(Project concluded on November 30, 2020)

Adsorption consists in the molecular adhesion into surfaces by van der Waals forces and covalent bonds. The Adsorbed Natural Gas (ANG) vessels store gas in adsorbents in its interior relying in the adsorption effect. When compared to traditional transport and storage systems, ANG requires less pressure to operate (35atm to 50atm), considerably below Compressed Natural Gas (200atm), and works in ambient temperature, higher than the Liquefied Natural Gas (113K), obtaining the storage capacity of 164V/V, comparable to the Compressed Natural Gas (200V/V). The adsorption phenomena demands thermal management in order to become more efficient once adsorption is an exothermic phenomena and with the temperature raise occurs the loss of the adsorption capacity, a similar effect is observed regarding the desorption phenomena although the loss of the desorption rate is proportional to the temperature fall. This project aims to reduce the time needed to charge and discharge adsorbed natural gas (ANG) vessels and increase the maximum amount of gas stored and delivered by these systems. The study employs optimization techniques (such as the topology optimization method) to optimally distribute materials and its properties in the vessels’ interior. The employment of heterogeneous porosity adsorbents and Phase Change Materials (PCM) are the explored solutions to improve ANG systems efficiency. The current competitiveness of ANG when compared to other gas systems such as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is also discussed. The results are presented as possible solutions for ANG enhancements in transportation and storage for natural gas systems.