Decarbonization Potential of Hydrogen-Enriched Natural Gas (HENG)-Fueled Boilers in Industrial Applications

With the increase in global warming, energy-intensive industries are transitioning towards decarbonization, with green hydrogen emerging as the best alternative for cleaner energy sources. Despite the potential of green hydrogen to replace fossil fuels such as natural gas as the primary heating source in boilers, several challenges related to economics and safety prevent its large-scale applications. Thus, hydrogen blending with natural gas, known as HENG for boiler fuel, has gained significant attention in recent years due to its carbon reduction potential, comparable heating values and promising economic cost. This research analyzed the fuel characteristics, thermodynamic properties, CO2 reduction potential, and boiler fuel cost for different concentrations of hydrogen (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% & 100%) in HENG for boiler in dairy industries. Adding hydrogen significantly changed the fuel properties while showing an efficient decarbonization capability by reducing CO2 in the exhaust gas from 11.74% to 0% but simultaneously increasing fuel cost by 6 folds. A 40-60% addition of hydrogen in HENG was found to be optimal, considering the trade-offs between economics and carbon emissions. This study provides new insights for using HENG as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective fuel for boilers while considering explosion hazards and effective material selection.