Germany
Acidic or Alkaline? Towards a New Perspective on the Efficiency of Water Electrolysis
Aug 2016
Publication
Water electrolysis is a promising technology for enabling the storage of surplus electricity produced by intermittent renewable power sources in the form of hydrogen. At the core of this technology is the electrolyte and whether this is acidic or alkaline affects the reaction mechanisms gas purities and is of significant importance for the stability and activity of the electrocatalysts. This article presents a simple but precise physical model to describe the voltage-current characteristic heat balance gas crossover and cell efficiency of water electrolyzers. State-of-the-art water electrolysis cells with acidic and alkaline electrolyte are experimentally characterized in order to parameterize the model. A rigorous comparison shows that alkaline water electrolyzers with Ni-based catalysts but thinner separators than those typically used is expected be more efficient than acidic water electrolysis with Ir and Pt based catalysts. This performance difference was attributed mainly to a similar conductivity but approximately 38-fold higher diffusivities of hydrogen and oxygen in the acidic polymer electrolyte membrane (Nafion) than those in the alkaline separator (Zirfon filled with a 30 wt% KOH solution). With reference to the detailed analysis of the cell characteristics perspectives for the improvement of the efficiency of water electrolyzers are discussed.
Life Cycle Assessment of Improved High Pressure Alkaline Electrolysis
Aug 2015
Publication
This paper investigates environmental impacts of high pressure alkaline water electrolysis systems. An advanced system with membranes on polymer basis is compared to a state-of-the-art system with asbestos membranes using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. For the advanced system a new improved membrane technology has been investigated within the EU research project “ELYGRID”. Results indicate that most environmental impacts are caused by the electricity supply necessary for operation. During the construction phase cell stacks are the main contributor to environmental impacts. New improved membranes have relatively small contributions to impacts caused by cell construction within the advanced systems. As main outcome the systems comparison illustrates a better ecological performance of the new developed system
Hydrogen Technology Towards the Solution of Environment-Friendly New Energy Vehicles
Aug 2021
Publication
The popularity of climate neutral new energy vehicles for reduced emissions and improved air quality has been raising great attention for many years. World-wide a strong commitment continues to drive the demand for zero-emission through alternative energy sources and propulsion systems. Despite the fact that 71.27% of hydrogen is produced from natural gas green hydrogen is a promising clean way to contribute to and maintain a climate neutral ecosystem. Thereby reaching CO2 targets for 2030 and beyond requires cross-sectoral changes. However the strong motivation of governments for climate neutrality is challenging many sectors. One of them is the transport sector as it is challenged to find viable all-in solutions that satisfy social economic and sustainable requirements. Currently the use of new energy vehicles operating on green sustainable hydrogen technologies such as batteries or fuel cells has been the focus for reducing the mobility induced emissions. In Europe 50% of the total emissions result from mobility. The following article reviews the background ongoing challenges and potentials of new energy vehicles towards the development of an environmentally friendly hydrogen economy. A change management process mindset has been adapted to discuss the key scientific and commercial challenges for a successful transition.
Iron as Recyclable Energy Carrier: Feasibility Study and Kinetic Analysis of Iron Oxide Reduction
Oct 2022
Publication
Carbon-free and sustainable energy storage solutions are required to mitigate climate change. One possible solution especially for stationary applications could be the storage of energy in metal fuels. Energy can be stored through reduction of the oxide with green hydrogen and be released by combustion. In this work a feasibility study for iron as possible metal fuel considering the complete energy cycle is conducted. Based on equilibrium calculations it could be shown that the power-to-power efficiency of the iron/iron oxide cycle is 27 %. As technology development requires a more detailed description of both the reduction and the oxidation a first outlook is given on the kinetic analysis of the reduction of iron oxides with hydrogen. Based on thermogravimetric experiments using Fe2O3 Fe3O4 and FeO it could be shown that the reduction is a three-step process. The maximum reduction rate can be achieved with a hydrogen content of 25 %. Based on the experimental results a reaction mechanism and accompanied kinetic data were developed for description of Fe2O3 reduction with H2 under varying experimental conditions.
Mineral Reactions in the Geological Underground Induced by H2 and CO2 Injections
Dec 2014
Publication
The R&D project H2STORE is part of the German program to reduce environmental pollution by energy production and in saving fossil natural resources. Thereby physico-chemical processes in the CO2-H2 system by organic and inorganic reactions receive increasing attention. In H2STORE siliciclastic reservoirs and their caprocks from 25 well sites in Germany and Austria are investigated by different analytical methods before and after H2/CO2 batch experiments under sample specific reservoir conditions (p T XFluid). Mineral dissolution precipitation and their impact on reservoir quality (poro-perm fluid pathways) and on the generation of methane by microbial metabolism triggered by CO2/H2 exposure are studied.
Towards a Low-Carbon Society via Hydrogen and Carbon Capture and Storage: Social Acceptance from a Stakeholder Perspective
Apr 2020
Publication
Transformation concepts towards a low-carbon society often require new technology and infrastructure that evoke protests in the population. Therefore it is crucial to understand positions and conflicts in society to achieve social acceptance. This paper analyses these positions using the example of implementing hydrogen and carbon capture and storage infrastructure to decarbonise the German energy system. The empirical basis of the study are explorative stakeholder interviews which were conducted with experts from politics economics civil society and science and analysed within a discursive and attitudinal framework using qualitative content analysis. These stakeholder positions are assumed to represent dominant social perceptions and reflect chances and risks for acceptance. The results indicate different positions while pursuing the common goal of addressing climate change. The general conflict concerns strategies towards a low-carbon society especially the speed of phasing-out fossil energies. Regarding the combination of hydrogen and carbon capture and storage as instrument in the context of the energy transition the stakeholder interviews indicate controversial as well as consensual perceptions. The assessments range from rejection to deeming it absolutely necessary. Controversial argumentations refer to security of supply competitiveness and environmental protection. In contrast consensus can be reached by balancing ecological and economic arguments e.g. by linking hydrogen technologies with renewable and fossil energy sources or by limiting the use of carbon capture and storage only to certain applications (industry bioenergy). In further decisions this balancing of arguments combined with openness of technology transparency of information and citizen participation need to be considered to achieve broad acceptance.
On the Road to Sustainable Transport: Acceptance and Preferences for Renewable Fuel Production Infrastructure
Sep 2022
Publication
To abate climate change and ameliorate the air quality in urban areas innovative solutions are required to reduce CO2 and pollutant emissions from traffic. Alternative fuels made from biomass or CO2 and hydrogen can contribute to these goals by substituting fossil gasoline or diesel in combustion engines. Using a conjoint analysis approach the current study investigates preferences of laypeople (n = 303) for fuel production facilities in terms of siting location plant size raw material used in the production and raw material transport. The location was most decision-relevant followed by raw material transport whereas plant size and type of raw material played a less prominent role for the preference choice. The best-case scenario from the point of view of acceptance would be the installation of a rather small bio-hybrid fuel production plant in an industrial area (instead of an agricultural or pristine environment). No transport or transport via underground pipeline were preferred over truck/tank car or overground pipeline. The findings can be used as a basis for planning and decision-making for designing production networks for new fuel types.
Review of Power-to-X Demonstration Projects in Europe
Sep 2020
Publication
At the heart of most Power-to-X (PtX) concepts is the utilization of renewable electricity to produce hydrogen through the electrolysis of water. This hydrogen can be used directly as a final energy carrier or it can be converted into for example methane synthesis gas liquid fuels electricity or chemicals. Technical demonstration and systems integration are of major importance for integrating PtX into energy systems. As of June 2020 a total of 220 PtX research and demonstration projects in Europe have either been realized completed or are currently being planned. The central aim of this review is to identify and assess relevant projects in terms of their year of commissioning location electricity and carbon dioxide sources applied technologies for electrolysis capacity type of hydrogen post-processing and the targeted field of application. The latter aspect has changed over the years. At first the targeted field of application was fuel production for example for hydrogen buses combined heat and power generation and subsequent injection into the natural gas grid. Today alongside fuel production industrial applications are also important. Synthetic gaseous fuels are the focus of fuel production while liquid fuel production is severely under-represented. Solid oxide electrolyzer cells (SOECs) represent a very small proportion of projects compared to polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) and alkaline electrolyzers. This is also reflected by the difference in installed capacities. While alkaline electrolyzers are installed with capacities between 50 and 5000 kW (2019/20) and PEM electrolyzers between 100 and 6000 kW SOECs have a capacity of 150 kW. France and Germany are undertaking the biggest efforts to develop PtX technologies compared to other European countries. On the whole however activities have progressed at a considerably faster rate than had been predicted just a couple of years ago.
Analysis and Design of Fuel Cell Systems for Aviation
Feb 2018
Publication
In this paper the design of fuel cells for the main energy supply of passenger transportation aircraft is discussed. Using a physical model of a fuel cell general design considerations are derived. Considering different possible design objectives the trade-off between power density and efficiency is discussed. A universal cost–benefit curve is derived to aid the design process. A weight factor wP is introduced which allows incorporating technical (e.g. system mass and efficiency) as well as non-technical design objectives (e.g. operating cost emission goals social acceptance or technology affinity political factors). The optimal fuel cell design is not determined by the characteristics of the fuel cell alone but also by the characteristics of the other system components. The fuel cell needs to be designed in the context of the whole energy system. This is demonstrated by combining the fuel cell model with simple and detailed design models of a liquid hydrogen tank. The presented methodology and models allows assessing the potential of fuel cell systems for mass reduction of future passenger aircraft.
Conceptual Study and Development of an Autonomously Operating, Sailing Renewable Energy Conversion System
Jun 2022
Publication
With little time left for humanity to reduce climate change to a tolerable level a highly scalable and rapidly deployable solution is needed that can be implemented by any country. Offshore wind energy in international waters is an underused resource and could even be harnessed by landlocked countries. In this paper the use of sailing wind turbines operating autonomously in high seas to harvest energy is proposed. The electrical energy that is generated by the wind turbine is converted to a renewable fuel and stored onboard. Later the fuel will be transferred to shore or to other destinations of use. The presented idea is explored at the system level where the basic subsystems necessary are identified and defined such as energy conversion and storage as well as propulsion subsystems. Moreover various operating possibilities are investigated including a comparison of different sailing strategies and fuels for storage. Existing ideas are also briefly addressed and an example concept is suggested as well. In this paper the proposed sailing renewable energy conversion system is explored at a higher level of abstraction. Following up on this conceptual study more detailed investigations are necessary to determine whether the development of such a sailing renewable energy conversion system is viable from an engineering economic and environmental point of view.
On the Climate Impacts of Blue Hydrogen Production
Nov 2021
Publication
Natural gas based hydrogen production with carbon capture and storage is referred to as blue hydrogen. If substantial amounts of CO2 from natural gas reforming are captured and permanently stored such hydrogen could be a low-carbon energy carrier. However recent research raises questions about the effective climate impacts of blue hydrogen from a life cycle perspective. Our analysis sheds light on the relevant issues and provides a balanced perspective on the impacts on climate change associated with blue hydrogen. We show that such impacts may indeed vary over large ranges and depend on only a few key parameters: the methane emission rate of the natural gas supply chain the CO2 removal rate at the hydrogen production plant and the global warming metric applied. State-of-the-art reforming with high CO2 capture rates combined with natural gas supply featuring low methane emissions does indeed allow for substantial reduction of greenhouse gas emissions compared to both conventional natural gas reforming and direct combustion of natural gas. Under such conditions blue hydrogen is compatible with low-carbon economies and exhibits climate change impacts at the upper end of the range of those caused by hydrogen production from renewable-based electricity. However neither current blue nor green hydrogen production pathways render fully “net-zero” hydrogen without additional CO2 removal.
