Progress in Hydrogen Energy

Progress in Hydrogen Energy

Proceedings of the National Workshop on Hydrogen Energy,

New Delhi, July 4-6, 1985

edited by

R.P. DAHIYA Centre/or Energy Studies,

Indian Institute a/Technology, New Delhi, India

D. REIDEL PUBLISHING COMPANY

A MEMBER OFTHE KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS GROUP

DORDRECHT/BOSTON/LANCASTER/TOKYO

Library of Congress Cataloging in Pub6cation nata

Progress in hydrogen energy.

Includes indexes. 1. Hydrogen as fuel. I. Dahiya, R. P.

TP359.H8P75 1987 665.8'1 86-31519 ISBN -13: 978-94-010-8194-8 e-ISBN-13 :978-94-009-3809-0 001: 10.1007/978-94-009-3809-0

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TO

MY PARENTS

CONTENTS

Preface

Acknowledgements

Inaugural Address Maheshwar Dayal

National Research and Development Programme in the Field of

ix

xiii

Hydrogen Energy 9 J. Gururaja

Electrolytic Hydrogen Production 15 M.P.S. Ramani

Hydrogen Production Through Photoelectrolysis 31 G. Prasad, N.N. ~ao and O.N. Srivastava

Hydrogen Production by Microorganisms 53 K.C. Khandelwal

Ocean Thermal Power for Hydrogen Production 59 M.V.C. Sastri

Solid State Materials for Hydrogen Storage 81 K. Ramakrishna, S.K. Singh, A.K. Singh and O.N. Srivastava

Thin Film Hydrogen Storage System 111 I.P. Jain and Y.K. Vijay

Cryogenic Storage of Hydrogen 123 Sunil Sarangi

Liquid Hydrogen as a Fuel for Ground, Air and Naval Vehicles 133 E.V.S. Namboodiry and V.N. Krishnamurthy

Hydrogen Fuelled Internal Combustion Engines 159 H.B. Mathur

Utilisation of Hydrogen for Domestic, Commercial and Industrial Applications 179

R.P. Dahiya and Ami Chand

viii

Fuel Cells: Past, Present and Future H.M. Sonawat, R.S. Phadke and G. Govil

Enzyme Electrodes - a Prelude to Utilizing Hydrogen or Hydrogen Rich Fuels in Biochemical Fuel Cells

H.M. Sonawat

Analysis of H2-02 Powered Magneto-hydro-dynamic Generators Ami Chana, R.P. Dahiya and M.S. Sodha

Energy Technology Characterisation and Assessment using Input-Output Structure: A Case for Hydrogen

U. Nagchoudhuri and P.S. Satsangi

Panel Report

Author Index

Subject Index

CONTENTS

195

201

209

225

231

235

239

PREFACE

Hydrogen has been recognised as a universal, clean fuel which is expected to provide energy to our homes, industry and automobiles in the future. It is considered as one of the most interesting alternat~ves to petroleum fuels. A considerable amount of research and development work on product­ion, storage and transportation, and utilisation of hydrogen is in pro­gress allover the world. In India, several institutions have been working on the various aspects of the hydrogen considering it as an energy vector. A three-day National Workshop on Hydrogen Energy was organised at Indian Institute of Technology (lIT) Delhi to focus attent­ion on developments in hydrogen energy at national and international levels and to provide a forum to coordinate contemporary research trends in the country in this field. The presentations made at the Workshop covered the topics which are considered to be of significance to work out the perspective, problems and promises for the future for transition to hydrogen energy.

The proceedings of the Workshop are reported in this book, which include the inaugural address, description of the national research and development programme in the field of hydrogen energy, papers presented on production, storage and transportation, and utilisation of hydrogen and the panel report.

In the inaugural address, emphasis is laid on the need for a trans­ition from the presently used fuels to the newer ones, preferably to those which are renewable and non-polluting such as hydrogen. However, future developments for the application of hydrogen will depend signifi­cantly on the success achieved in improving production (especially using renewable sources), storage and transportation, and utilisation.

