Commercialization Challenges for a Hydrogen Economy

1
Commercialization Challengesfor a Hydrogen
Economy

• James Dunn
• Center for Technology Commercialization
• Conference on Future Energy
• Sept 2006

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Hydrogen

• A unique Energy Carrier, which can produce
• Electricity ( Heat) using Fuel Cells, (or be
  Combusted
• in ICE/Turbines), forming water, with NO
  Emissions.
• H2 must be separated from chemical
  compounds,
• like CH4, by chemical reforming (SMR), or by
• Electrolysis, or ThermoChemical splitting of H2O
• Electricity for Electrolysis from Nuclear
  plants or Renewable Energy sources like Solar PV,
  Wind, Hydro
• A "Hydrogen Economy" is the ultimate solution for
  Energy and Environment, but Commercializing
  Hydrogen Production, Storage, Delivery is
• Not an Easy or Economical Process

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Why Hydrogen?

• Sustainable
• Renewable
• Minimal Environmental Impact
• Reduce Dependence on Foreign Oil
• Create new Clean H2 Economy
• Good Energy Carrier ?
• Major issues COST and Infrastructure!

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Hydrogen Sources

• Reformed from CNG (96 of todays H2)
• Reformed Gasoline CO, CO2 issues
• Electrolyzers H2O Electricity
• BioMass, Methanol/Ethanol Direct/reformate
• ThermoChemical Solar/Waste Heat H2O
• Oxidizing Aluminum, Zinc, ?

5
Hydrogen Storage

• H2 Gas - High Press. Tanks 5-10,000 psi
• Liquid Hydrogen Cost Cryo issues
• Hydrides Na, Mg, others high losses
• Carbon NanoTubes only 2-4 Wt. H2
• NH3, or other liquids, (like Methanol)
• Other Urea, Ammonium borate, etc.

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Hydrogen Issues

• Making H2 uses more energy than it yields
• Storing/Delivering H2 uses too much energy
• H2 cant be distributed in existing Natural
• Gas pipelines
• We need a safe/cheap way to store H2 in cars

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Hydrogen Challenges

• H2 is currently too COSTLY to compete with
  gasoline or CNG
• Natl H2 infrastructure could cost over 100 B
• Renewable energy too costly for making H2 (vs.
  nuclear or off-peak power)
• NEW H2 production and delivery industry needs to
  be developed (non HC based)

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Hydrogen Costs

• At today's energy prices, it is still more
  expensive to make H2 by electrolysis than
  reformed fossil fuels
• Delivered H2 cost from Nat. Gas too high to
  compete.
• H2 Cost driven by base fuel - Natl Gas
  (5-15/mcf),
• plus Transportation and Storage costs
• Estimated H2 costs are approx.
• 8 per GJ of H2 energy from nat. gas,
• 10 per GJ from coal, and
• 20 per GJ, by electrolysis of water

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Natural Gas Reserves US 2
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Efficiency of H2 Energy production, storage, and
conversion/use

• Production - Electrolyzer 70
• NG SMR Reform 90
• Storage (Compression) 85
• Delivery (per 1000 kM) 90
• Fuel Cell Conversion 50-60
• Total NET Turnaround Effic. 25-35

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H2 Storage/Delivery Losses

• Compression 800 bar 15
• Liquification Comp.Cryo - 30-40
• Hydrides Chemical Heat 60
• Delivery Truck Wt. of 35,000 kg to haul 500 kg
  H2 (takes 20 H2 trucks to dlvr. same energy
  as one Gasoline truck!)
• Pipeline Loss 25-30 for 3000 kM
• H2 Storage/Delivery losses exceed liq. fuels

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Real Costs of H2 (/kg)

• Base Fuel (LNG/NG) 2.50 5.00
• Reforming (SMR) 1.30 - 1.60
• Liquifying 2.00 3.00
• Transport/Dlvy. 1.00 12.00
• Dispensing 2.00 7.00
• Carbon Tax ???
• Total Cost/kg 8 30
• (vs. Gasoline cost 3/Gal)
• Source Doty Scientific - 2004

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Critical Success Elements

• H2 must be made Close to Point of Use
• H2 must NOT depend on Petroleum or HCs
• (Ideally produced from H2O or Biomass)
• Production must NOT produce C-Emissions
• COST must be equal or less than PetroFuels

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Key Issues for Commercialization

• COST, COST, COST
• Cost to Produce H2
• Cost to Store/Deliver/Dispense
• Cost to Convert to H2 usage
• If H2 Economy costs More than existing
  Petroleum Economy, will people convert?

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Summary H2 Benefits

• Hydrogen is a key link between electric energy
  from renewable sources and chemical energy.
• H2 an ideal fuel for new clean energy
  conversion devices, like fuel cells, or hydrogen
  IC engines.
• BUT
• Hydrogen is NOT a good medium for carrying energy
  from primary sources to Distant End Users. New
  solutions needed for commercial bridge between H2
  sources and Fuel Cells H2 ICEs.
• Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers still Very Costly

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New Ideas for H2 Generation/Use

• Solar Thermal processes High T Power Tower -
  Sodium Iodide process - Florida Solar Energy
  Center
• New Low T (450C) Vanadium catalyzed
  ThermoChemical process Reaction Sciences, Inc.
• New H2 ICE programs and Free Piston engines
• Ford, Volvo, BMW, Sandia Labs
• New Hydrogen vehicles and Total Hydrogen Home

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Florida Solar Energy Center

• High Temp Solar Thermochemical process
• Objectives??Produce hydrogen via a new
  Sulfur-Ammonia thermochemical water splitting
  cycle
• Use both solar heat and photon energy to increase
  solar to hydrogen efficiency
• Develop multiple processes utilizing solar and
  electrical energy for the production of hydrogen

