane production is an exothermic process, which produces heat equivalent to 23% of the converted H₂′s heating value (HHV). During the scaling and advancement of technology readiness of trickle-bed biomethanation, exothermic heat production has become apparent and needs addressing via suitable experimental development to achieve stable thermal operation. This work presents the integration of an internal heat exchanger into a pilot-scale trickle-bed reactor for the biomethanation of raw biogas as CO₂ source. Without heat integration, the performance of the reactor tested was limited to a specific CH₄ productivity of 6.9 NL_CH4 L_R^-1 d^-1, with a severe axial temperature gradient not optimal for stable thermal operation. With the active use of the heat exchanger and a feed gas pre-heating stage, the CH₄ productivity was enhanced up to 13.4 NL_CH4 L_R^-1 d^-1, with a much smaller temperature gradient (48–71°C). In the future, other external off-takers that utilize the produced reaction heat will contribute to higher overall biomethanation efficiencies. This paper therefore also presents three energy balance scenarios (i.e. theoretical, pilot experimental, and future industry-scale) that exemplify the requirements and opportunities of heat-integrated biomethanation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11664,"journal":{"name":"Energy Conversion and Management","volume":"353 ","pages":"Article 121168"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146146314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From self-sufficiency to synergy: Decarbonizing industrial park process heat with biomass steam export and grid-interactive heat pumps","authors":"Xu Luo,&nbsp;Jianjun Xia","doi":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121193","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121193","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Industrial process heat is both carbon-intensive and increasingly dependent on the power system for deep decarbonization. In the context of rising shares of renewable electricity, flexible and low-carbon heat supply solutions are urgently needed to ensure reliable and economical operation. This study develops a full-year, park-boundary optimization framework that integrates two forms of synergy: (i) grid-interactive steam-generating heat pumps with thermal storage, and (ii) cross-plant allocation and trading of biomass steam. Within this framework, cost, exergy performance, and operational flexibility are quantitatively evaluated and translated into implementable planning rules. Results show that heat pumps with storage incur a modest exergy penalty because of higher condensation temperatures and temperature-varying heat exchange. Even so, they reduce the levelized cost of heat by shifting over 70 % of electricity consumption to low-price hours. Park-level coordination outperforms mill-level self-sufficiency. Biomass steam is dispatched to high-temperature demands, whereas heat pumps upgrade external nuclear waste heat for medium- and low-temperature loads. The optimized configuration achieves a fully zero-carbon heat supply, avoids 3.63 million t of carbon dioxide emissions annually, and delivers a levelized cost of 67.7 CNY/GJ, below the 100–120 CNY/GJ cost of natural-gas boilers. Sensitivity analysis to electricity tariff structures indicates that larger peak-to-valley ratios enhance economic performance. From these findings, practical rules are derived for energy planning, biomass allocation, and SGHP configuration. The framework is transferable to other industrial parks by substituting local zero-carbon waste-heat sources and economic parameters, offering guidance for zero-carbon heat-system planning and industrial demand response.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11664,"journal":{"name":"Energy Conversion and Management","volume":"353 ","pages":"Article 121193"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146153037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Air liquefaction process in liquid air energy storage integrated with liquefied natural gas cold energy: Simulation and experiment","authors":"Chenchen Wang,&nbsp;Jinya Zhang,&nbsp;Ning Ma,&nbsp;Na Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121177","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121177","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The growing demand for efficient air liquefaction, driven by renewable energy integration and industrial needs, faces practical bottlenecks of the pressure limits of cryogenic heat exchangers (≤10 MPa) and the actual temperature range of liquefied natural gas cold energy (−145℃ to −135℃). In this study, multiple air liquefaction cycles integrated with internal (liquid air) and external (liquefied natural gas) cold energy are systematically modeled, optimized using a genetic algorithm, and experimentally validated under pressures ranging from 1 to 10 MPa. The experimental results indicate that the optimized Heylandt cycle is identified as the most efficient configuration for stand-alone liquid air energy storage, achieving a specific energy consumption of 0.3192 kWh/kg with a cold energy recovery rate of 95%. For liquefied natural gas integrated with liquid air energy storage system, the Kapitza cycle exhibits superior performance, attaining a specific energy consumption of 0.1980 kWh/kg under a liquefied natural gas flow ratio of 0.45. Experimental validation confirms that the Kapitza cycle integrated with cold energy significantly enhances the round-trip efficiency of a 50-kW system to 54.2%, with projections indicating potential efficiencies exceeding 70% for scaled 10  MW systems. This work provides the first experimentally validated optimization of air liquefaction cycles under real-world engineering constraints, bridging a critical gap between simulation and practice. The resulting framework offers a novel and scalable pathway to high-efficiency cryogenic energy storage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11664,"journal":{"name":"Energy Conversion and Management","volume":"353 ","pages":"Article 121177"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146116471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Operational optimization for joint carbon emissions reduction and SO2 removal in semi-dry flue gas desulfurization","authors":"Zichang Che ,&nbsp;Sihong Cheng ,&nbsp;Wenbo Zhang ,&nbsp;Yi Xing ,&nbsp;Wei