Cost-effective Technology Choice in a Decarbonized and Diversified Long-haul Truck Transportation Sector: A U.S. Case Study
Dec 2021
Publication
Achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 will require accelerated efforts that include decarbonizing long-haul truck transportation. In this difficult-to-decarbonize low-margin industry economic transparency on technology options is vital for decision makers seeking to eliminate emissions. Battery electric (BET) and hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks (FCET) can represent emission-free alternatives to diesel-powered trucks (DT). Previous studies focus on cost competitiveness in weight-constrained transportation even though logistics research shows that significant shares of transportation are constrained by volume and analyze cost only for selected technologies hence impeding a differentiated market segmentation of future emission-free trucks. In this study the perspective of a rational investor is taken and it is shown that under current conditions in the U.S. BETs outperform FCETs in various long-haul use cases despite charging times and cargo deficits and will further increase their technological competitiveness to DTs. While future energy and fueling prices are decisive for BET competitiveness the analysis reveals that autonomous driving may change the picture in favor of FCETs.
Is Blue Hydrogen a Bridging Technology? - The Limits of a CO2 Price and the Role of State-induced Price Components for Green Hydrogen Production in Germany
Jun 2022
Publication
The European Commission aims to establish green hydrogen produced through electrolysis using renewable electricity and in a transition phase hydrogen produced in a low-carbon process or blue hydrogen. In an extensive cost analysis for Germany up to 2050 based on scenario data and a component-based learning rate approach we find that blue hydrogen is likely to establish itself as the most cost-effective option and not only as a medium-term low-carbon alternative. We find that expected CO2 prices below €480/tCO2 have a limited impact on the economic feasibility of electrolysis and show that substantial increases in excise tax on natural gas could lead blue hydrogen to reach a sufficient cost level for electrolysed hydrogen. Unless alternatives for green hydrogen supply through infrastructure and imports become available at lower cost electrolysed hydrogen may require long-term subsidies. As blue hydrogen comprises fugitive methane emissions and financing needs for green hydrogen support have implications for society and competition in the internal market we suggest that policymakers rely on hydrogen for decarbonising only essential energy applications. We recommend further investigations into the cost of hydrogen infrastructure and import options as well as efficient subsidy frameworks.
Artificial Intelligence-Based Machine Learning toward the Solution of Climate-Friendly Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles
Jul 2022
Publication
The rapid conversion of conventional powertrain technologies to climate-neutral new energy vehicles requires the ramping of electrification. The popularity of fuel cell electric vehicles with improved fuel economy has raised great attention for many years. Their use of green hydrogen is proposed to be a promising clean way to fill the energy gap and maintain a zero-emission ecosystem. Their complex architecture is influenced by complex multiphysics interactions driving patterns and environmental conditions that put a multitude of power requirements and boundary conditions around the vehicle subsystems including the fuel cell system the electric motor battery and the vehicle itself. Understanding its optimal fuel economy requires a systematic assessment of these interactions. Artificial intelligence-based machine learning methods have been emerging technologies showing great potential for accelerated data analysis and aid in a thorough understanding of complex systems. The present study investigates the fuel economy peaks during an NEDC in fuel cell electric vehicles. An innovative approach combining traditional multiphysics analyses design of experiments and machine learning is an effective blend for accelerated data supply and analysis that accurately predicts the fuel consumption peaks in fuel cell electric vehicles. The trained and validated models show very accurate results with less than 1% error.
AI Agents Envisioning the Future: Forecast-based Operation of Renewable Energy Storage Systems Using Hydrogen with Deep Reinforcement Learning
Feb 2022
Publication
Hydrogen-based energy storage has the potential to compensate for the volatility of renewable power generation in energy systems with a high renewable penetration. The operation of these storage facilities can be optimized using automated energy management systems. This work presents a Reinforcement Learning-based energy management approach in the context of CO2-neutral hydrogen production and storage for an industrial combined heat and power application. The economic performance of the presented approach is compared to a rule-based energy management strategy as a lower benchmark and a Dynamic Programming-based unit commitment as an upper benchmark. The comparative analysis highlights both the potential benefits and drawbacks of the implemented Reinforcement Learning approach. The simulation results indicate a promising potential of Reinforcement Learning-based algorithms for hydrogen production planning outperforming the lower benchmark. Furthermore a novel approach in the scientific literature demonstrates that including energy and price forecasts in the Reinforcement Learning observation space significantly improves optimization results and allows the algorithm to take variable prices into account. An unresolved challenge however is balancing multiple conflicting objectives in a setting with few degrees of freedom. As a result no parameterization of the reward function could be found that fully satisfied all predefined targets highlighting one of the major challenges for Reinforcement Learning -based energy management algorithms to overcome.
Are Sustainable Aviation Fuels a Viable Option for Decarbonizing Air Transport in Europe? An Environmental and Economic Sustainability Assessment
Jan 2022
Publication
The use of drop-in capable alternative fuels in aircraft can support the European aviation sector to achieve its goals for sustainable development. They can be a transitional solution in the short and medium term as their use does not require any structural changes to the aircraft powertrain. However the production of alternative fuels is often energy-intensive and some feedstocks are associated with harmful effects on the environment. In addition alternative fuels are often more expensive to produce than fossil kerosene which can make their use unattractive. Therefore this paper analyzes the environmental and economic impacts of four types of alternative fuels compared to fossil kerosene in a well-to-wake perspective. The fuels investigated are sustainable aviation fuels produced by power-to-liquid and biomass-to-liquid pathways. Life cycle assessment and life cycle costing are used as environmental and economic assessment methods. The results of this well-towake analysis reveal that the use of sustainable aviation fuels can reduce the environmental impacts of aircraft operations. However an electricity mix based on renewable energies is needed to achieve significant reductions. In addition from an economic perspective the use of fossil kerosene ranks best among the alternatives. A scenario analysis confirms this result and shows that the production of sustainable aviation fuels using an electricity mix based solely on renewable energy can lead to significant reductions in environmental impact but economic competitiveness remains problematic.
Decarbonizing the German Industrial Thermal Energy Use with Solar, Hydrogen, and Other Options - Recommendations for the World
Nov 2022
Publication
This paper is based on a position paper of the German Industry Association Concentrated Solar Power e.V. to the German government and discusses options on how to decarbonize the heat demand of the domestic industry. Among other option concentration solar collectors are a suitable option in Germany which has not been expected by many experts. The paper derives requirements that are needed to ensure a quick and sustainable way to decarbonize industrial heat demand. They are considered to also be relevant for many other countries that follow the same ambition to become climate neutral in the next decades. They major statements are: A mix of different renewable energy technologies in conjunction with efficiency measures is needed to ensure a secure climate-friendly and cost-efficient heat supply for the industry; The different technology options for the provision of heat from renewable sources through electrification and through hydrogen can and must be combined and integrated with each other. In this context concentrating solar thermal represents an important part of the hybrid supply portfolio of a decarbonized industry This requires: The definition of an expansion target for process heat and the flanking measures; Ensuring the equivalence of renewable heat renewable electricity and green hydrogen - also as hybrid solutions; The promotion of concentrating solar thermal reference projects as an impetus for market ramp-up in Germany; The launch of an information campaign for heat consumers and the establishment of a pool of consultants.
Hydrogen Blowdown Release Experiments at Different Temperatures in the Discha-facility
Sep 2021
Publication
In this work experiments on horizontal hydrogen jet releases from a 2.815 dm³ volume tank to the ambience are described. For the main experimental series tank valve and release line were cooled down to a temperature of approx. 80 K in a bath of liquid nitrogen. As a reference similar experiments were also performed with the uncooled tank at ambient temperature. The releases were carried out through four nozzles with different circular orifice diameters from 0.5 to 4 mm and started from initial tank pressures from 0.5 to 20 MPa (rel.). During the releases pressures and temperatures inside the vessel as well as inside the release line were measured. Outside the nozzle further temperature and hydrogen concentration measurements were performed along and besides the jet axis. The electrostatic field builtup in the jet was monitored using two field meters in different distances from the release nozzle and optical observation via photo and video-cameras was performed for the visualization of the H2-jet via the BOS-method. The experiments were performed in the frame of the EU-funded project PRESHLY in which several tests of this program were selected for a comparative computational study the results of which will also be presented at this conference. So on the one hand the paper gives a comprehensive description of the facility on the other hands it also describes the experimental procedure and the main findings.
Strategic Policy Targets and the Contribution of Hydrogen in a 100% Renewable European Power System
Jul 2021
Publication
The goal of the European energy policy is to achieve climate neutrality. The long-term energy strategies of various European countries include additional targets such as the diversification of energy sources maintenance of security of supply and reduction of import dependency. When optimizing energy systems these strategic policy targets are often only considered in a rudimentary manner and thus the understanding of the corresponding interdependencies is lacking. Moreover hydrogen is considered as a key component of a fully decarbonized energy system but its role in the power sector remains unclear due to the low round-trip efficiencies. This study reveals how fully decarbonized European power systems can benefit from hydrogen in terms of overall system costs and the achievement of strategic policy targets. We analyzed a broad spectrum of scenarios using an energy system optimization model and varied model constraints that reflect strategic policy targets. Our results are threefold. First compared to power systems without hydrogen systems using hydrogen realize savings of 14–16% in terms of the total system costs. Second the implementation of a hydrogen infrastructure reduces the number of infeasible scenarios when structural policy targets are considered within the power system. Third the role of hydrogen is highly diverse at a national level. Particularly in countries with low renewable energy potential hydrogen plays a crucial role. Here high levels of self-sufficiency and security of supply are achieved by deploying hydrogen-based power generation of up to 46% of their annual electricity demand realized via imports of green hydrogen.
Green Hydrogen Production Potential in West Africa – Case of Niger
Jul 2022
Publication
Niger offers the possibility of producing green hydrogen due to its high solar energy potential. Due to the still growing domestic oil and coal industry the use of green hydrogen in the country currently seems unlikely at the higher costs of hydrogen as an energy vector. However the export of green hydrogen to industrialized countries could be an option. In 2020 a hydrogen partnership has been established between Germany and Niger. The potential import of green hydrogen represents an option for Germany and other European countries to decarbonize domestic energy supply. Currently there are no known projects for the electrolytic production of hydrogen in Niger. In this work potential hydrogen demand across electricity and transport sectors is forecasted until 2040. The electricity demand in 2040 is expected at 2934 GWh and the gasoline and diesel demand at 964 m3 and 2181 m3 respectively. Accordingly the total hydrogen needed to supply electricity and the transport sector (e.g. to replace 1% gasoline and diesel demand in 2040) is calculated at 0.0117 Mt. Only a small fraction of 5% of the land area in Niger would be sufficient to generate the required electricity from solar PV to produce hydrogen.
Risks and Opportunities Associated with Decarbonising Rotterdam’s Industrial Cluster
Jun 2019
Publication
The Port of Rotterdam is an important industrial cluster comprising mainly oil refining chemical production and power generation. In 2016 the port’s industry accounted for 19% of the Netherlands’ total CO2 emissions. The Port of Rotterdam Authority is aware that the cluster is heavily exposed to future decarbonisation policies as most of its activities focus on trading handling converting and using fossil fuels. Based on a study for the Port Authority using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods our article explores three pathways whereby the port’s industry can maintain its strong position while significantly reducing its CO2 emissions and related risks by 2050. The pathways differ in terms of the EU’s assumed climate change mitigation ambitions and the key technological choices made by the cluster’s companies. The focus of the paper is on identifying key risks associated with each scenario and ways in which these could be mitigated.
