Quantification of Hydrogen Emission Rates Using Downwind Plume Characterization Techniques
Ahmad Momeni, J. D. Albertson, Scott C. Herndon, Conner Daube, David D. Nelson, Joseph Roscioli, Joanne Shorter, Elizabeth Lunny, Rick Wehr, Greeshma Gadikota, Yuanfeng Cui, Tianyi Sun
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Fugitive and operational hydrogen (H 2 ) emissions have been shown to offset the intended climate benefits of H 2 as a decarbonization tool because H 2 indirectly causes warming through atmospheric chemistry. However, little is known about the magnitude of value-chain H 2 emissions due to a lack of empirical measurements, the unavailability of precise, fast sensor technology, and the lack of established methods for emission quantification. In this study, a novel prototype H 2 sensor was deployed in a state-of-the-art mobile laboratory to demonstrate that H 2 emissions can be accurately quantified using downwind measurement techniques and analytics commonly used for other gases. A series of controlled H 2 release experiments were conducted with the corelease of multiple tracer gases. Tracer flux ratio and physics-based Bayesian plume model inversion methodologies were used to quantify the H 2 emission rates. We show that the H 2 sensor detects parts-per-billion or higher concentration enhancements downwind of the H 2 emission source within seconds, and the similar plume structures of H 2 and tracer gases confirm their codispersion in the atmosphere. This enables the quantification of H 2 emission rates at an accuracy comparable to that of other well-studied gases.