HydrogenA Fuel for Today and Tomorrow

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)

•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.

Hydrogen is an Energy Carrier

HIGH EFFICIENCY & RELIABILITY

ZERO/NEAR ZEROEMISSIONS

.

Transportation

Distributed Generation

Why Hydrogen? It’s abundant, clean, efficient, and can be derived from diverse domestic resources.

Biomass

Hydro

Wind

Solar

Geothermal

Coal

Nuclear

Natural Gas

Oil

Wit

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arb

on

Seq

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trat

ion

•Hydrogen as a gas in NOT abundant in underground reservoirs.

•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.

Where is Hydrogen Found?

•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

Flexibility of Source

Steam Methane Reforming (SMR)48% of world production

Nearly 95% of the U.S. hydrogen production

Strong economy-of-scale Heat integration within and

outside of SMROverall energy efficiency is

affected by the ability to make use of the steam by-product

Commercial Product Today

Current Hydrogen Fuel Use in the U.S.• 70 fueling stations

– 23 in California– 9 in New York– 4 in Michigan– 1-2 in AZ, CO, CT, HI, IL, MA, MO, NV, ND, OH, PA,

SC, TX, VT, VA, WV• 421 Hydrogen Vehicles, a 34% increase since 2008• Honda FCX sedan and the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-

Cell are the only fuel cell cars available to the public on a limited release lease agreement (mostly in S. California)

Data from Transportation Energy Data Book, Dept. of Energy, 2010

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Petroleum Refining30% of world productionUsed within the refinery

Coal Gasification18% of world productionByproduct of steel industry

Coke off-gasPrimarily found in Europe and Asia

Electrolysis5% of world productionHigh-purity for on-site generation and use

Cost is a strong function of electricity cost

Commercial Production Today

• Steam Electrolysis • Split water with heat, pressure, and electricity

• Thermochemical• Split water with chemicals and heat

• Photoelectrochemical• Split water using sunlight directly, or using

chemicals and heat

• Biological• Split water using organisms

Other Ways to Liberate Hydrogen From Water

•Storage of hydrogen on board a vehicle is a tough technical challenge•Installation of a hydrogen delivery and dispensing infrastructure is expensive •It’s not just the transportation sector that is affected by hydrogen and fuel cells –stationary and portable applications also affected.

Challenges of Hydrogen

•Hydrogen can be cooled and stored as a liquid. It must be cooled to -253

o

•It can also be stored as a gas. It must be compressed to be stored efficiently.

Hydrogen Storage and Transportation

• 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).

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.

Hydrogen 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

Hydrogen Storage

• PEM fuel cells are favored because they operate at low temperature (~80°C)• less waste heat…but also limits CHP

applications compared to other fuel cell types

• Quick startup, lower thermal stresses

• Efficient at low loads (typical operating region for vehicles)

Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Transportation

Guts of a Fuel Cell Vehicle

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.

Fuel Cell Life

Fuel leak simulationHydrogen on leftGasoline on rightEquivalent energy

release

HydrogenGasoline

Three Second seconds

One minute

Hydrogen Safety

Transportation Desired range can be achieved with on-board hydrogen

storage (unlike Battery Electric Vehicle)Can be used in internal combustion engines Trains, automobiles, buses, and ships

Buildings Combined heat, power, and fuel Reliable energy services for critical applicationsGrid independence

Industrial SectorAlready plays an important role as a chemicalOpportunities for additional revenue streams

Flexibility Of Use

• Energy security• Diverse domestic sources• Flexibility of system

• Economic security• International leadership in technical• development and deployment• Price stability

• Environmental security• Potential to meet GHG targets• Urban air quality improvements• Reduction in air pollutants

So– why hydrogen?

Catherine E. Grégoire PadróLos Alamos National Laboratory Dr. Rajat K. Sen, Patty Kappaz

Sentech, Inc.

The NEED Project acknowledges…