Life cycle analysis of HCNG light-duty vehicle demonstration project

Resumen

The demonstration is an effective initiative to bridge the gap between a premature technology and its largescale
commercialization. A systematic method of LCA was used to perform the well-to-wheel analysis of a
CNG light-duty truck operated with 0%, 15%, and 30% blends of hydrogen with compressed natural gas fuel
under the system boundary of “per vehicle km”. The GREET simulation was performed on GREET_1 (Excel
Series_2017) to evaluate hydrogen production pathways with numerous parametric assumptions adopted to
base the study in the context of China. Resource use, fossil energy use, GHG emission, and major air pollutants
namely and PM were studied. The idea was to demonstrate the effects of hydrogen addition
throughout the entire fuel cycle of end-use of HCNG in an LDV. The hydrogen blend of 30% with
conventional CNG decreased the well-to-wheel GHG emission compared with 0%HCNG by 32.982%,
29.275%, and 9.694% with hydrogen pathways such as solar, biomass, and coke oven gas, respectively.
Moreover, for 30%HCNG (Conv.NG), the well-to-wheel total energy consumption was increased by
15.176%, and 15.719% for solar and biomass-based pathways, respectively. However, although the energy
consumption was increased for solar and biomass-based 15%HCNG and 30%HCNG pathways compared
with 0%HCNG, the feedstock used was renewable and qualitatively cleaner. The worst scenario was found in
the form of 30%HCNG (Conv.NG) with grid electrolysis pathway which showed 60.648% increment in
WTW GHG and 75.479% increment in WTW total energy compared with baseline 0%HCNG (Conv.NG).
The booming renewable electricity generation and availability of a tremendous amount of coke oven gas as
by-products from coking industries in China can establish a prospective platform for sustainable hydrogen
economy in China and is supposed to promote the commercialization of HCNG vehicles in future.
Keywords: demonstration, life cycle analysis, , well-to-wheel, LDV, GREET