Review on hydrogen-enriched slush LNG fuel

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a well-known fuel consisting mainly of methane as main component of natural gas and is produced by liquefying the natural gas from gas fields at a temperature of 111 K. Since LNG has a very low sulfur content it significantly reduces the emission of harmful pollutants compared to other fossil fuels. As it has a high calorific value and is chemically stable under normal usage conditions it is extensively used as fuel for large engines for ships or power plants. However, in recent years methane has been identified as green-house gas which has a high global warming potential. Therefore, it is necessary to reform LNG so it emits less pollution and has a higher combustion efficiency in engines. This can be done by enriching LNG in a slush state with hydrogen molecules during its phase transition. The introduction of the hydrogen enrichment into slush LNG involves various interesting thermo-fluid dynamics phenomena which are not well understood yet. In the current review paper, an innovative method for the production process of hydrogen enriched slush LNG is introduced and the related thermo-fluid dynamics are described in detail with an emphasis on the promising potential as a fuel for LNG engines.