Methane storage in activated carbon at low pressure under different temperatures and flow rates of charge

Storage of methane adsorbed on activated carbon at low pressure and room temperature (Adsorbed Natural Gas - ANG) has been studied in recent years as alternative model to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) technologies. This study conducted an experimental evaluation of methane storage under different charge conditions in a prototype system with adjustable adsorption temperature and methane flow rate to assess the contribution of each variable. Methane was inserted into the prototype system at reduced pressure (10 bar) and this was filled in with activated carbon in two different particle sizes in an attempt to achieve results in larger than laboratory scale and at low cost. Under the conditions adopted in this study, it was observed the increased ability of adsorption of activated carbons with decreasing temperature for activated carbons A and B, and with flow rate variation, only for carbon B in the analyzed range, which should be better exploited. It was possible to triple the capacity of storage of the cylinder filled with activated carbons A and B (38.06 and 39.41 V V-1) compared to the empty cylinder (13.14 V V-1), proving the effectiveness of adsorbents. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.