Hydrogen: The energy carrier of the future by Kjell Bendiksen, Institute for Energy Technology IFE

1
Hydrogen The energy carrier of the
future?byKjell Bendiksen, Institute for
Energy Technology (IFE)

• Background
• Technological challenges
• Technological foresights
• Conclusions

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Background

• Growing interest in Hydrogen as future energy
  carrier EU President Romano Prodi
• It is our declared goal of achieving a
  step-by-step shift towards a fully integrated
  hydrogen economy, based on renewable energy
  sources by the middle of the century1
• Hydrogens attractions
• Produced locally based on renewable energy
  (RE/H2), it could be widely available around the
  world, as opposed to oil or gas
• High energy density applied as fuel for cars
  allows powerful engines and long range
• Complementary to, and matches electricity very
  well
• Environmentally friendly

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Background (2) Hydrogens draw-backs

• Barriers of a technical-economic nature
  against a rapid growth in use of hydrogen, and a
  global hydrogen economy
• 1 Hydrogen is a gas, not available in free
  form in any quantity in nature. It has to
  be produced from some basic energy source, which
  is energy inefficient, costly, and possibly even
  environmentally harmful
• 2 The use of hydrogen is limited by the main
  engine for this, fuel cells, still being too
  costly with too short life-spans
• 3 Entirely new large scale H2 distribution
  systems and infrastructures must be established

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Technological challenges

• Three main technological barriers
• 1 Energy efficiency of the complete Hydrogen
  cycle (production, distribution and use)
• 2 Fuel cell costs, operational reliability and
  lifetimes
• 3 Efficiency, safety and reliability of hydrogen
  storage media for mobile systems

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Primary energy sources, energy converters and
applications of hydrogen (EU HLG report 2)
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Technological challenges (2) The Hydrogen
production process

• Current production and use
• 45 million tons (500 billion Sm3) per year 5
• Not used as energy carrier, but mainly as
  feedstock in chemical production, petroleum
  refining and industry
• 96 from fossil sources and 4 by electrolysis
  (figure 2)
• Current production methods
• Electrolysis Typical efficiencies 70-75 4-5
• SMRs
• Large scale methane units commercial, high
  efficiencies 80-85
• Small scale SMRs not yet commercial, efficiencies
  of the order 50-60

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Current global hydrogen production (IEA)
Current production methods Electrolysis
Typical efficiencies 70-75 4-5 SMRs Large
scale methane units commercial, high eff.
80-85Small scale SMRs not yet comm-ercial eff.
of the order 50-60
Coal 4
Oil 7
Elektrolysis 4
Natural gas 85
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Technological challenges (3) The Hydrogen
production process (2)

• Current production efficiencies (fossil)
• Extra energy penalty for all fossil based
  hydrogen production including electrolysis, i.
  e.
• Hydrogen in principle more inefficient for most
  stationary applications than using electricity
  directly
• For mobile applications the efficiency of the
  H2-chain must be compared with the entire gas or
  diesel chain also very low (15-20)
• Biomass methods not yet commercial (but 8 MW demo
  plant in Gussing, Austria)
• Current production methods inadequate for swift
  transition to H2-economy over the next few
  decades

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Technological challenges (4) The Hydrogen
production process (3)

• Innovative direct production methods
• 1 Thermo-chemical or -physical production based
  on high-T heat from nuclear or focused solar
  energy
• Catalytic process, splitting water molecules into
  ions and electrons at 1000C by ceramic membranes,
  conducting both electrons and protons,
  recombining into H2 atoms
• i) High temperature nuclear reactors
  (Generation IV) well suited
• ii) C. Rubbias 1300km2 solar concentrators
  plant in Sahara
• According to Rubbia, the method is simple,
  efficient and reasonably cheap, representing a
  major break-through that should be vigorously
  pursued 6.
• Might fuel Europes fleet of approximately 175
  mill cars at a cost of 2,5-3,5 cents-/kWh,
  requiring less area per car (13m2) than a regular
  parking space!
• Photobiological H2-production by bacteria or
  algae may provide large but inefficient source
  (at RD stage)
• Intermediate hybrid methods (fig. 4)

