Hydrogen Basics: The Shape of the Hydrogen Economy

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Hydrogen Basics The Shape of the Hydrogen
Economy
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What is Hydrogen?

• Element 1 on the Periodic Table
• 1 proton, 1 electron
• Diatomic molecule (H2)
• 2 protons, 2 electrons
• Highest energy content of common fuels on a
  WEIGHT basis
• Lowest energy content of common fuels on a VOLUME
  basis
• Elemental hydrogen is abundant on earth, but
  usually bound to carbon or oxygen
• Abundant throughout the universe (stars are
  primarily hydrogen)

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Hydrogen is an Energy Carrier

• Energy carriers move energy in a usable form from
  one place to another.
• Electricity is an energy carrier
• So are gasoline and hydrogen
• Hydrogen allows us to store energy from many
  sources and bring it to where we need it.

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Why Hydrogen? Its abundant, clean, efficient,
and can be derived from diverse domestic
resources.
Transportation
.
Biomass Hydro Wind Solar Geothermal
HIGH EFFICIENCY RELIABILITY
Nuclear
Oil
Distributed Generation
ZERO/NEAR ZEROEMISSIONS
Coal
With Carbon Sequestration
Natural Gas
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Why Hydrogen?

• Flexibility
• Can be produced from wide variety of domestic
  resources at any scale. Increased energy
  security
• Could eliminate price instabilities in the energy
  market
• Only energy carrier that can (effectively)
  provide all energy services in all energy sectors
• Significant, positive environmental impacts
• Remove energy production and consumption from the
  environmental equation, both locally and globally
• Improve Urban air quality
• Minimize global climate change

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Truth or Lie?
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  Hydrogen as a gas is abundant in underground
reservoirs."
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The Facts
Hydrogen bonds easily to other elements and is
rarely found on its own. While hydrogen can be
stripped from underground deposits of natural gas
(methane) there are no underground deposits of
pure hydrogen.
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Flexibility of Source

• Hydrogen can be produced from water from
  carbon-containing materials (usually reacting
  with water) as a byproduct of chemical processes
  
• Regional variations in traditional energy
  resources are no longer an issue
• Every region has some indigenous fossil or
  renewable resource that can be used to make
  hydrogen

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What is Electrolysis?
Electrolyzer
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Renewable Electrolysis

• Renewable energy sources such as photovoltaics,
  wind, biomass, hydro, and geothermal can provide
  clean and sustainable electricity to produce
  hydrogen.
• The hydrogen can be used in a fuel cell to
  produce electricity during times of low power
  production or peak demand, or to use the hydrogen
  in fuel cell vehicles.

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Renewable Electrolysis
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Scientific American Frontier Hydrogen Hopes
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Liberating Hydrogen from Water

• Steam Electrolysis
• Thermochemical
• Photoelectrochemical
• Biological

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Other Ways to Liberate Hydrogen from Water

• Steam Electrolysis

Split water with heat, pressure, and
electricity More efficient than electricity
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Liberating Hydrogen from Water

• Thermochemical (thermal depolymerization)
• water splitting uses chemicals such as bromine or
  iodine, assisted by heat. This causes the water
  molecule to split. It takes several steps -
  usually three - to accomplish this entire
  process.

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Liberating Hydrogen from Water

• Photoelectrolysis
• produce hydrogen by using sunlight to directly
  split water into hydrogen and oxygen

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Liberating Hydrogen from Water

• Biological
• Certain photosynthetic microbes produce hydrogen
  from water in their metabolic activities using
  light energy

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Truth or Lie?
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  Hydrogen can be stored and transported as a
liquid or a gas."
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The Facts
Hydrogen can be cooled and stored as a liquid.
It must be cooled to -253o It can also be
stored as a gas. It must be compressed to be
stored efficiently.
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Hydrogen Storage

• High-pressure storage tanks. Hydrogen gas can be
  compressed and stored in storage tanks at high
  pressure, but these tanks must be very strong.
• Liquid hydrogen. Hydrogen can be stored as a
  liquid. In this form, more hydrogen can be stored
  per volume, but it must be kept at very cold
  temperature (about -253 C).

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Hydrogen Storage

• Metal hydrides. Hydrogen combines chemically with
  some metals, which can store it more efficiently
  than high-pressure storage tanks.
• Carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are
  microscopic tubes of carbon, two nanometers
  (billionths of a meter) across, which store
  hydrogen in their microscopic pores.

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H2 Storage

• Hydrogen storage takes place
• On-board a vehicle
• At production sites, in transit, and at refueling
  stations

Hydrogen can be stored in its pure form, or can
be reformed on board a vehicle from other fuels
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Fuel Cell Types
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Hydrogen and Fuel Cellsfor Transportation

• PEM fuel cells are favored because they operate
  at low temperature (80C)
• less waste heatbut also limits CHP applications
  compared to other fuel cell types
• Quick startup, lower thermal stresses
• Efficient at low loads (typical operating region
  for vehicles)

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How PEM Fuel Cells Work
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The guts of a fuel cell vehicle
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Truth or Lie?
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  A fuel cell must be replaced often, like a
non-rechargeable battery."
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The Facts
While fuel cells do wear out over time, A PEM
fuel cell in a vehicle should have a 4,000 hour
service life, while stationary applications
should last 40,000 hours.
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Truth or Lie?
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  Hydrogen can be burned in an internal
combustion engine."
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The Facts
Hydrogen can be burned in an ICE very similar to
a gasoline ICE. Several manufacturers have
developed prototypes using this technology.
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Hydrogen Safety
Hydrogen
Gasoline
3 seconds

• Fuel leak simulation
• Hydrogen on left
• Gasoline on right
• Equivalent energy release

Which car would you rather be in?
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Hydrogen Safety?
Moral of the Story ?
Dont paint your dirigible with rocket fuel !
Hindenberg, 1937 Colorized photo shows burning of
outer fabric of dirigible
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From the Congressional Record 1875
A new source of power... called gasoline has
been produced by a Boston engineer. Instead of
burning the fuel under a boiler, it is exploded
inside the cylinder of an engine... The dangers
are obvious. Stores of gasoline in the hands of
people interested primarily in profit would
constitute a fire and explosive hazard of the
first rank. Horseless carriages propelled by
gasoline might attain speeds of 14, or even 20
miles per hour. The menace to our people of this
type hurtling through our streets and along our
roads and poisoning the atmosphere would call for
prompt legislative action even if the military
and economic implications were not so
overwhelming... the cost of producing (gasoline)
is far beyond the financial capacity of private
industry... In addition the development of this
new power may displace the use of horses, which
would wreck our agriculture.
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Public Acceptance

• We can succeed technically, but still fail if we
  dont
• Involve the public early and often in the
  demonstration of new technologies
• Inform the public about hydrogen and fuel cells
  in ways they can understand
• Address safety concerns, real and imagined