Determining the Production and Transport Cost for H2 on a Global Scale
May 2022
Publication
Hydrogen (H2) produced using renewable energy could be used to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in industrial sectors such as steel chemicals transportation and energy storage. Knowing the delivered cost of renewable H2 is essential to decisionmakers looking to utilize it. The cheapest location to source it from as well as the transport method and medium are also crucial information. This study presents a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the delivered cost for renewable H2 for any usage location globally as well as the most cost-effective production location and transport route from nearly 6000 global locations. Several industrially dense locations are selected for case studies the primary two being Cologne Germany and Houston United States. The minimum delivered H2 cost to Cologne is 9.4 €/kg for small scale (no pipelines considered) shipped from northern Egypt as a liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) and 7.6 €/kg piped directly as H2 gas from southern France for large scale (pipelines considered). For smallscale H2 in Houston the minimum delivered cost is 8.6 €/kg trucked as H2 gas from the western Gulf of Mexico and 7.6 €/kg for large-scale demand piped as H2 gas from southern California. The south-west United States and Mexico northern Chile the Middle East and north Africa south-west Africa and north-west Australia are identified as the regions with the lowest renewable H2 cost potential with production costs ranging from 6.7—7.8 €/kg in these regions. Each is able to supply differing industrially dominant areas. Furthermore the effect of parameters such as year of construction electrolyser and H2 demand is analysed. For the case studies in Houston and Cologne the delivered H2 cost is expected to reduce to about 7.8 €/kg by 2050 in Cologne (no pipelines considered PEM electrolyser) and 6.8 €/kg in Houston.
Hydrogen as Energy Carrier: Techno-economic Assessment of Decentralized Hydrogen Production in Germany
Jun 2021
Publication
Political and scientific discussions on changing German energy supply mix and challenges of such energy transition are already well established. At the supply level energy storage seems to be the biggest challenge ahead for such transition. Hydrogen could be one of the solutions for future energy transition if it is produced using renewable energy resources. In order to analyze the future role of hydrogen its economic performance analysis is inevitable. This has been done in this research for a case study site in Cologne. The potential of hydrogen production with the use of solar electricity powered electrolyzers (alkaline and proton exchange membrane (PEM)) has been analyzed. Both grid connected and off grid modes of solar hydrogen production are considered. Economic performance results are presented for six scenarios. Hydrogen produced with the grid connected solar photovoltaics system coupled with alkaline electrolyzers was found the cheapest with the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) at 6.23 V/kg. These costs are comparable with the current hydrogen price at commercial refueling station in Cologne. On the other hand the LCOH of off grid systems with both alkaline and PEM electrolyzers is expensive as expected the most expensive LCOH among six scenarios reached to 57.61 V/kg.
Determination of the Optimal Power Ratio between Electrolysis and Renewable Energy to Investigate the Effects on the Hydrogen Production Costs
Sep 2022
Publication
Green hydrogen via renewable powered electrolysis has a high relevance in decarbonization and supply security. Achieving economically competitive hydrogen production costs is a major challenge in times of an energy price crisis. Our objective is to show the economically optimal installed capacity of electrolysers in relation to wind and solar power so swift and credible statements can be made regarding the system design. The ratio between renewable generation and electrolysis power as well as scaling effects operating behaviour and development of costs are considered. Hydrogen production costs are calculated for four exemplary real PV and wind sites and different ratios of electrolysis to renewable power for the year 2020. The ideal ratio for PV systems is between 14% and 73% and for wind between 3.3% and 143% for low and high full load hours. The lowest hydrogen production costs are identified at 2.53 €/kg for 50 MW wind power and 72 MW electrolysis power. The results provide plant constructors the possibility to create a cost-optimized design via an optimum ratio of electrolysis to renewable capacity. Therefore the procedures for planning and dimensioning of selected systems can be drastically simplified.
Pneumatic and Optical Characterization and Optimization of Hydrogen Injectors for Internal Combustion Engine Application
Aug 2022
Publication
To achieve future emission targets for internal combustion engines the use of hydrogen gas generated by renewable energy sources (known as “green” hydrogen) instead of fossil fuels plays a key role in the development of new combustion-based engine concepts. For new hydrogen engine generations there are different challenges concerning the injector layout and functionality. Especially when talking about direct hydrogen injection the key challenge is to ensure a proper mixing between hydrogen and the combustion air—the mixing of gas with a gas is not trivial as shown in this article. In terms of injector functionality it must be ensured that the requested amount of hydrogen gas needs to be provided in time and on the other hand accurately metered to provide an appropriate mixing formation quality inside the combustion chamber. This contribution discusses deep injector analysis techniques with pneumatic and optical approaches for an improved overall understanding of functionality and effects caused by operation with a gaseous fuel. A metering technique for gas flow characterization and for test simplification a comparison of hydrogen with helium and nitrogen as possible surrogate gases indicate that helium and nitrogen can act as a substitute for hydrogen in functional testing. Furthermore this contribution focuses on the usability of helium instead of hydrogen for the determination of spray properties. This is shown by the comparison of spray propagation images that were observed with the Schlieren technique in a pressure vessel proving comparable spray properties. In a next step the usage of spray-guiding devices to improve the global gas distribution during the injection period is discussed. Here it turns out that the volume increase does obviously not depend on the nozzle design. Thus the advantage of multi-hole guiding-devices is based on its flexible gas-jet orientation.
Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Battery and Fuel Cell Electric Cars, Trucks, and Buses
Mar 2024
Publication
Addressing the pressing challenge of global warming reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector is a critical imperative. Battery and fuel cell electric vehicles have emerged as promising solutions for curbing emissions in this sector. In this study we conducted a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) for typical passenger vehicles heavy-duty trucks and city buses using either proton-exchange membrane fuel cells or Li-ion batteries with different cell chemistries. To ensure accuracy we supplemented existing studies with data from the literature particularly for the recycling phase as database limitations were encountered. Our results highlight that fuel cell and battery systems exhibit large emissions in the production phase. Recycling can significantly offset some of these emissions but a comparison of the technologies examined revealed considerable differences. Overall battery electric vehicles consistently outperform fuel cell electric vehicles regarding absolute greenhouse gas emissions. Hence we recommend prioritizing battery electric over fuel cell vehicles. However deploying fuel cell electric vehicles could become attractive in a hydrogen economy scenario where other factors e. g. the conversion and storage of surplus renewable electricity via electrolysis become important.
Green Hydrogen from Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis: A Review of Recent Developments in Critical Materials and Operating Conditions
Mar 2020
Publication
Hydrogen production using water electrolysers equipped with an anion exchange membrane (AEM) a pure water feed and cheap components such as platinum group metal-free catalysts and stainless steel bipolar plates (BPP) can challenge proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis systems as the state of the art. For this to happen the performance of the AEM electrolyzer must match the compact design stability H2 purity and high current densities of PEM systems. Current research aims at bringing AEM water electrolysis technology to an advanced level in terms of electrolysis cell performance. Such technological advances must be accompanied by demonstration of the cost advantages of AEM systems. The current state of the art in AEM water electrolysis is defined by sporadic reports in the academic literature mostly dealing with catalyst or membrane development. The development of this technology requires a future roadmap for systematic development and commercialization of AEM systems and components. This will include basic and applied research technology development & integration and testing at a laboratory scale of small demonstration units (AEM electrolyzer shortstacks) that can be used to validate the technology (from TRL 2–3 currently to TRL 4–5). This review paper gathers together recent important research in critical materials development (catalysts membranes and MEAs) and operating conditions (electrolyte composition cell temperature performance achievements). The aim of this review is to identify the current level of materials development and where improvements are required in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the technology. Once the challenges of materials development are overcome AEM water electrolysis can drive the future use of hydrogen as an energy storage vector on a large scale (GW) especially in developing countries.
Methanol as a Renewable Energy Carrier: An Assessment of Production and Transportation Costs for Selected Global Locations
Jun 2021
Publication
The importing of renewable energy will be one part of the process of defossilizing the energy systems of countries and regions which are currently heavily dependent on the import of fossil-based energy carriers. This study investigates the possibility of importing renewable methanol comprised of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Based on a methanol synthesis simulation model the net production costs of methanol are derived as a function of hydrogen and carbon dioxide expenses. These findings enable a comparison of the import costs of methanol and hydrogen. For this the hydrogen production and distribution costs for 2030 as reported in a recent study for four different origin/destination country combinations are considered. With the predicted hydrogen production costs of 1.35–2 €/kg and additional shipping costs methanol can be imported for 370–600 €/t if renewable or process-related carbon dioxide is available at costs of 100 €/t or below in the hydrogen-producing country. Compared to the current fossil market price of approximately 400 €/t renewable methanol could therefore become cost-competitive. Within the range of carbon dioxide prices of 30–100 €/t both hydrogen and methanol exhibit comparable energy-specific import costs of 18–30 €/GJ. Hence the additional costs for upgrading hydrogen to methanol are balanced out by the lower shipping costs of methanol compared to hydrogen. Lastly a comparison for producing methanol in the hydrogen’s origin or destination country indicates that carbon dioxide in the destination country must be 181–228 €/t less expensive than that in the origin country to balance out the more expensive shipping costs for hydrogen.
Economically Viable Large-scale Hydrogen Liquefaction
Mar 2016
Publication
The liquid hydrogen demand particularly driven by clean energy applications will rise in the near future. As industrial large scale liquefiers will play a major role within the hydrogen supply chain production capacity will have to increase by a multiple of today’s typical sizes. The main goal is to reduce the total cost of ownership for these plants by increasing energy efficiency with innovative and simple process designs optimized in capital expenditure. New concepts must ensure a manageable plant complexity and flexible operability. In the phase of process development and selection a dimensioning of key equipment for large scale liquefiers such as turbines and compressors as well as heat exchangers must be performed iteratively to ensure technological feasibility and maturity. Further critical aspects related to hydrogen liquefaction e.g. fluid properties ortho-para hydrogen conversion and coldbox configuration must be analysed in detail. This paper provides an overview on the approach challenges and preliminary results in the development of efficient as well as economically viable concepts for large-scale hydrogen liquefaction.
Ammonia Production from Clean Hydrogen and the Implications for Global Natural Gas Demand
Jan 2023
Publication
Non-energy use of natural gas is gaining importance. Gas used for 183 million tons annual ammonia production represents 4% of total global gas supply. 1.5-degree pathways estimate an ammonia demand growth of 3–4-fold until 2050 as new markets in hydrogen transport shipping and power generation emerge. Ammonia production from hydrogen produced via water electrolysis with renewable power (green ammonia) and from natural gas with CO2 storage (blue ammonia) is gaining attention due to the potential role of ammonia in decarbonizing energy value chains and aiding nations in achieving their net-zero targets. This study assesses the technical and economic viability of different routes of ammonia production with an emphasis on a systems level perspective and related process integration. Additional cost reductions may be driven by optimum sizing of renewable power capacity reducing losses in the value chain technology learning and scale-up reducing risk and a lower cost of capital. Developing certification and standards will be necessary to ascertain the extent of greenhouse gas emissions throughout the supply chain as well as improving the enabling conditions including innovative finance and de-risking for facilitating international trade market creation and large-scale project development.
Development of a Pneumatic Actuated Low-pressure Direct Injection Gas Injector for Hydrogen-fueled Internal Combustion Engines
Dec 2022
Publication
Mixture formation is one of the greatest challenges for the development of robust and efficient hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines. In many reviews and research papers authors pointed out that direct injection (DI) has noteworthy advantages over a port fuel injection (PFI) such as higher power output higher efficiency the possibility of mixture stratification to control NOx-formation and reduce heat losses and above all to mitigate combustion abnormalities such as back-firing and pre-ignitions. When considering pressurized gas tanks for on-vehicle hydrogen storage a low-pressure (LP) injection system is advantageous since the tank capacity can be better exploited accordingly. The low gas density upstream of the injector requires cross-sectional areas far larger than any other injectors for direct injection in today's gasoline or diesel engines. The injector design proposed in this work consists of a flat valve seat to enable the achievement of lifetime requirements in heavy-duty applications. The gas supply pressure is used as the energy source for the actuation of the valve plate by means of a pneumatic actuator. This article describes the design and the performed tests carried out to prove the concept readiness of the new LP-DI-injector.