Hydrogen production based on electrolysis, photoelectrolysis, ocean thermal power and micro-organisms is discussed in four papers which also include advanced technologies being pursued in the respective fields. In the paper on electrolytic hydrogen production, besides the conventional method, solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) electrolysis, high temperature water vapour electrolysis and other advanced technologies and developments are covered. Details of an advanced high temperature and high pressure electrolyser of 1.5 m3h-1H2 capacity developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay, are presented. Salient features of the processes are reviewed in the paper on hydrogen production through photoelectrolysis. The basic characteristics of the photoelectrothermal processes leading to photoelectrolysis, employing two important semiconducting photoelectro­des, namely n-Ti02 and n-WSe2. are described in detail. The importance of the results obtained with these materials with regard to hydrogen production through photoelectrolysis is highlighted. Ocean thermal power for hydrogen production is the topic for another paper. Hydrogen can

x PREFACE

provide a highly efficient carrier for transferring very large chunks of OTEC power from mid-ocean sites to the mainland. In principle, liquid hydrogen, liquid ammonia and methanol produced at an OTEC plant can help conservation of terrestrial fossil fuel resources. A variety of micro­organisms belonging to morphological and physiological groups have the ability to evolve hydrogen. The paper on hydrogen production by micro­organisms discusses these groups and it explains that the biological system has the ability to use wide range of visible light spectrum to catalytically split water to HZ and OZ'

On the storage side, presentations are made on solid state storage and cryogenic storage mode of hydrogen. Experiments conducted by synthesising amorphous phases of RNiSCLaNiS,MmNis) materials are discus­sed Which demonstrate that this phase has a higher hydrogen storage capacity. Comparison is made between bulk and thin film hydrogen storage systems. The discussions on cryogenic storate of hydrogen covers the why and how of hydrogen liquefaction. Ortho-para conversion is taken into account While working out the energy requirement for liquefaction of hydrogen. It is specified that liquid hydrogen can be stored in insulated walled containers having either liquid nitrogen or hard vacuum in the interspace of the walls.

The potential of hydrogen as a fuel is discussed in six papers which cover a wide variety of its applications for ground, air and naval vehicles; for domestic, commercial and industrial purposes; and for electrical power generation through fuel cells and MHD power generators. The benefits and limitations of gaseous hydrogen are clearly brought out for spark ignition (S.l.) and compression ignition (C.l.) engines. On the basis of results presented it is concluded that a hydrogen fuelled S.l. engine would be a feasible proposition. However, for hydrogen fuelled C.I. engine dual fuel operation is considered preferable in which the intake system should be modified enabling induction of a hydrogen gas-air mixture during the suction stroke and injection of appropriate diesel charge near the end of the compression stroke in the usual manner. It is brought out in the paper on the use of liquid hydrogen that thr.ee candidate fuels could be seriously considered as alternatives for the future transport aircrafts, viz. liquid hydrogen, synthetic jet fuel and liquid methane. The liquid hydrogen fuelled aircraft is shown to be superior in many respects when compared with the conventionally fuelled transport aircraft. It would be lighter, use smaller engines, have a smaller wing (but a longer fuselage) and would operate using short run­ways. Use of liquid hydrogen fuel for both subsonic and supersonic air­crafts is discussed. To establish the point, reference is made to the test flight made by Lewis Research Centre with a modified B-S7 aircraft in which engines are converted to accept HZ as fuel. It is also pointed out that liquid hydrogen can not only replace fossil fuels but can also supplement nuclear power systems in ships and submarines.

