Onboard Dynamics
Unique, Patented Natural Gas Compression Technology for Driving Down Emissions
Onboard Dynamics’ products and services allow their customers to adopt best practices for performing evacuations of natural gas during pipeline operations, recovering methane from a variety of sources, and transportation refueling of natural gas fleet vehicles.
Read the full story at American CNG here >>
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign owns and operates approximately 22 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline bringing the fuel to Abbott Power Plant and portions of campus from a connection with Kinder Morgan NGPL near Monticello, IL. Pipeline safety regulations required the university to install new equipment at the pipeline take point to protect the pipeline from overpressure and allow it to be internally inspected…
Read the full story at USDI >>
Getting a spacecraft to Mars, we’ve done that. But getting home, especially with passengers onboard? Those who study such a mission have concluded that it is not feasible to carry enough fuel (along with cargo) to make the return trip possible. And a one-way ticket is not likely to provoke enough commercial interest. The only solution seems to be to manufacture a very energy-dense fuel and oxidizer (oxygen) on Mars itself. Fortunately, Mars has CO2 and water. Using solar and/or nuclear energy and Martian water, both hydrogen and oxygen (required for the rocket, but also personally useful) can be produced on-site via electrolysis. The hydrogen could then be combined with Martian CO2 to produce methane, which is an ideal fuel for the return trip. An excellent description of this whole system as envisioned for the SpaceX Starship, including why methane is the best fuel even for the outbound trip to Mars, is found here.
If it is attractive to make methane on Mars from zero-carbon energy because it is so energy-dense, might we use methane in this manner to carry and store energy in a future, net-zero energy system on Earth? Many researchers feel that methane constructed from atmospheric CO2 and water, so-called e-methane, could, for a variety of reasons, boost our transition to net zero. Let’s take a closer look at e-methane, sometimes also called synthetic methane.
We usually think of methane as a source of energy because it is a major component of natural gas, in which form it supplies about one third of our nation’s energy. But in our evolving “net zero” energy system, methane is likely to play an equally important role as a carrier and storehouse of renewable, non-fossil and nuclear energy. As an energy carrier, e-methane is like electricity in that it is a way to move energy from one location and source to another location and use. An obvious difference between the two ways to move energy is that electricity is carried in conductive wires while methane is carried in pipes.
As an energy storehouse, e-methane is unique because it does not require costly and inefficient conversion to/from another form as does electricity when stored in batteries (electrical to chemical for storage, then chemical to electrical for use). We’ll discuss this storage role and associated technologies in a future article. Here, we will focus on carbon-neutral and carbon-negative ways to produce e-methane.
If methane did not occur “naturally” (e.g., “natural” gas), its invention would likely be heralded as one of the greatest of all time. Why is this? Because methane is an extremely effective and flexible way to “carry” energy from one location and source to another location and use.
We all know that electricity can be made from a variety of energy sources (coal, nuclear, solar, wind, etc.), at a variety of costs and environmental impacts. We are generally less familiar with the alternatives for producing methane, other than from its most familiar source, natural gas.
Let’s start with looking at why one would want to use methane to “carry” energy that originates from a non-natural gas source.
Of course, gaining these benefits from a methane transmission/distribution system requires associated diligence. Pipelines can release methane, a known greenhouse gas, if damaged by accident or poor maintenance. But this risk is like that created in our other, primary energy transmission/distribution system, the electrical grid, which can cause fires if lines are downed by accident, poor maintenance, or natural disasters. It is unlikely we can have the benefits of reliable, abundant energy without assuming some level of risk and responsibility.
The above considerations suggest that there are advantages in distributing energy in the form of molecules (e.g., methane), instead of considering only electrons (electricity). But before considering how we can produce a molecular energy carrier we need to understand that methane is not the only molecule that can carry zero-carbon energy. The hydrogen molecule, H2, is another way to bundle zero carbon energy from, for example, solar or wind energy, to transport from one location and source to another location and use. A typical model of such a scenario is shown below where renewable energy is converted to electricity, which is used in an electrolyzer to produce hydrogen from water. This molecular hydrogen can then be moved in gaseous form via pipeline or high pressure tank or liquified via refrigeration for transport by ship or truck. At an end use, the hydrogen could be used to produce electricity via a fuel cell, burned to produce heat or fuel a truck or plane, or in a variety of chemical processes to produce any number of other materials and chemicals, including e-methane.