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High T Sulfur Ammonia processFlorida Solar
Energy Center

• Approach
• SO2(g) 2NH3(g) H2O(l) ?(NH4)2SO3(aq) 25 oC
• (Chemical absorption)
• (NH4)2SO3(aq)H2O?(NH4)2SO4(aq)H2(g) 25oC
• (Solar photochemical step)
• (NH4)2SO4(aq)?2NH3(g) H2SO4(l)285 oC
• (Solar thermochemical step)
• H2SO4(l) ?SO2(g) H2O(g) 1/2O2(g) 850 oC
  (Thermochemical step)
• Overall H2O Solar energy H2 0.5 O2
• Producing High Temp 850 C heat most costly
  element

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NEW Waste Heat H2 GeneratorReaction Sciences,
Inc - N J

• Novel Low T Hydrogen production method
• Developed by Reaction Science Inc.
• Uses 450-500C H2O from Waste Heat (or Solar
  Thermal Trough) VCl3
• NO FUEL
• NO EMISSIONS
• High efficiency
• Extremely Low Cost H2 - .35/kg

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RSI Low Temp. Thermo-Chem H2 Benefits

• Produce Hydrogen at 0.35 /kg (vs. 6-15/kg now)
• NO FUEL and NO Emissions (only Water used!)
• Hydrogen from Solar Energy _at_ gt 40 effic.
• Saleable Oxygen by-product
• Use H2 for Fuel Cells, H2 combustion, or refinery
• Can use H2 for coal gasification, coal to
  methane
• Increase efficiency of many energy processes

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Cost Environmental Comparison 1 Gigawatt H2
Plant

• V- Process
• Plant Cost 120M
• Ops. expense .25/kg
• Fuel Cost 0 (H2O)
• Gas Consumption 0
• CO2 Emissions 0
• NET H2 Cost .35/kg

• Steam Reform Nat Gas
• Plant Cost 120 million
• Ops. Expense 0.20/kg
• Fuel Cost 4-7/Mcf
• 30 year Fuel cost 22 B
• 30 year Gas consumption 720 Billion Cu Ft
• 30 year CO2 emissions gt 40 million tons
• NET H2 Cost 8-20/kg

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HYDROGEN OUT
OXYGEN OUT
H20 IN
Cl2
HEAT
VCl3 DECOMP.
REVERSE DEACON
HCl O2
VCl2
VCl3
HCl O2 SEP.
VCl3 REGEN./ H2 GEN.
HCl
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H2 Internal Combustion Engines

• Ready today Ford, Volvo, Mazda, BMW
• Simple Clean - No CO, CO2
• Ideal for Fleets and central fuel depots
• Competitive Today
• Easy to roll out Service
• Need distributed H2 Fuelling Stations
• Fuel COST a major issue

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Ford E-450 Van with H2 Triton V-10

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Why Fuel Cells H2 ICE vehicles ?

• High Efficiency 30-50
• Zero Emissions Only Water Vapor
• No carbon emissions
• Combined Heat and Power
• Hydrogen Fuel - Sustainable and Renewable

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Sandia Free Piston H2 Engine

• Free piston linear alternator -The free piston
  linear alternator was designed to approach ideal
  Otto cycle performance through HCCI operation,
  with high compression ratios, and rapid
  combustion.
• The linear generator is designed to generate
  electricity directly from the pistons
  oscillating motion, as rare earth perm. magnets
  in piston are driven back and forth thru
  alternator coils. Combustion occurs alternately
  at each end of piston using two-stroke cycle
  scavenging
• The alternator controls the pistons motion, and
  cylinder gas compression, by efficiently managing
  the pistons kinetic energy through each stroke.
  Compression of the fuel/air mixture is achieved
  inertially, and a mechanically simple, variable
  compression ratio design is possible with
  sophisticated electronic control, and used to
  start the piston moving.
• The Compression ratio of the engine is variable
  depending on engines operating conditions (e.g.,
  fuel type, equivalence ratio, temp.) Thus, the
  desired compression ratio can be achieved by
  modifying the operating parameters, vs changes in
  the engines hardware.
• Advantages - Long Life, Low Cost, Over 50
  Thermal Effic., SIMPLE
• Secret There is only ONE moving part!

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Free Piston Engine-Generator
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NREL Solar Hydrogen Home Vision
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BPU Funded Solar Hydrogen Home Project

• Solar-Hydrogen Home

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Duffy Fuel Cell Electric Boat
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Fuel Cells in Aviation

• Electric UAVs NASA Helios
• Aerovironment
• Auxiliary Power Boeing APU
• Electric Airships HAA L-M
• Electric Propelled Aircraft
• WPI DynAero E-Plane

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Piloted Fuel Cell Aircraft2 place Electric
DynAero
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Hydrogen Future

• Hydrogen is a unique Energy Carrier
• with great potential, but COST, STORAGE,
• and DISTRIBUTION issues must be solved
• before it can become a successful and
• competitive Energy solution.

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Future Vehicle Technology

• Technology Time Mpg
• Hybrid Gas-electric 2000-2015 50-75
• Hybrid diesel-electric 2007-2015 75-100
• Hydrogen ICE 2008-2030 40-75
• Alt. Fuel Hybrids 2010-2020 60-100
• Plug-in Hybrids/EVs 2010-2025 100-165
• H2 ICE Hybrids 2015-2030 100-150
• Hybrid MicroTurbine 2018-2030 120-175
• Hydrogen Fuel Cell 2020-? 75-130

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Vehicle Trends
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150 mpg Car 2012 ?

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• For More Information
• James Dunn
• Center for Technology Commercialization
• 134 Flanders Rd.
• Westboro, MA. 01581
• jdunn_at_ctc.org
• 508-870-0042