The use of hydrogen for domestic, commercial and industrial purposes, requiring only minimal modifications to the existing furnaces and cum­bustors, could significantly implement the hydrogen economy, even with the level of technology available. The flameless catalytic combustion of hydrogen could be used in domestic appliances as there would be no pollutants. These aspects are covered in a paper. Two routes for

PREFACE

generating electricity from hydrogen are discussed in the papers on this topic - fuel cells and MHD power generation. Hydrogenase, the enzyme that catalyses the oxidation of hydrogen, seems to be an ideal candidate for most hydrogen-oxygen type fuel cells. It is pointed out in the papers on the fuel cell that glucose oxides systems could be useful for bringing down the operating temperature and pressure of the fuel cells. Feasibility studies carried out on the use of hydrogen in portable as well as steam-bottomed MHD power generators are presented. The analy­tical investigations have been shown to give overall efficiencies of steam-bottomed MHD generators of up to 50 per cent for optimal design parameters.

While discussing the case for hydrogen using input-output structures for energy technology characterisation and assessing the impact hydrogen energy could make, it is realised that there is a paucity of data regard­ing hydrogen as input to various sectors of the economy and inputs from various sectors of economy to hydrogen in monetary terms. However, the model presented in the paper is limited in the sense that it does not include the clean fuel concept (environmental aspect) of hydrogen.

The recommendations made by a panel, on the basis of the deliberat­ions of the Workshop, are listed in the Panel Report.

New Delhi, 1986

R.P. Dahiya Coordinator of the Workshop and Editor of the Proceedings

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Secretary, Department of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Government of India, Shri Maheshwar Dayal, has been supporting whole-heartedly the area of hydrogen energy in India. His support and encouragement for organising the National Workshop on Hydrogen Energy is gratefully acknowledged. The Workshop has been fully sponsored by the Department of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, New Delhi.

We are grateful to Prof. N.M. Swani, Director, Prof. M.K. Jain, Deputy Director (Administration) and Prof. R.C.Malhotra, Deputy Director (Faculty), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, for providing the facilities to organise the Workshop at lIT Delhi. A special debt of gratitude is owed to Prof. P.D. Grover, Head, and Prof. K.L. Chopra, Ex-Head,Centre of Energy Studies, Prof. M.S. Sodha and Prof. H.B. Mathur for their constant support.

The idea of organising the National Workshop on Hydrogen Energy has been pursued vigorously by Dr. J. Gururaja, Adviser, Dr. E.V.R. Sastry and Dr. Ved Mitra, Department of Non-Conventional Energy Sources. My special thanks are to them. Shri J.R. Meena is thanked for his co­operation and untiring efforts to make the Workshop a success.

Thanks are due to the speakers who not only shared their views with the participants of the Workshop but also made available their manuscri­pts for publication in the present Proceedings. The members of the Panel are specially thanked for their deliberations during the Panel discussion.

The efforts of many other individuals were essential in planning and organising the Workshop. While it is difficult to acknowledge each person individually, I would like to mention Dr. Ami Chand who greatly contributed to the success of the Workshop. The assistance of Shri M.P. Joseph for a neat and painstaking typing of the manuscript, and of Shri Kirpal Singh for his skilled art work is duly acknowledged.

I must also acknowledge with appreciation the publishers, D. Reidel Publishing Company, Holland, for undertaking the publication of the Proceedings.

It would not have been possible for me to organise this Workshop and bring out its proceedings without the patience and cooperation of my wife Chandrawati Dahiya, and our sons Rajeev and Manish. I express myappre­ciation to them.

New Delhi, 1986

xiii

R.P. Dahiya Coordinator of the Workshop and Editor of the Proceedings

Inaugural address by Shri Mahesh~ar Dayal, Secretary, Department of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (DNES), Government of India. Seated (from left to right): Dr. R.P. Dahiya, Coordinator of the Workshop, lIT Delhi; Prof. M.K. Jain, Deputy Director (Administration), lIT Delhi; Prof. K.L. Chopra, Dean, IRD, lIT Delhi; Dr. J. Gururaja, Adviser, DNES, Ne~ Delhi; Prof. H.B. Mathur, lIT Delhi.