Su","doi":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121171","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121171","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Industrial desulfurization in energy-intensive sectors entails a complex trade-off between ensuring strict pollutant removal and minimizing the associated energy and material-intensive carbon footprint. However, existing optimization strategies typically focus solely on terminal removal efficiency, often overlooking the intrinsic conflict between chemical consumption costs and macroscopic carbon emissions. This study hypothesizes that integrating mechanism-based mass transfer dynamics with specific life-cycle carbon accounting can reveal critical trade-offs for synergistic pollution control. To validate this, a synergistic optimization framework for semi-dry desulfurization was developed by coupling a steady-state dual-film efficiency model with boundary-defined carbon accounting to determine optimal trajectories under dew-point safety constraints. Results demonstrate that prioritizing water humidification minimizes calcium sorbent usage through enhanced reaction kinetics, leading to a 33.4% reduction in operational carbon emissions and a decrease of 95.2 CNY/h in costs, given that the desulfurizer dominates the carbon footprint (67.2%). Ultimately, this framework provides a quantifiable, mechanism-informed tool for low-carbon operation, offering scalable strategic guidance for industrial carbon mitigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11664,"journal":{"name":"Energy Conversion and Management","volume":"353 ","pages":"Article 121171"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146134825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the impact of PEM electrolyser degradation for green hydrogen production: Power variability and ageing effects","authors":"Ane Elizetxea-Navarro ,&nbsp;Jon Aizpuru ,&nbsp;Yerai Peña-Sanchez ,&nbsp;Manu Centeno-Telleria ,&nbsp;Ander Goikoetxea ,&nbsp;Markel Penalba","doi":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121142","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121142","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Green hydrogen is a promising alternative to fossil fuels, supported by the growing interest in electrolysers and renewable-based hydrogen production. However, limited understanding remains regarding the degradation processes affecting electrolyser performance. This paper presents a comprehensive model that integrates three primary degradation mechanisms: (1) ageing or evolutionary operational degradation, understood as time-dependent wear accumulated during operating hours; (2) dynamic operational degradation due to renewable-induced load fluctuations; and (3) shutdown-related degradation caused by frequent start-ups and shut-downs driven by renewable intermittency. The model progressively evolves from a baseline case assuming a constant operational degradation rate to a refined formulation that accounts for variable operational degradation rates and intermittent shutdowns. Results indicate that shutdown events are the dominant factor driving electrolyser degradation. When shutdown-related degradation is considered, the degradation effect increases by at least threefold compared to constant operation. Conversely, variations in operational degradation rates have a minor influence on overall system performance. Over a 25-year wind-electrolysis plant lifetime, the number of required electrolysers changes by approximately 50% when shutdown effects are neglected and only 15% when they are included. The interaction of degradation mechanisms leads to non-linear effects and unpredictable trends, underscoring the importance of integrating all relevant degradation factors into system modelling and lifecycle assessment. The findings highlight the need for more precise experimental data to refine degradation rate estimations. Nevertheless, the proposed model provides the flexibility to incorporate updated parameters as new data become available, offering a robust framework for performance prediction and strategic planning in green hydrogen systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11664,"journal":{"name":"Energy Conversion and Management","volume":"353 ","pages":"Article 121142"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146186588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Electrification of gasification-based chemical recycling – A techno-economic assessment","authors":"Antonia Helf ,&nbsp;Florian Keller ,&nbsp;Martin Gräbner","doi":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121181","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121181","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gasification-based chemical recycling can be one of the key technologies to close the carbon loop on non-recyclable plastic waste as well as other challenging waste streams in order to reduce emissions and provide carbon to the chemical industry. However, gasification process chains exhibit limited carbon recovery to products due to intrinsic CO₂ production. This can be counteracted by electrification, either by integration of plasma into the gasification or by integration of electrolytic hydrogen into the process chain. For a representative plastic waste sorting residue stream, these electrification pathways are compared to non-electrified gasification and assessed from a techno-economic perspective based on thermodynamic modeling. The results show that electrification has the potential to increase carbon recovered to the main product by 30 to 47%pts., with almost full recovery possible for hydrogen. Economically, plasma gasification is favorable, showing 20% higher net present value, while a 50% reduction in net present value was identified for hydrogen, both in comparison to the non-electrified reference case. Additionally, plasma gasification was found to have the lowest levelized cost of production of around 635<!--> <!-->€/t of methanol of all electrified cases. As a key influencing parameter, cost of electricity is identified. These findings indicate that plasma integration into waste gasification process chains is a promising pathway for future low-emission waste management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11664,"journal":{"name":"Energy Conversion and Management","volume":"353 ","pages":"Article 121181"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146186726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}