Hybrid Hydrogen Home Storage for Decentralized Energy Autonomy
May 2021
Publication
As the share of distributed renewable power generation increases high electricity prices and low feed-in tariff rates encourage the generation of electricity for personal use. In the building sector this has led to growing interest in energy self-sufficient buildings that feature battery and hydrogen storage capacities. In this study we compare potential technology pathways for residential energy storage in terms of their economic performance by means of a temporal optimization model of the fully self-sufficient energy system of a single-family building taking into account its residential occupancy patterns and thermal equipment. We show for the first time how heat integration with reversible solid oxide cells (rSOCs) and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) in high-efficiency single-family buildings could by 2030 enable the self-sufficient supply of electricity and heat at a yearly premium of 52% against electricity supplied by the grid. Compared to lithium-ion battery systems the total annualized cost of a self-sufficient energy supply can be reduced by 80% through the thermal integration of LOHC reactors and rSOC systems.
Life Cycle Inventory Data Generation by Process Simulation for Conventional, Feedstock Recycling and Power-to-X Technologies for Base Chemical Production
Jan 2022
Publication
The article presents the methodology and applicable data for the generation of life cycle inventory for conventional and alternative processes for base chemical production by process simulation. Addressed base chemicals include lower olefins BTX aromatics methanol ammonia and hydrogen. Assessed processes include conventional chemical production processes from naphtha LPG natural gas and heavy fuel oil; feedstock recycling technologies via gasification and pyrolysis of refuse derived fuel; and power-to-X technologies from hydrogen and CO2. Further process variations with additional hydrogen input are covered. Flowsheet simulation in Aspen Plus is applied to generate datasets with conclusive mass and energy balance under uniform modelling and assessment conditions with available validation data. Process inventory data is generated with no regard to the development stage of the respective technology but applicable process data with high technology maturity is prioritized for model validation. The generated inventory data can be applied for life cycle assessments. Further the presented modelling and balancing framework can be applied for inventory data generation of similar processes to ensure comparability in life cycle inventory data.
Ab Initio Study of the Combined Effects of Alloying Elements and H on Grain Boundary Cohesion in Ferritic Steels
Mar 2019
Publication
Hydrogen enhanced decohesion is expected to play a major role in ferritic steels especially at grain boundaries. Here we address the effects of some common alloying elements C V Cr and Mn on the H segregation behaviour and the decohesion mechanism at a Σ5(310)[001] 36.9∘ grain boundary in bcc Fe using spin polarized density functional theory calculations. We find that V Cr and Mn enhance grain boundary cohesion. Furthermore all elements have an influence on the segregation energies of the interstitial elements as well as on these elements’ impact on grain boundary cohesion. V slightly promotes segregation of the cohesion enhancing element C. However none of the elements increase the cohesion enhancing effect of C and reduce the detrimental effect of H on interfacial cohesion at the same time. At an interface which is co-segregated with C H and a substitutional element C and H show only weak interaction and the highest work of separation is obtained when the substitute is Mn.
Dynamic Operation of Fischer-Tropsch Reactors for Power-to-liquid Concepts: A Review
Apr 2022
Publication
The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is considered as a power-to-X (PtX) storage concept for converting temporally available excess energy to fuels or chemical compounds without the need of fossil resources. Fluctuating energy supplies demand a load-flexible energy system and a dynamically operating FTS reactor might be beneficial compared to traditional steady-state operations which rely on expensive upstream buffer capacities. This review provides an overview of recent experimental and simulation studies dealing with dynamic FTS operation and summarizes the main findings. The results are presented the two categories process intensification and PtX application. The review further discusses the experimentally difficult task of wide-ranging product characterization with a high temporal resolution. While dynamic reactor operation is often related to a complicated process control which challenges a save and efficient reactor performance the literature findings indicate that for dynamic FTS operation such concerns might not be as critical as assumed at least within well-known boundaries. Researchers further agree that dynamic operation might be a tool for process intensification. Especially hydrogen pulsing seems to be a potentially beneficial operating technique to remove accumulated liquid products restore initial catalyst activity and increase diesel-range productivity. The main challenge in this context is the prevention of high methane selectivity. A lucid future engineering goal seems to be the combination of the two applications: a robust and reliable FTS reactor in a PtX scenario that not only handles a fluctuating feed but uses such variations for process enhancement.
Results of the Pre-normative Research Project PRESLHY for the Safe Use of Liquid Hydrogen
Sep 2021
Publication
Liquid hydrogen (LH2) compared to compressed gaseous hydrogen offers advantages for large-scale transport and storage of hydrogen with higher densities. Although the gas industry has good experience with LH2 only little experience is available for the new applications of LH2 as an energy carrier. Therefore the European FCH JU funded project PRESLHY conducted pre-normative research for the safe use of cryogenic LH2 in non-industrial settings. The central research consisted of a broad experimental program combined with analytical work modelling and simulations belonging to the three key phenomena of the accident chain: release and mixing ignition and combustion. The presented results improve the general understanding of the behavior of LH2 in accidents and provide some design guidelines and engineering tools for safer use of LH2. Recommendations for improvement of current international standards are derived.
Review of Hydrogen Production Techniques from Water Using Renewable Energy Sources and Its Storage in Salt Caverns
Feb 2022
Publication
Hydrogen is becoming an increasingly important energy carrier in sector integration for fuel cell transportation heat and electricity. Underground salt caverns are one of the most promising ways to store the hydrogen obtained from water electrolysis using power generation from renewable energy sources (RES). At the same time the production of hydrogen can be used to avoid energy curtailments during times of low electricity demand or low prices. The stored hydrogen can also be used during times of high energy demand for power generation e.g. with fuel cells to cover the fluctuations and shortages caused by low RES generation. This article presents an overview of the techniques that were used and proposed for using excess energy from RES for hydrogen production from water and its storage techniques especially in underground salt caverns for the aforementioned purpose and its feasibility. This paper compares and summarizes the competing technologies based on the current state-of-the-art identifies some of the difficulties in hydrogen production and storage and discusses which technology is the most promising. The related analysis compares cost and techno-economic feasibility with regard to hydrogen production and storage systems. The paper also identifies the potential technical challenges and the limitations associated with hydrogen integration into the power grid.
Alternative Energy Technologies as a Cultural Endeavor: A Case Study of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Development in Germany
Feb 2012
Publication
Background: The wider background to this article is the shift in the energy paradigm from fossil energy sources to renewable sources which should occur in the twenty-first century. This transformation requires the development of alternative energy technologies that enable the deployment of renewable energy sources in transportation heating and electricity. Among others hydrogen and fuel cell technologies have the potential to fulfill this requirement and to contribute to a sustainable and emission-free transport and energy system. However whether they will ever reach broad societal acceptance will not only depend on technical issues alone. The aim of our study is to reveal the importance of nontechnical issues. Therefore the article at hand presents a case study of hydrogen and fuel cells in Germany and aims at highlighting the cultural context that affects their development.<br/>Methods: Our results were obtained from a rich pool of data generated in various research projects through more than 30 in-depth interviews direct observations and document analyses.<br/>Results: We found that individual and collective actors developed five specific supportive practices which they deploy in five diverse arenas of meaning in order to attach certain values to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.<br/>Conclusions: Based on the results we drew more general conclusions and deducted an overall model for the analysis of culture in technological innovations that is outlined at the end of the article. It constitutes our contribution to the interdisciplinary collaboration required for tackling the shift in this energy paradigm.
The Merit and the Context of Hydrogen Production from Water and Its Effect on Global CO2 Emission
Feb 2022
Publication
For a green economy to be possible in the near future hydrogen production from water is a sought-after alternative to fossil fuels. It is however important to put things into context with respect to global CO2 emission and the role of hydrogen in curbing it. The present world annual production of hydrogen is about 70 million metric tons of which almost 50% is used to make ammonia NH3 (that is mostly used for fertilizers) and about 15% is used for other chemicals [1]. The hydrogen produced worldwide is largely made by steam CH4 reforming (SMR) which is one of the most energy-intensive processes in the chemical industry [2]. It releases based on reaction stoichiometry 5.5 kg of CO2 per 1 kg of H2 (CH4+ 2 H2O → CO2 + 4 H2). When the process itself is taken into account in addition the production [3] becomes about 9 kg of CO2 per kg of H2 and this ratio can be as high as 12 [4]. This results in the production of about one billion tons/year of CO2. The world annual CO2 emission from fossil fuels is however much larger: it is about 36 billion tons of which roughly 25% is emitted while generating electricity and heat 20% due to transport activity and 20% from other industrial processes. Because of the link between global warming and CO2 emissions there is an increasing move towards finding alternative approaches for energy vectors and their applications.
Modelling and Designing Cryogenic Hydrogen Tanks for Future Aircraft Applications
Jan 2018
Publication
In the near future the challenges to reduce the economic and social dependency on fossil fuels must be faced increasingly. A sustainable and efficient energy supply based on renewable energies enables large-scale applications of electro-fuels for e.g. the transport sector. The high gravimetric energy density makes liquefied hydrogen a reasonable candidate for energy storage in a light-weight application such as aviation. Current aircraft structures are designed to accommodate jet fuel and gas turbines allowing a limited retrofitting only. New designs such as the blended-wing-body enable a more flexible integration of new storage technologies and energy converters e.g. cryogenic hydrogen tanks and fuel cells. Against this background a tank-design model is formulated which considers geometrical mechanical and thermal aspects as well as specific mission profiles while considering a power supply by a fuel cell. This design approach enables the determination of required tank mass and storage density respectively. A new evaluation value is defined including the vented hydrogen mass throughout the flight enabling more transparent insights on mass shares. Subsequently a systematic approach in tank partitioning leads to associated compromises regarding the tank weight. The analysis shows that cryogenic hydrogen tanks are highly competitive with kerosene tanks in terms of overall mass which is further improved by the use of a fuel cell.
Mind the Gap—A Socio-Economic Analysis on Price Developments of Green Hydrogen, Synthetic Fuels, and Conventional Energy Carriers in Germany
May 2022
Publication
In recent years the development of energy prices in Germany has been frequently accompanied by criticism and warnings of socio-economic disruptions. Especially with respect to the electricity sector the debate on increasing energy bills was strongly correlated with the energy system transition. However whereas fossil fuels have rapidly increased in price recently renewable substitutes such as green hydrogen and synthetic fuels also enter the markets at comparatively high prices. On the other hand the present fossil fuel supply is still considered too low-priced by experts because societal greenhouse gas-induced environmental impact costs are not yet compensated. In this study we investigate the development of the price gap between conventional energy carriers and their renewable substitutes until 2050 as well as a suitable benchmark price incorporating the societal costs of specific energy carriers. The calculated benchmark prices for natural gas (6.3 ct kWh−1 ) petrol (9.9 ct kWh−1 ) and grey hydrogen from steam methane reformation (12 ct kWh−1 ) are nearly 300% above the actual prices for industry customers in 2020 but below the price peaks of early 2022. In addition the price gap between conventional fuels and green hydrogen will be completely closed before 2050 for all investigated energy carriers. Furthermore prognosed future price developments can be considered rather moderate compared to historic and especially to the recent price dynamics in real terms. A gradual implementation of green hydrogen and synthetic fuels next to increasing CO2 prices however may temporarily lead to further increasing expenses for energy but can achieve lower price levels comparable to those of 2020 in the long term.
Potential of New Business Models for Grid Integrated Water Electrolysis
Feb 2018
Publication
Grid integrated water electrolysers have the potential of coupling electric power systems subjected to high shares of renewable energy sources with sectors of hydrogen demand thus contributing to European decarbonization goals in future. We therefore investigate the business potential of future electrolyser applications in cross-commodity arbitrage trading by applying a complex power market simulation method for future scenarios and different European countries. Based on this we evaluate the potential of additional provision of grid services towards grid operators in order to increase the electrolyser utilization ratio. For this we use a method that identifies measures of transmission grid operators in order to ensure secure grid operation. In this context uncertain hydrogen prices and different sectors of hydrogen demand are addressed through sensitivities of different hydrogen sales prices. The analysis shows a high dependency of business model efficiency on the hydrogen price. While cross-commodity arbitrage trading can achieve profitability for the transportation sector applications for the industry sector and natural gas system are less efficient. The results however indicate that for these less efficient applications grid service provision can be an option of increasing the electrolyser utilization ratio thus increasing its profitability.
