Hydrogen as a Reality

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Hydrogen as a Reality

• Brief Overview
• Potential as an applied energy source
• Sustainable methods of production

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Ready or Not.Fuel Cells are Coming

• Hydrogen fuel cells will finally end the
  100-year reign of the internal combustion
  engine."
• - Bill Ford, Chairman of the Ford Motor Company

GM, Shell Join Forces on Fuel Cells Published
Mar 5, 2003 WASHINGTON (AP) - Showcasing
hydrogen power, General Motors Corp. and Shell
Hydrogen are bringing a fleet of fuel-cell
minivans to Washington for lawmakers and
policy-makers to use. GM and Shell, which
announced their plans Wednesday, are forming a
partnership to speed the development of hydrogen
technology.
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Fuel Cells in Mass Transit
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Packaging for 40-Foot Buses, Suburban Coaches and
Articulated Transit Buses
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Fossil fuels in the market

• 100 gallons of oil will produce fuels that sell
  in the market for less than 100 total
• The same 100 gallons of oil could be made into
  (recyclable) durable goods that sell for 3500 in
  the market place
• Over 60 billion in annual federal subsidies

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Solar driven Stirling-cycle heat engine
(functioning Hydrogen model)

• Uses concentrated solar energy to run an
  external combustion engine. The engine drives a
  small generator typically producing from 5 to 25
  kilowatts of electricity at peak. Sterling
  engines, together with their solar concentrators,
  are small and portable and can be sited near
  electrical loads. The sterling engine also can be
  powered with natural gas or propane so energy can
  be produced even when the sun isn't shining.
• More than 100 million watt hours of renewable
  electricity have been delivered to the public
  grid using this engine to drive electric
  generators

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Solar/Wind efficiency

• Annual efficiency for converting solar to
  electricity in Southern California has been about
  23 (using a Stirling cycle heat engine)
• During optimum weather conditions these
  concentrator-engine-generator sets
  convert/deliver energy at 30 efficiency
• Bottom line we can be 164 times more efficient
  as we harness the highly available solar energy
  to make energy-intensive products (or even H2)

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Overview

• Combustion
• H2 .5 O2 ? H2O
• Hydrogen can be burned below the threshold for
  Nox formation
• Combustion can reduce atmospheric concentrations
  of CO, Hydrocarbons, soot and tire particles

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Useful figures and facts

• 3412 BTU 1 kWh at 100 efficiency
• 1 lb of Hydrogen approx ½ Gal Gas ½ GGE
  approx 61,050 BTU
• H2 325 BTU/ft3 61,030 BTU/LB 2
  lbs/359 ft3
• CH4 1,064 BTU/ft3 23,890 BTU/LB 16 lbs/359
  ft3
• Gas 120,000 BTU/GAL 18,750 BTU/LB

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H2 Production Electrolysis and more

• Electrolysis produces 8 lbs of oxygen for every
  pound of H2
• We dont need pure water to extract H2 so
• Why not use waste water?
• Better yet, why not turn our wastes in to
  profits?
• Many ways to do this.

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Production to end-user scenario

• Hydrogen heavy waste (sewage, organics etc)
  could be a great source for production
• Producing (in the end) Hydrogen, Carbon and soil
  nutrients (sludge fertilizer)
• More efficient to transport Hydrogen rich methane
  (biogas)
• Can get approx 10 dry weight of organics in H2
  (harnessing microbes)
• H2 will be approx 25 of methane
• End user/industrial park CH4 ? ? C 2H2

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Reversible fuel cell/electrolyzer
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So.whats goin on inside that box?
Anode side2H2 gt 4H 4e- Cathode sideO2
4H 4e- gt 2H2O Net reaction2H2 O2 gt 2H2O
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What about compressed H2 in cars?
Simulation comparing severity of a hydrogen and
petrol fuel leak and ignition. (Dr Michael Swain,
University of Miami.)
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• QUESTIONS/COMMENTS?