Producing e-methane from hydrogen can be done by methanation (also referred to as the Sabatier reaction), an established industrial process that reacts hydrogen with CO2 as follows:
The CO2 could be from any source, but in a clean energy cycle, it would be removed from the atmosphere or a flue gas. By sourcing the required CO2 in such manner, the produced e-methane could simply be burned at the end use in the same type of combustion appliances as traditional natural gas burning equipment (with slight modifications to reflect different thermodynamic properties). This hydrogen production/use scenario results in a net-zero energy cycle. If the CO2 were captured at the end use (using, for example, an established process such as an amine wash or any of a variety of new ones under development), the overall process would be carbon-negative. In this scenario, we are essentially using a single carbon atom to “carry” four hydrogen atoms. At the end use, the four hydrogen atoms are combined (i.e., burned) with oxygen to produce water and the same amount of CO2 that was captured in the initial methanation step…. a carbon neutral energy process.
A Belgian company, Tree Energy Solutions, has proposed a complete energy production and transport system to enable Germany to replace Russian natural gas with e-methane produced by solar energy from sunny regions of the world… essentially carrying sunlight to Germany 24/7/365 via e-methane. The e-methane component allows this supply system to grow and merge in parallel with existing and near-term LNG transport and natural gas distribution infrastructure. Over time, the percentage of e-methane would be increased to result in the evolution of a zero-carbon, gaseous energy system.
A new energy architecture that not only helps preserve our current world but takes us to a new one: e-methane has a promising role. And just as we need a robust, reliable electrical grid to realize the distribution benefits of electricity, we need a robust, reliable methane pipeline network to realize the distribution and storage benefits that e-methane will provide us. And the good news is that it is already in place.
Could it be that yet another technology from our space program, just like solar photovoltaic cells and fuel cells, would be key to enabling our zero-carbon future?
Jeff is the Technical Advisor/Co-founder of Onboard Dynamics. He is an experienced entrepreneur, having founded or co-founded two companies in the energy and software industries before co-founding Onboard Dynamics.
Excerpt from Partnership for Energy Progress:
As a nation, we have set a goal of fighting climate change to preserve and protect our planet. To be “carbon neutral” by 2050, it’s crucial to have a robust, leak-free gas distribution system to complement and supplement renewable energy sources and exploit new forms of zero-carbon and carbon-negative gases, such as renewable natural gas and hydrogen…
Read the guest blog post by Rita Hansen, CEO, Onboard Dynamics here >>
Methane is a greenhouse gas (GHG) that contributes to global warming. If we are to manage our global inventory of GHG’s, we must learn to balance the concentration of methane in the atmosphere, along with other GHG’s like carbon dioxide (CO2). Balancing methane concentration requires that we understand both the risks and potential benefits of the role of methane in our ever-evolving net-zero energy system.
In this article, we will attempt to re-frame the discussion about the future of methane in all its forms and sources. In future articles, we’ll dig into the details of some of the ideas presented here. For our society to prosper and thrive while meeting our environmental goals we believe that methane must be able to play an essential role going forward.
Methane is traditionally thought of as an energy source produced by drilling into the ground whose value is primarily gained via combustion, thereby producing atmospheric CO2 as a by-product. (This ignores its use in making fertilizer, plastics, and other chemicals, but this is not the primary focus of this discussion.) Because it is produced from finite, geologic sources, its cost will be ever increasing as supplies become harder to extract.
Methane is most economical and practical when it is transported via underground pipeline and stored for seasonal use in numerous ways, but especially in certain natural underground “reservoirs”. Other methods of shipping methane as a liquid (also known as LNG) or highly compressed gas (CNG) can also be economically attractive, especially where methane’s clean environmental profile is valued (compared to coal, for example, for producing electricity). Finally, methane can be very attractive as a clean, inexpensive transportation fuel (especially for trucks).
Methane is an industrial chemical/energy system component that serves as a low/zero carbon energy source as well as a clean/renewable energy carrier and storage system. It is a molecule that occurs naturally but can also be produced at industrial scale.
Methane can be produced at an industrial scale by taking carbon dioxide (extracted from the atmosphere or other sources) and combining it with hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water. If the electrolysis process is powered by electricity from a carbon-neutral source, such as solar, wind, or nuclear, the resulting methane is also carbon neutral even if it is combusted without carbon capture at the end use.