Fatigue Behavior of AA2198 in Liquid Hydrogen
Aug 2019
Publication
Tensile and fatigue tests were performed on an AA2198 aluminum alloy in the T851 condition in ambient air and liquid hydrogen (LH2). All fatigue tests were performed under load control at a frequency of 20 Hz and a stress ratio of R=0.1. The Gecks-Och-Function [1] was fitted on the measured cyclic lifetimes.<br/><br/>The tensile strength in LH2 was measured to be 46 % higher compared to the value determined at ambient conditions and the fatigue limit was increased by approximately 60 %. Both S-N curves show a distinct S-shape but also significant differences. Under LH2 environment the transition from LCF- to HCF-region as well as the transition to the fatigue limit is shifted to higher cyclic lifetimes compared to ambient test results. The investigation of the crack surfaces showed distinct differences between ambient and LH2 conditions. These observed differences are important factors in the fatigue behavior change.
Hydrogen Jet Structure in Presence of Forced Co-, Counter- and Cross-flow Ventilation
Sep 2021
Publication
This paper presents results of experimental investigations on unignited horizontal hydrogen jets in air in presence of co- cross- and counter-flow. Hydrogen concentration distributions are obtained as functions of distance to the hydrogen release nozzle. The H2-jet variables are two nozzle diameters 1 mm and 4 mm and two H2-jet mass flow rates 1 g/s up to 5 g/s. A propeller fan is used to provide forced ventilation compared to the case with no ventilation three different airflow velocities up to 5 m/s were studied systematically. It was found that any forced ventilation in co- cross- and counter-flow direction reduces the size of the burnable mixture cloud of the H2-jet compared to a free jet in quiescent air.
Is Iridium Demand a Potential Bottleneck in the Realization of Large-Scale PEM Water Electrolysis?
Jul 2021
Publication
Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is a key technology for future sustainable energy systems. Proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis cells use iridium one of the scarcest elements on earth as catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction. In the present study the expected iridium demand and potential bottlenecks in the realization of PEMWE for hydrogen production in the targeted GW a−1 scale are assessed in a model built on three pillars: (i) an in-depth analysis of iridium reserves and mine production (ii) technical prospects for the optimization of PEM water electrolyzers and (iii) PEMWE installation rates for a market ramp-up and maturation model covering 50 years. As a main result two necessary preconditions have been identified to meet the immense future iridium demand: first the dramatic reduction of iridium catalyst loading in PEM electrolysis cells and second the development of a recycling infrastructure for iridium catalysts with technical end-of-life recycling rates of at least 90%.
Free Stream Behavior of Hydrogen Released from a Fluidic Oscillating Nozzle
May 2021
Publication
The H2 internal combustion engine (ICE) is a key technology for complete decarbonization of the transport sector. To match or exceed the power density of conventional combustion engines H2 direct injection (DI) is essential. Therefore new injector concepts that meet the requirements of a H2 operation have to be developed. The macroscopic free stream behavior of H2 released from an innovative fluidic oscillating nozzle is investigated and compared with that of a conventional multi-hole nozzle. This work consists of H2 flow measurements and injection tests in a constant volume chamber using the Schlieren method and is accompanied by a LES simulation. The results show that an oscillating H2 free stream has a higher penetration velocity than the individual jets of a multi-hole nozzle. This behavior can be used to inject H2 far into the combustion chamber in the vertical direction while the piston is still near bottom dead center. As soon as the oscillation of the H2 free stream starts the spray angle increases and therefore H2 is also distributed in the horizontal direction. In this phase of the injection process spray angles comparable to those of a multi-hole nozzle are achieved. This behavior has a positive effect on H2 homogenization which is desirable for the combustion process.
Site-Dependent Environmental Impacts of Industrial Hydrogen Production by Alkaline Water Electrolysis
Jun 2017
Publication
Industrial hydrogen production via alkaline water electrolysis (AEL) is a mature hydrogen production method. One argument in favor of AEL when supplied with renewable energy is its environmental superiority against conventional fossil-based hydrogen production. However today electricity from the national grid is widely utilized for industrial applications of AEL. Also the ban on asbestos membranes led to a change in performance patterns making a detailed assessment necessary. This study presents a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) using the GaBi software (version 6.115 thinkstep Leinfelden-Echterdingen Germany) revealing inventory data and environmental impacts for industrial hydrogen production by latest AELs (6 MW Zirfon membranes) in three different countries (Austria Germany and Spain) with corresponding grid mixes. The results confirm the dependence of most environmental effects from the operation phase and specifically the site-dependent electricity mix. Construction of system components and the replacement of cell stacks make a minor contribution. At present considering the three countries AEL can be operated in the most environmentally friendly fashion in Austria. Concerning the construction of AEL plants the materials nickel and polytetrafluoroethylene in particular used for cell manufacturing revealed significant contributions to the environmental burden.
An Overview of Promising Alternative Fuels for Road, Rail, Air, and Inland Waterway Transport in Germany
Feb 2022
Publication
To solve the challenge of decarbonizing the transport sector a broad variety of alternative fuels based on different concepts including Power-to-Gas and Power-to-Liquid and propulsion systems have been developed. The current research landscape is investigating either a selection of fuel options or a selection of criteria a comprehensive overview is missing so far. This study aims to close this gap by providing a holistic analysis of existing fuel and drivetrain options spanning production to utilization. For this purpose a case study for Germany is performed considering different vehicle classes in road rail inland waterway and air transport. The evaluated criteria on the production side include technical maturity costs as well as environmental impacts whereas on the utilization side possible blending with existing fossil fuels and the satisfaction of the required mission ranges are evaluated. Overall the fuels and propulsion systems Methanol-to-Gasoline Fischer–Tropsch diesel and kerosene hydrogen battery-electric propulsion HVO DME and natural gas are identified as promising future options. All of these promising fuels could reach near-zero greenhouse gas emissions bounded to some mandatory preconditions. However the current research landscape is characterized by high insecurity with regard to fuel costs depending on the predicted range and length of value chains.
SimSES: A Holistic Simulation Framework for Modeling and Analyzing Stationary Energy Storage Systems
Feb 2022
Publication
The increasing feed-in of intermittent renewable energy sources into the electricity grids worldwide is currently leading to technical challenges. Stationary energy storage systems provide a cost-effective and efficient solution in order to facilitate the growing penetration of renewable energy sources. Major technical and economical challenges for energy storage systems are related to lifetime efficiency and monetary returns. Holistic simulation tools are needed in order to address these challenges before investing in energy storage systems. One of these tools is SimSES a holistic simulation framework specialized in evaluating energy storage technologies technically and economically. With a modular approach SimSES covers various topologies system components and storage technologies embedded in an energy storage application. This contribution shows the capabilities and benefits of SimSES by providing in-depth knowledge of the implementations and models. Selected functionalities are demonstrated with two use cases showing the easy-to-use simulation framework while providing detailed technical analysis for expert users. Hybrid energy storage systems consisting of lithium-ion and redox-flow batteries are investigated in a peak shaving application while various system topologies are analyzed in a frequency containment reserve application. The results for the peak shaving case study show a benefit in favor of the hybrid system in terms of overall cost and degradation behavior in applications that have a comparatively low energy throughput during lifetime. In terms of system topology a cascaded converter approach shows significant improvements in efficiency for the frequency containment reserve application.
Quantification of Hydrogen in Nanostructured Hydrogenated Passivating Contacts for Silicon Photovoltaics Combining SIMS-APT-TEM: A Multiscale Correlative Approach
Mar 2021
Publication
Multiscale characterization of the hydrogenation process of silicon solar cell contacts based on c-Si/SiOx/nc-SiCx(p) has been performed by combining dynamic secondary ion mass-spectrometry (D-SIMS) atom probe tomography (APT) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These contacts are formed by high-temperature firing which triggers the crystallization of SiCx followed by a hydrogenation process to passivate remaining interfacial defects. Due to the difficulty of characterizing hydrogen at the nm-scale the exact hydrogenation mechanisms have remained elusive. Using a correlative TEM-SIMS-APT analysis we are able to locate hydrogen trap sites and quantify the hydrogen content. Deuterium (D) a heavier isotope of hydrogen is used to distinguish hydrogen introduced during hydrogenation from its background signal. D-SIMS is used due to its high sensitivity to get an accurate deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio which is then used to correct deuterium profiles extracted from APT reconstructions. This new methodology to quantify the concentration of trapped hydrogen in nm-scale structures sheds new insights on hydrogen distribution in technologically important photovoltaic materials.
Development of a Flashback Correlation for Burner-stabilized Hydrogen-air Premixed Flames
Feb 2022
Publication
With a growing need for replacing fossil fuels with cleaner alternatives hydrogen has emerged as a viable candidate for providing heat and power. However stable and safe combustion of hydrogen is not simple and as such a number of key issues have been identified that need to be understood for a safe design of combustion chambers. One such issue is the higher propensity of hydrogen flames to flashback compared to that for methane flames. The flashback problem is coupled with higher burner temperatures that could cause strong thermal stresses in burners and could hinder their performance. In order to systematically investigate flashback in premixed hydrogen-air flames for finding a global flashback criteria in this study we use numerical simulations as a basic tool to study flashback limits of slit burners. Flashback limits are found for varying geometrical parameters and equivalence ratios and the sensitivity of each parameter on the flashback limit and burner temperatures are identified and analyzed. It is shown that the conventional flashback correlation with critical velocity gradient does not collapse the flashback data as it does not take into account stretch induced preferential diffusion effects. A new Karlovitz number definition is introduced with physical insights that collapses the flashback data at all tested conditions in an excellent manner.
Carbon-Negative Hydrogen Production (HyBECCS) from Organic Waste Materials in Germany: How to Estimate Bioenergy and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential
Nov 2021
Publication
Hydrogen derived from biomass feedstock (biohydrogen) can play a significant role in Germany’s hydrogen economy. However the bioenergy potential and environmental benefits of biohydrogen production are still largely unknown. Additionally there are no uniform evaluation methods present for these emerging technologies. Therefore this paper presents a methodological approach for the evaluation of bioenergy potentials and the attainable environmental impacts of these processes in terms of their carbon footprints. A procedure for determining bioenergy potentials is presented which provides information on the amount of usable energy after conversion when applied. Therefore it elaborates a four-step methodical conduct dealing with available waste materials uncertainties of early-stage processes and calculation aspects. The bioenergy to be generated can result in carbon emission savings by substituting fossil energy carriers as well as in negative emissions by applying biohydrogen production with carbon capture and storage (HyBECCS). Hence a procedure for determining the negative emissions potential is also presented. Moreover the developed approach can also serve as a guideline for decision makers in research industry and politics and might also serve as a basis for further investigations such as implementation strategies or quantification of the benefits of biohydrogen production from organic waste material in Germany
Bridging the Maritime-Hydrogen Cost-Gap: Real Options Analysis of Policy Alternatives
May 2022
Publication
Alternative and especially renewable marine fuels are needed to reduce the environmental and climate impacts of the shipping sector. This paper investigates the business case for hydrogen as an alternative fuel in a new-built vessel utilizing fuel cells and liquefied hydrogen. A real option approach is used to model the optimal time and costs for investment as well as the value of deferring an investment as a result of uncertainty. This model is then used to assess the impact of a carbon tax on a ship owner’s investment decision. A low carbon tax results in ship owners deferring investments which then slows the uptake of the technology. We recommend that policymakers set a high carbon tax at an early stage in order to help hydrogen compete with fossil fuels. A clear and timely policy design promotes further investments and accelerates the uptake of new technologies that can fulfill decarbonization targets.