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IFE/Prototech/CMR Zero Emission Gas Energy
Station (7.5 MWe)
H2 2500 Sm3/h
Input NG 1400 Sm3/h
El 7.5 MW
Fuel Cell/Reactor for combined Electricity and
Hydrogen production Goals El-efficiency
70-80 Hydrogen prod. Half of current
costs CO2-capture Bonus
CO2 1500 Sm3/h
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Technological challenges (5) Hydrogen
storage

• The challenge To develop safe, efficient and
  cost effective hydrogen storage media and systems
• Several different storage media are pursued for
  stationary and mobile applications
• Compressed hydrogen gas containers
• Liquefied hydrogen units
• Metal hydrides (fig. 5), and
• Carbon nano structures (cones or tubes, fig 6)
• Target 5wt retrievable H2-storage desorption
  at 80C 11
• Main problems
• Weight, costs, practicality, safety,

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Example of heavy La-Ni-In metal hydride with
extremely large local hydrogen density (IFE world
record, 2001 9)
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Example of current metal hydride storage unit
(_at_IFE)
HYDROGEN
Hot / Cold
Water
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Different storage units for 4 kg Hydrogen fuel
cell car (ca. 500 km range, Toyota press
information, 33rd Tokyo Motor Show, 1999)
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Technological foresights

• A fact The hydrogen economy is at best an
  enormous, long-term challenge
• Even if main drivers technology, economic,
  security of supply, and environmental factors,
  were all favourable
• H2 future depends on three main factors
• 1 Development of new, efficient H2 production
  systems
• 2 Expected Fuel cell market growth
• 3 Deployment rate of H2 distribution systems

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Technological foresights (2) New,
efficient Hydrogen production systems

• Objective Efficient, cheap large scale H2
  production
• Short term Based on natural gas (or coal) with
  CO2 sequestration
• Long term Based on direct thermophysical or
  -chemical high-T nuclear or solar energy
• Photobiological H2-production by bacteria or
  algae - possible?
• Total H2-cycle energy efficiency must be
  competitive
• From reservoir to wheel!

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Technological foresights (3)Deployment
rate of H2 distribution systems

• Establishment of H2 infrastructure is an
  enormous, expensive long term challenge
• Several 100 billions just for Europe (EU HLG)
• Step wise approach, extending current H2 and
  natural gas pipeline networks, trucks (liquid
  H2), local RE/H2 production,
• First step city bus fleets followed by regional
  networks, allowing 2D extension
• Long transition period
• Hydrogen competes with other fuels
• Dual fuel engines?
• Natural gas bridges the gap?

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Technological foresights (4)Expected Fuel
cell market growth

• FC potential game change technology
• Short-term drivers
• Large potential market in mobile electronic
  devices (PCs, phones, ...), stationary HQ power
  back-up systems, military and space applications,
  
• Limited market for RE/H2 stand-alone systems
• Long term drivers
• Car industry, environment, security of supply,
• Large international H2/FC RDT-programs

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The Utsira stand-alone RE/H2 project (Norsk
Hydro)
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Technological foresights (5)Expected Fuel
cell market growth (2)

• Large international H2/FC RDT programs
• Japan Aim of 50,000 FC cars by 2010 (2100MW)
  and 5 million by 2020
• US Federal Programs
• A 1,3bn program on energy efficiency and
  renewable energy,
• A clean coal and carbon sequestration programme,
• A 1bn Future Gen public-private initiative to
  build the worlds first coal-fired emission free
  plant to produce electricity and hydrogen and
  finally
• The 1,7 bn US Freedom Car and Hydrogen Fuel
  initiative
• EU initiatives
• Ambitious political objectives
• HLG European H2/ FC Technology platform (2004)

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Conclusions

• Hydrogen and electricity perfect energy mix
• FC potential game change technology
• There are short- and long term drivers
• Large international H2/FC RDT initiatives
• But to early to say three decisive factors
• 1 Technology attitude of Car industry decisive
  
• Seriousness of global energy-climate situation
• May impose very substantial CO2-emission
  reductions and change role of fossil fuels
• Wishful thinking is not a game changer