Natural sources of methane include geologic deposits (i.e., natural gas); but also, many animals, bogs, and swamps; and coal seams (whether mined or not). Among animals, domesticated cattle are frequently cited as a major source, but, in fact, most herbivores from elephants to humans to termites also release methane. Common human commercial infrastructure, such as landfills and wastewater treatment plants, also release methane. Clearly, we cannot stop all methane releases into the atmosphere, so the issue is how they are managed to meet environmental and economic goals.
Methane can be a zero carbon, and even “negative” carbon, when envisioned as part of a net-zero energy system depending on its source and the technology through which the methane is converted to useful energy (such as heat, mechanical power, and/or electricity). Just as electricity can be carbon intensive or carbon neutral, based on how it is produced and used, so is the case with methane.
Today, carbon negative methane is widely produced around the world from decomposing organic matter such as agricultural wastes (e.g., dairy manure), landfills, and wastewater treatment plants. Because methane from these sources would otherwise naturally escape into the atmosphere, capturing, cleaning, and shipping this methane in the form of renewable natural gas (RNG) is widely considered to be a form of carbon-negative methane.
Zero-carbon methane can be produced on an industrial scale by combining CO2 from the air with hydrogen that is produced via electrolysis driven by renewable or nuclear energy. In this scenario, the CO2 that is produced when the methane is burned is “recycled” as a carrier of the hydrogen. There are various process schemes that can be employed to produce methane in this general manner. Terms used to describe such zero-carbon methane include e-methane, synthetic natural gas (SNG) and methanated hydrogen. In these energy pathways, methane is simply carrying energy as a molecule, whereas electricity carries energy as an electron.
It is much easier to store methane’s molecular energy, especially longer-term seasonally, than to store electrical (electron) energy. Methane simply needs an impermeable enclosure, such as a naturally occurring, subterranean salt dome or depleted natural gas reservoir that is not subject to significant deterioration over time. The technical reason for this ease of storage is that the methane is stored in original form without needing conversion to other temporary storage media. There are currently over 400 such underground storage facilities in the US. Electricity, in contrast, needs a highly engineered and costly battery, in some cases comprising expensive (frequently toxic and flammable) materials that degrade over time. To be stored in a battery, the electrical energy needs to go through two conversions: from electrical (moving electrons) to chemical then back to electrical. The conversions are expensive and result in energy losses.
There are several reasons why one might want to use synthetic methane to “carry” hydrogen energy:
In thinking about such “new methane” scenarios, it can be helpful if we simply think of methane as just another industrial chemical. Like most industrial chemicals, it affords benefits to society, but also risks. One could list hundreds, if not thousands, of other chemicals that fit this description: lead, mercury, alcohols, benzines, chlorine, radio-active isotopes, thousands of drugs…. as well as various sources of radiation such as X-rays and UV light. These chemicals are regulated to ensure their social benefits outweigh their risks. We need to start to view methane, either synthetic or natural, in the same way.
For this reason, our vision of methane in the future needs to be:
Jeff is the Technical Advisor/Co-founder of Onboard Dynamics. He is an experienced entrepreneur, having founded or co-founded two companies in the energy and software industries before co-founding Onboard Dynamics.
The Southern Gas Association announced the winning presentations for the 2022 Innovative Tech forum. Onboard Dynamics was chosen for their patented, innovative GoVACTM FLEX system which helps pipeline operators safely, and cleanly evacuate natural gas pipelines.
The GoVACTM FLEX is a portable, self-contained natural gas pipeline evacuation system. The patented integrated combustion engine runs on a small portion of the natural gas that is being compressed. Without the need for external power sources, such as diesel-powered air compressors. This design results in a low-carbon and emissions footprint during pipeline evacuations. The system can transfer recovered natural gas to either an adjacent pipeline or a tube trailer and/or a CNG storage pod. This system is small enough to be towed by standard pickup, making it easy to maneuver around job sites and be quickly deployed to field operations.
Southern Gas Association’s Innovative Tech Forum celebrates natural gas innovation. The forum is a dynamic tech fest dedicated to product and service discovery and highlights all the ways innovative thinking and innovative technology can build a better and cleaner energy future for all of us. Focusing on innovation, SGA Associate Members who submitted proposals will have an opportunity to showcase their cutting-edge solutions with the SGA Operating Member community in a 15-minute live technology presentation with live Q&A during the 2022 Management Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
The panel of Industry Judges included SGA’s Board Executive Committee and our 32 Board Directors.
The winning presentations at the Innovative Tech Forum equip the industry with the equipment and practices necessary to allow the world to meet rising energy demand achieving climate aspirations.