Dislocation and Twinning Behaviors in High Manganese Steels in Respect to Hydrogen and Aluminum Alloying
Dec 2018
Publication
The dislocation and twinning evolution behaviors in high manganese steels Fe-22Mn-0.6C and Fe-17Mn-1.5Al-0.6C have been investigated under tensile deformation with and without diffusive hydrogen. The notched tensile tests were interrupted once primary cracks were detected using the applied direct current potential drop measurement. In parallel the strain distribution in the vicinity of the crack was characterized by digital image correlation using GOM optical system. The microstructure surrounding the crack was investigated by electron backscatter diffraction. Electron channeling contrast imaging was applied to reveal the evolution of dislocations stacking faults and deformation twins with respect to the developed strain gradient and amount of hydrogen. The results show that the diffusive hydrogen at the level of 26 ppm has a conspicuous effect on initiating stacking faults twin bundles and activating multiple deformation twinning systems in Fe-22Mn-0.6C. Eventually the interactions between deformation twins and grain boundaries lead to grain boundary decohesion in this material. In comparison hydrogen does not obviously affect the microstructure evolution namely the twinning thickness and the amount of activated twinning systems in Fe-17Mn-1.5Al-0.6C. The Al-alloyed grade reveals a postponed nucleation of deformation twins delayed onset of the secondary twinning system and develops finer twinning lamellae in comparison to the Al-free material. These observations explain the improved resistance to hydrogen-induced cracking in Al-alloyed TWIP steels.
Solid-State Hydrogen Storage for a Decarbonized Society
Nov 2021
Publication
Humanity is confronted with one of the most significant challenges in its history. The excessive use of fossil fuel energy sources is causing extreme climate change which threatens our way of life and poses huge social and technological problems. It is imperative to look for alternate energy sources that can replace environmentally destructive fossil fuels. In this scenario hydrogen is seen as a potential energy vector capable of enabling the better and synergic exploitation of renewable energy sources. A brief review of the use of hydrogen as a tool for decarbonizing our society is given in this work. Special emphasis is placed on the possibility of storing hydrogen in solid-state form (in hydride species) on the potential fields of application of solid-state hydrogen storage and on the technological challenges solid-state hydrogen storage faces. A potential approach to reduce the carbon footprint of hydrogen storage materials is presented in the concluding section of this paper.
Cost-optimized Design Point and Operating Strategy of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Electrolyzers
Nov 2022
Publication
Green hydrogen is a key solution for reducing CO2 emissions in various industrial applications but high production costs continue to hinder its market penetration today. Better competitiveness is linked to lower investment costs and higher efficiency of the conversion technologies among which polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis seems to be attractive. Although new manufacturing techniques and materials can help achieve these goals a less frequently investigated approach is the optimization of the design point and operating strategy of electrolyzers. This means in particular that the questions of how often a system should be operated and which cell voltage should be applied must be answered. As existing techno-economic models feature gaps which means that these questions cannot be adequately answered a modified model is introduced here. In this model different technical parameters are implemented and correlated to each other in order to simulate the lowest possible levelized cost of hydrogen and extract the required designs and strategies from this. In each case investigated the recommended cost-based cell voltage that should be applied to the system is surprisingly low compared to the assumptions made in previous publications. Depending on the case the cell voltage is in a range between 1.6 V and 1.8 V with an annual operation of 2000e8000 h. The wide range of results clearly indicate how individual the design and operation must be but with efficiency gains of several percent the effect of optimization will be indispensable in the future.
Challenges in the Decarbonization of the Energy Sector
Jun 2020
Publication
In order to limit the effects of climate change the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the energy sector need to be reduced. Significant reductions can be achieved by using appropriate technologies and policies. In the context of recent discussions about climate change and energy transition this article critically reviews some technologies policies and frequently discussed solutions. The options for carbon emission reductions are grouped into (1) generation of secondary energy carriers (2) end-use energy sectors and (3) sector interdependencies. The challenges on the way to a decarbonized energy sector are identified with respect to environmental sustainability security of energy supply economic stability and social aspects. A global carbon tax is the most promising instrument to accelerate the process of decarbonization. Nevertheless this process will be very challenging for humanity due to high capital requirements the competition among energy sectors for decarbonization options inconsistent environmental policies and public acceptance of changes in energy use.
The Green Hydrogen Puzzle: Towards a German Policy Framework for Industry
Nov 2021
Publication
Green hydrogen will play a key role in building a climate-neutral energy-intensive industry as key technologies for defossilising the production of steel and basic chemicals depend on it. Thus policy-making needs to support the creation of a market for green hydrogen and its use in industry. However it is unclear how appropriate policies should be designed and a number of challenges need to be addressed. Based on an analysis of the ongoing German debate on hydrogen policies this paper analyses how policy-making for green hydrogen development may support industry defossilisation. For the assessment of policy instruments a simplified multi-criteria analysis (MCA) is used with an innovative approach that derives criteria from specific challenges. Four challenges and seven relevant policy instruments are identified. The results of the MCA reveal the potential of each of the selected instruments to address the challenges. The paper furthermore outlines how instruments might be combined in a policy package that supports industry defossilisation creates synergies and avoids trade-offs. The paper’s impact may reach beyond the German case as the challenges are not specific to the country. The results are relevant for policy-makers in other countries with energy-intensive industries aiming to set the course towards a hydrogen future.
Complex Hydrides for Hydrogen Storage – New Perspectives
Apr 2014
Publication
Since the 1970s hydrogen has been considered as a possible energy carrier for the storage of renewable energy. The main focus has been on addressing the ultimate challenge: developing an environmentally friendly successor for gasoline. This very ambitious goal has not yet been fully reached as discussed in this review but a range of new lightweight hydrogen-containing materials has been discovered with fascinating properties. State-of-the-art and future perspectives for hydrogen-containing solids will be discussed with a focus on metal borohydrides which reveal significant structural flexibility and may have a range of new interesting properties combined with very high hydrogen densities.
Strategies for the Sampling of Hydrogen at Refuelling Stations for Purity Assessment
Aug 2021
Publication
Hydrogen delivered at hydrogen refuelling station must be compliant with requirements stated in different standards which require specialized sampling device and personnel to operate it. Currently different strategies are implemented in different parts of the world and these strategies have already been used to perform 100s of hydrogen fuel sampling in USA EU and Japan. However these strategies have never been compared on a large systematic study. The purpose of this paper is to describe and compare the different strategies for sampling hydrogen at the nozzle and summarize the key aspects of all the existing hydrogen fuel sampling including discussion on material compatibility with the impurities that must be assessed. This review highlights the fact it is currently difficult to evaluate the impact or the difference these strategies would have on the hydrogen fuel quality assessment. Therefore comparative sampling studies are required to evaluate the equivalence between the different sampling strategies. This is the first step to support the standardization of hydrogen fuel sampling and to identify future research and development area for hydrogen fuel sampling.
Spatially-resolved Analysis of the Challenges and Opportunities of Power-to-Gas (PtG) in Baden-Württemberg until 2040
Mar 2017
Publication
The increasing penetration of renewable energies will make new storage technologies indispensable in the future. Power-to-Gas (PtG) is one long-term storage technology that exploits the existing gas infrastructure. However this technology faces technical economic environmental challenges and questions. This contribution presents the final results of a large research project which attempted to address and provide answers to some of these questions for Baden-Württemberg (south west Germany). Three energy scenarios out to 2040 were defined one oriented towards the Integrated Energy and Climate Protection Concept of the Federal State Government and two alternatives. Timely-resolved load profiles for gas and electricity for 2015 2020 2030 and 2040 have been generated at the level of individual municipalities. The profiles include residential and industrial electrical load gas required for heating (conventional and current-controlled CHP) as well as gas and electricity demand for mobility. The installation of rooftop PV-plants and wind power plants is projected based on bottom up cost-potential analyses which account for some social acceptance barriers. Residential load profiles are derived for each municipality. In times with negative residual load the PtG technology could be used to convert electricity into hydrogen or methane. The detailed analysis of four structurally-different model regions delivered quite different results. While in large cities no negative residual load is likely due to the continuously high demand and strong networks rural areas with high potentials for renewables could encounter several thousand hours of negative residual load. A cost-effective operation of PtG would only be possible under favorable conditions including high full load hours a strong reduction in costs and a technical improvement of efficiency. Whilst these conditions are not expected to appear in the short to mid-term but may occur in the long term in energy systems with very high shares of renewable energy sources
How to Reduce the Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Air Pollution Caused by Light and Heavy Duty Vehicles with Battery-electric, Fuel Cell-electric and Catenary Trucks
Mar 2021
Publication
The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is one of the greatest global challenges through 2050. Besides greenhouse gas emissions air pollution such as nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions has gained increasing attention in agglomerated areas with transport vehicles being one of the main sources thereof. Alternative fuels that fulfill the greenhouse gas reduction goals also offer the possibility of solving the challenge of rising urban pollution. This work focuses on the electric drive option for heavy and light duty vehicle freight transport. In this study fuel cell-electric vehicles battery-electric vehicles and overhead catenary line trucks were investigated taking a closer look at their potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution and also considering the investment and operating costs of the required infrastructure. This work was conducted using a bottom-up transport model for the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. Two scenarios for reducing these emissions were analyzed at a spatial level. In the first of these selected federal highways with the highest traffic volume were equipped with overhead catenary lines for the operation of diesel-hybrid overhead trucks on them. For the second spatial scenario the representative urban area of the city of Cologne was investigated in terms of air pollution shifting articulated trucks to diesel-hybrid overhead trucks and rigid trucks trailer trucks and light duty vehicles to battery-electric or fuel cell-electric drives. For the economic analysis the building up of a hydrogen infrastructure in the cases of articulated trucks and all heavy duty vehicles were also taken into account. The results showed that diesel-hybrid overhead trucks are only a cost-efficient solution for highways with high traffic volume whereas battery overhead trucks have a high uncertainty in terms of costs and technical feasibility. In general the broad range of costs for battery overhead trucks makes them competitive with fuel cell-electric trucks. Articulated trucks have the highest potential to be operated as overhead trucks. However the results indicated that air pollution is only partially reduced by switching conventional articulated trucks to electric drive models. The overall results show that a comprehensive approach such as fuel cell-electric drives for all trucks would most likely be more beneficial.
Review of Power-to-X Demonstration Projects in Europe
Sep 2020
Publication
At the heart of most Power-to-X (PtX) concepts is the utilization of renewable electricity to produce hydrogen through the electrolysis of water. This hydrogen can be used directly as a final energy carrier or it can be converted into for example methane synthesis gas liquid fuels electricity or chemicals. Technical demonstration and systems integration are of major importance for integrating PtX into energy systems. As of June 2020 a total of 220 PtX research and demonstration projects in Europe have either been realized completed or are currently being planned. The central aim of this review is to identify and assess relevant projects in terms of their year of commissioning location electricity and carbon dioxide sources applied technologies for electrolysis capacity type of hydrogen post-processing and the targeted field of application. The latter aspect has changed over the years. At first the targeted field of application was fuel production for example for hydrogen buses combined heat and power generation and subsequent injection into the natural gas grid. Today alongside fuel production industrial applications are also important. Synthetic gaseous fuels are the focus of fuel production while liquid fuel production is severely under-represented. Solid oxide electrolyzer cells (SOECs) represent a very small proportion of projects compared to polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) and alkaline electrolyzers. This is also reflected by the difference in installed capacities. While alkaline electrolyzers are installed with capacities between 50 and 5000 kW (2019/20) and PEM electrolyzers between 100 and 6000 kW SOECs have a capacity of 150 kW. France and Germany are undertaking the biggest efforts to develop PtX technologies compared to other European countries. On the whole however activities have progressed at a considerably faster rate than had been predicted just a couple of years ago.
The Sector Coupling Concept: A Critical Review
Jun 2020
Publication
Pursued climate goals require reduced greenhouse gas emissions by substituting fossil fuels with energy from renewable sources in all energy-consuming processes. On a large-scale this can mainly be achieved through electricity from wind and sun which are subject to intermittency. To efficiently integrate this variable energy a coupling of the power sector to the residential transport industry and commercial/trade sector is often promoted called sector coupling (SC). Nevertheless our literature review indicates that SC is frequently misinterpreted and its scope varies among available research from exclusively considering the use of excess renewable electricity to a rather holistic view of integrated energy systems including excess heat or even biomass sources. The core objective of this article is to provide a thorough understanding of the SC concept through an analysis of its origin and its main purpose as described in the current literature. We provide a structured categorization of SC derived from our findings and critically discuss its remaining challenges as well as its value for renewable energy systems. We find that SC is rooted in the increasing use of variable renewable energy sources and its main assets are the flexibility it provides for renewable energy systems decarbonization potential for fossil-fuel-based end-consumption sectors and consequently reduced dependency on oil and gas extracting countries. However the enabling technologies face great challenges in their economic feasibility because of the uncertain future development of competing solutions.
Review and Harmonization of the Life-Cycle Global Warming Impact of PV-Powered Hydrogen Production by Electrolysis
Sep 2021
Publication
This work presents a review of life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies of hydrogen electrolysis using power from photovoltaic (PV) systems. The paper discusses the assumptions strengths and weaknesses of 13 LCA studies and identifies the causes of the environmental impact. Differences in assumptions of system boundaries system sizes evaluation methods and functional units make it challenging to directly compare the Global Warming Potential (GWP) resulting from different studies. To simplify this process 13 selected LCA studies on PV-powered hydrogen production have been harmonized following a consistent framework described by this paper. The harmonized GWP values vary from 0.7 to 6.6 kg CO2-eq/kg H2 which can be considered a wide range. The maximum absolute difference between the original and harmonized GWP results of a study is 1.5 kg CO2-eq/kg H2. Yet even the highest GWP of this study is over four times lower than the GWP of grid-powered electrolysis in Germany. Due to the lack of transparency of most LCAs included in this review full identification of the sources of discrepancies (methods applied assumed production conditions) is not possible. Overall it can be concluded that the environmental impact of the electrolytic hydrogen production process is mainly caused by the GWP of the electricity supply. For future environmental impact studies on hydrogen production systems it is highly recommended to 1) divide the whole system into well-defined subsystems using compression as the final stage of the LCA and 2) to provide energy inputs/GWP results for the different subsystems.
Hydrogen-Powered Aviation—Design of a Hybrid-Electric Regional Aircraft for Entry into Service in 2040
Mar 2023
Publication
Over the past few years the rapid growth of air traffic and the associated increase in emissions have created a need for sustainable aviation. Motivated by these challenges this paper explores how a 50-passenger regional aircraft can be hybridized to fly with the lowest possible emissions in 2040. In particular the use of liquid hydrogen in this aircraft is an innovative power source that promises to reduce CO2 and NOx emissions to zero. Combined with a fuel-cell system the energy obtained from the liquid hydrogen can be used efficiently. To realize a feasible concept in the near future considering the aspects of performance and security the system must be hybridized. In terms of maximized aircraft sustainability this paper analyses the flight phases and ground phases resulting in an aircraft design with a significant reduction in operating costs. Promising technologies such as a wingtip propeller and electric green taxiing are discussed in this paper and their potential impacts on the future of aviation are highlighted. In essence the hybridization of regional aircraft is promising and feasible by 2040; however more research is needed in the areas of fuel-cell technology thermal management and hydrogen production and storage.
The Role of Hydrogen for a Greenhouse Gas-neutral Germany by 2045
May 2023
Publication
This paper aims to provide a holistic analysis of the role of hydrogen for achieving greenhouse gas neutrality in Germany. For that purpose we apply an integrated energy system model which includes all demand sectors of the German energy system and optimizes the transformation pathway from today's energy system to a future cost-optimal energy system. We show that 412 TWh of hydrogen are needed in the year 2045 mostly in the industry and transport sector. Particularly the use of about 267 TWh of hydrogen in industry is essential as there are no cost-effective alternatives for the required emission reduction in the chemical industry or in steel production. Furthermore we illustrate that the German hydrogen supply in the year 2045 requires both an expansion of domestic electrolyzer capacity to 71 GWH2 and hydrogen imports from other European countries and Northern Africa of about 196 TWh. Moreover flexible operation of electrolyzers is cost-optimal and crucial for balancing the intermittent nature of volatile renewable energy sources. Additionally a conducted sensitivity analysis shows that full domestic hydrogen supply in Germany is possible but requires an electrolyzer capacity of 111 GWH2.
Blast Wave Generated by Delayed Ignition of Under-Expanded Hydrogen Free Jet at Ambient and Cryogenic Temperatures
Nov 2022
Publication
An under-expanded hydrogen jet from high-pressure equipment or storage tank is a potential incident scenario. Experiments demonstrated that the delayed ignition of a highly turbulent under-expanded hydrogen jet generates a blast wave able to harm people and damage property. There is a need for engineering tools to predict the pressure effects during such incidents to define hazard distances. The similitude analysis is applied to build a correlation using available experimental data. The dimensionless blast wave overpressure generated by delayed ignition and the follow-up deflagration or detonation of hydrogen jets at an any location from the jet ∆Pexp/P0 is correlated to the original dimensionless parameter composed of the product of the dimensionless ratio of storage pressure to atmospheric pressure Ps/P0 and the ratio of the jet release nozzle diameter to the distance from the centre of location of the fast-burning near-stoichiometric mixture on the jet axis (30% of hydrogen in the air by volume) to the location of a target (personnel or property) d/Rw. The correlation is built using the analysis of 78 experiments regarding this phenomenon in the wide range of hydrogen storage pressure of 0.5–65.0 MPa and release diameter of 0.5–52.5 mm. The correlation is applicable to hydrogen free jets at ambient and cryogenic temperatures. It is found that the generated blast wave decays inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the fast-burning portion of the jet. The correlation is used to calculate the hazard distances by harm thresholds for five typical hydrogen applications. It is observed that in the case of a vehicle with onboard storage tank at pressure 70 MPa the “no-harm” distance for humans reduces from 10.5 m to 2.6 m when a thermally activated pressure relief device (TPRD) diameter decreases from 2 mm to a diameter of 0.5 mm.
Carbon Footprint Assessment of Hydrogen and Steel
Dec 2022
Publication
Hydrogen has the potential to decarbonize a variety of energy-intensive sectors including steel production. Using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology the state of the art is given for current hydrogen production with a focus on the hydrogen carbon footprint. Beside the state of the art the outlook on different European scenarios up to the year 2040 is presented. A case study of the transformation of steel production from coal-based towards hydrogen- and electricity-based metallurgy is presented. Direct reduction plants with integrated electric arc furnaces enable steel production which is almost exclusively based on hydrogen and electricity or rather on electricity alone if hydrogen stems from electrolysis. Thus an integrated steel site has a demand of 4.9 kWh of electric energy per kilogram of steel. The carbon footprint of steel considering a European sustainable development scenario concerning the electricity mix is 0.75 kg CO2eq/kg steel in 2040. From a novel perspective a break-even analysis is given comparing the use of natural gas and hydrogen using different electricity mixes. The results concerning hydrogen production presented in this paper can also be transferred to application fields other than steel.
Ecological and Economic Evaluation of Hydrogen Production by Different Water Electrolysis Technologies
Jul 2020
Publication
The economic and ecological production of green hydrogen by water electrolysis is one of the major challenges within Carbon2Chem and other power-to-X projects. This paper presents an evaluation of the different water electrolysis technologies with respect to their specific energy demand carbon footprint and the forecast production costs in 2030. From a current perspective alkaline water electrolysis is evaluated as the most favorable technology for the cost-effective production of low-carbon hydrogen with fluctuating renewables.
A Model for Cost- and Greenhouse Gas Optimal Material and Energy Allocation of Biomass and Hydrogen
Nov 2022
Publication
BENOPT an optimal material and energy allocation model is presented which is used to assess cost-optimal and/or greenhouse gas abatement optimal allocation of renewable energy carriers across power heat and transport sectors. A high level of detail on the processes from source to end service enables detailed life-cycle greenhouse gas and cost assessments. Pareto analyses can be performed as well as thorough sensitivity analyses. The model is designed to analyse optimal biomass and hydrogen usage as a complement to integrated assessment and power system models
Biological CO2-Methanation: An Approach to Standardization
May 2019
Publication
Power-to-Methane as one part of Power-to-Gas has been recognized globally as one of the key elements for the transition towards a sustainable energy system. While plants that produce methane catalytically have been in operation for a long time biological methanation has just reached industrial pilot scale and near-term commercial application. The growing importance of the biological method is reflected by an increasing number of scientific articles describing novel approaches to improve this technology. However these studies are difficult to compare because they lack a coherent nomenclature. In this article we present a comprehensive set of parameters allowing the characterization and comparison of various biological methanation processes. To identify relevant parameters needed for a proper description of this technology we summarized existing literature and defined system boundaries for Power-to-Methane process steps. On this basis we derive system parameters providing information on the methanation system its performance the biology and cost aspects. As a result three different standards are provided as a blueprint matrix for use in academia and industry applicable to both biological and catalytic methanation. Hence this review attempts to set the standards for a comprehensive description of biological and chemical methanation processes.
What is Stored, Why, and How? Mental Models, Knowledge, and Public Acceptance of Hydrogen Storage
Nov 2016
Publication
Although electricity storage plays a decisive role for the German “Energiewende” and it has become evident that the successful diffusion of technologies is not only a question of technical feasibility but also of social acceptance research on electricity storage technologies from a social science point of view is still scarce. This study therefore empirically explores laypersons’ mindsets and knowledge related to storage technologies focusing on hydrogen. While the results indicate overall supportive attitudes and trust in hydrogen storage some misconceptions a lack of information as well as concerns were identified which should be addressed in future communication concepts.
Comparative TCO Analysis of Battery Electric and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses for Public Transport System in Small to Midsize Cities
Jul 2021
Publication
This paper shows the results of an in-depth techno-economic analysis of the public transport sector in a small to midsize city and its surrounding area. Public battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses are comparatively evaluated by means of a total cost of ownership (TCO) model building on historical data and a projection of market prices. Additionally a structural analysis of the public transport system of a specific city is performed assessing best fitting bus lines for the use of electric or hydrogen busses which is supported by a brief acceptance evaluation of the local citizens. The TCO results for electric buses show a strong cost decrease until the year 2030 reaching 23.5% lower TCOs compared to the conventional diesel bus. The optimal electric bus charging system will be the opportunity (pantograph) charging infrastructure. However the opportunity charging method is applicable under the assumption that several buses share the same station and there is a “hotspot” where as many as possible bus lines converge. In the case of electric buses for the year 2020 the parameter which influenced the most on the TCO was the battery cost opposite to the year 2030 in where the bus body cost and fuel cost parameters are the ones that dominate the TCO due to the learning rate of the batteries. For H2 buses finding a hotspot is not crucial because they have a similar range to the diesel ones as well as a similar refueling time. H2 buses until 2030 still have 15.4% higher TCO than the diesel bus system. Considering the benefits of a hypothetical scaling-up effect of hydrogen infrastructures in the region the hydrogen cost could drop to 5 €/kg. In this case the overall TCO of the hydrogen solution would drop to a slightly lower TCO than the diesel solution in 2030. Therefore hydrogen buses can be competitive in small to midsize cities even with limited routes. For hydrogen buses the bus body and fuel cost make up a large part of the TCO. Reducing the fuel cost will be an important aspect to reduce the total TCO of the hydrogen bus.
Just Energy Transition: Learning from the Past for a More Just and Sustainable Hydrogen Transition in West Africa
Dec 2022
Publication
The rising demand for energy and the aim of moving away from fossil fuels and to low-carbon power have led many countries to move to alternative sources including solar energy wind geothermal energy biomass and hydrogen. Hydrogen is often considered a “missing link” in guaranteeing the energy transition providing storage and covering the volatility and intermittency of renewable energy generation. However due to potential injustice with regard to the distribution of risks benefits and costs (i.e. in regard to competing for land use) the large-scale deployment of hydrogen is a contested policy issue. This paper draws from a historical analysis of past energy projects to contribute to a more informed policy-making process toward a more just transition to the hydrogen economy. We perform a systematic literature review to identify relevant conflict factors that can influence the outcome of hydrogen energy transition projects in selected Economic Community of West African States countries namely Nigeria and Mali. To better address potential challenges policymakers must not only facilitate technology development access and market structures for hydrogen energy policies but also focus on energy access to affected communities. Further research should monitor hydrogen implementation with a special focus on societal impacts in producing countries.
New Control Strategy for Heating Portable Fuel Cell Power Systems for Energy-Efficient and Reliable Operation
Dec 2022
Publication
Using hydrogen fuel cells for power systems temperature conditions are important for efficient and reliable operations especially in low-temperature environments. A heating system with an electrical energy buffer is therefore required for reliable operation. There is a research gap in finding an appropriate control strategy regarding energy efficiency and reliable operations for different environmental conditions. This paper investigates heating strategies for the subfreezing start of a fuel cell for portable applications at an early development stage to enable frontloading in product engineering. The strategies were investigated by simulation and experiment. A prototype for such a system was built and tested for subfreezing start-ups and non-subfreezing start-ups. This was done by heating the fuel cell system with different control strategies to test their efficiency. It was found that operating strategies to heat up the fuel cell system can ensure a more reliable and energy efficient operation. The heating strategy needs to be adjusted according to the ambient conditions as this influences the required heating energy efficiency and reliable operation of the system. A differentiation in the control strategy between subfreezing and non-subfreezing temperatures is recommended due to reliability reasons.
Hydrogen Micro-Systems: Households’ Preferences and Economic Futility
Mar 2024
Publication
This study examines the potential market for residential hydrogen systems in light of the trends towards digitalisation and environmental awareness. Based on a survey of 350 participants the results indicate that although energy experts are sceptical about the benefits of residential hydrogen systems due to their high costs households are highly interested in this technology. The sample shows a willingness to invest in hydrogen applications with some households willing to pay an average of 24% more. An economic assessment compared the cost of a residential hydrogen system with conventional domestic energy systems revealing significant additional costs for potential buyers interested in hydrogen applications.
International Experience of Carbon Neutrality and Prospects of Key Technologies: Lessons for China
Feb 2023
Publication
Carbon neutrality (or climate neutrality) has been a global consensus and international experience exchange is essential. Given the differences in the degree of social development resource endowment and technological level each country should build a carbon-neutral plan based on its national conditions. Compared with other major developed countries (e.g. Germany the United States and Japan) China's carbon neutrality has much bigger challenges including a heavy and time-pressured carbon reduction task and the current energy structure that is over-dependent on fossil fuels. Here we provide a comprehensive review of the status and prospects of the key technologies for low-carbon near-zero carbon and negative carbon emissions. Technological innovations associated with coal oil-gas and hydrogen industries and their future potential in reducing carbon emissions are particularly explained and assessed. Based on integrated analysis of international experience from the world's major developed countries in-depth knowledge of the current and future technologies and China's energy and ecological resources potential five lessons for the implementation of China's carbon neutrality are proposed: (1) transformation of energy production pattern from a coal-dominated pattern to a diversified renewable energy pattern; (2) renewable power-to-X and large-scale underground energy storage; (3) integration of green hydrogen production storage transport and utilization; (4) construction of clean energy systems based on smart sector coupling (ENSYSCO); (5) improvement of ecosystem carbon sinks both in nationwide forest land and potential desert in Northwest China. This paper provides an international perspective for a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities of carbon neutrality in China and can serve as a theoretical foundation for medium-long term carbon neutral policy formulation.
Underground Hydrogen Storage to Balance Seasonal Variations in Energy Demand: Impact of Well Configuration on Storage Performance in Deep Saline Aquifers
Mar 2023
Publication
Grid-scale underground hydrogen storage (UHS) is essential for the decarbonization of energy supply systems on the path towards a zero-emissions future. This study presents the feasibility of UHS in an actual saline aquifer with a typical dome-shaped anticline structure to balance the potential seasonal mismatches between energy supply and demand in the UK domestic heating sector. As a main requirement for UHS in saline aquifers we investigate the role of well configuration design in enhancing storage performance in the selected site via numerical simulation. The results demonstrate that the efficiency of cyclic hydrogen recovery can reach around 70% in the short term without the need for upfront cushion gas injection. Storage capacity and deliverability increase in successive storage cycles for all scenarios with the co-production of water from the aquifer having a minimal impact on the efficiency of hydrogen recovery. Storage capacity and deliverability also increase when additional wells are added to the storage site; however the distance between wells can strongly influence this effect. For optimum well spacing in a multi-well storage scenario within a dome-shaped anticline structure it is essential to attain an efficient balance between well pressure interference effects at short well distances and the gas uprising phenomenon at large distances. Overall the findings obtained and the approach described can provide effective technical guidelines pertaining to the design and optimization of hydrogen storage operations in deep saline aquifers.
Techno-economic Assessment of Long-distance Supply Chains of Energy Carriers: Comparing Hydrogen and Iron for Carbon-free Electricity Generation
Mar 2023
Publication
The effective usage of renewable energy sources requires ways of storage and delivery to balance energy demand and availability divergences. Carbon-free chemical energy carriers are proposed solutions converting clean electricity into stable media for storage long-distance energy trade and on-demand electricity generation. Among them hydrogen (H2) is noteworthy being the subject of significant investment and research. Metal fuels such as iron (Fe) represent another promising solution for a clean energy supply but establishing an interconnected ecosystem still requires considerable research and development. This work proposes a model to assess the supply chain characteristics of hydrogen and iron as clean carbon-free energy carriers and then examines case studies of possible trade routes between the potential energy exporters Morocco Saudi Arabia and Australia and the energy importers Germany and Japan. The work comprises the assessment of economic (levelized cost of electricity - LCOE) energetic (thermodynamic efficiency) and environmental (CO2 emissions) aspects which are quantified by the comprehensive model accounting for the most critical processes in the supply chain. The assessment is complemented by sensitivity and uncertainty analyses to identify the main drivers for energy costs. Iron is shown to be lower-cost and more efficient to transport in longer routes and for long-term storage but potentially more expensive and less efficient than H2 to produce and convert. Uncertainties related to the supply chain specifications and the sensitivity to the used variables indicate that the path to viable energy carriers fundamentally depends on efficient synthesis conversion storage and transport. A break-even analysis demonstrated that clean energy carriers could be competitive with conventional energy carriers at low renewable energy prices while carbon taxes might be needed to level the playing field. Thereby green iron shows potential to become an important energy carrier for long-distance trade in a globalized clean energy market.
Hydrogen-powered Aviation in Germany: A Macroeconomic Perspective and Methodological Approach of Fuel Supply Chain Integration into an Economy-wide Dataset
Oct 2022
Publication
The hydrogen (H2) momentum affects the aviation sector. However a macroeconomic consideration is currently missing. To address this research gap the paper derives a methodology for evaluating macroeconomic effects of H2 in aviation and applies this approach to Germany. Three goals are addressed: (1) Construction of a German macroeconomic database. (2) Translation of H2 supply chains to the system of national accounts. (3) Implementation of H2-powered aviation into the macroeconomic data framework. The article presents an economy-wide database for analyzing H2-powered aviation. Subsequently the paper highlights three H2 supply pathways provides an exemplary techno-economic cost break-down for ten H2 components and translates them into the data framework. Eight relevant macroeconomic sectors for H2-powered aviation are identified and quantified. Overall the paper contributes on a suitable foundation to apply the macroeconomic dataset to and conduct macroeconomic analyses on H2-powered aviation. Finally the article highlights further research potential on job effects related to future H2 demand.
Implications of Hydrogen Import Prices for the German Energy System in a Model-comparison Experiment
Mar 2024
Publication
With its ability to store and transport energy without releasing greenhouse gases hydrogen is considered an important driver for the decarbonisation of energy systems. As future hydrogen import prices from global markets are subject to large uncertainties it is unclear what impact different hydrogen and derivative import prices will have on the future German energy system. To answer that research question this paper explores the impact of three different import price scenarios for hydrogen and its derivatives on the German energy system in a climate-neutral setting for Europe in 2045 using three different energy system models. The analysis shows that the quantities of electricity generated as well as the installed capacities for electricity generation and electrolysis increase as the hydrogen import price rises. However the resulting differences between the import price scenarios vary across the models. The results further indicate that domestic German (and European) hydrogen production is often cost-efficient.
Seasonal Hydrogen Storage for Residential On- and Off-grid Solar Photovoltaics Prosumer Applications: Revolutionary Solution or Niche Market for the Energy Transition until 2050?
Apr 2023
Publication
Appropriate climate change mitigation requires solutions for all actors of the energy system. The residential sector is a major part of the energy system and solutions for the implementation of a seasonal hydrogen storage system in residential houses has been increasingly discussed. A global analysis of prosumer systems including seasonal hydrogen storage with water electrolyser hydrogen compressor storage tank and a fuel cell studying the role of such a seasonal household storage in the upcoming decades is not available. This study aims to close this research gap via the improved LUT-PROSUME model which models a fully micro sector coupled residential photovoltaic prosumer system with linear optimisation for 145 regions globally. The modelling of the cost development of hydrogen storage components allows for the simulation of a residential system from 2020 until 2050 in 5-year steps in hourly resolution. The systems are cost-optimised for either on– or off-grid operation in eight scenarios including battery electric vehicles which can act as an additional vehicle-to-home electricity storage for the system. Results show that implementation of seasonal hydrogen systems only occurs in least cost solutions in high latitude countries when the system is forced to run in off-grid mode. In general a solar photovoltaic plus battery system including technologies that can cover the heat demand is the most economic choice and can even achieve lower cost than a full grid supply in off-grid operation for most regions until 2050. Additional parameters including the self-consumption ratio the demand cover ratio and the heat cover ratio can therefore not be improved by seasonal storage systems if economics is the main deciding factor for a respective system. Further research opportunities and possible limitations of the system are then identified.
Carbon-negative Hydrogen from Biomass Using Gas Switching Integrated Gasification: Techno-economic Assessment
Sep 2022
Publication
Ambitious decarbonization pathways to limit the global temperature rise to well below 2 ◦C will require largescale CO2 removal from the atmosphere. One promising avenue for achieving this goal is hydrogen production from biomass with CO2 capture. The present study investigates the techno-economic prospects of a novel biomass-to-hydrogen process configuration based on the gas switching integrated gasification (GSIG) concept. GSIG applies the gas switching combustion principle to indirectly combust off-gas fuel from the pressure swing adsorption unit in tubular reactors integrated into the gasifier to improve efficiency and CO2 capture. In this study these efficiency gains facilitated a 5% reduction in the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) relative to conventional O2-blown fluidized bed gasification with pre-combustion CO2 capture even though the larger and more complex gasifier cancelled out the capital cost savings from avoiding the air separation and CO2 capture units. The economic assessment also demonstrated that advanced gas treatment using a tar cracker instead of a direct water wash can further reduce the LCOH by 12% and that the CO2 prices in excess of 100 €/ton consistent with ambitious decarbonization pathways will make this negative-emission technology economically highly attractive. Based on these results further research into the GSIG concept to facilitate more efficient utilization of limited biomass resources can be recommended.
Climate Impact Reduction Potentials of Synthetic Kerosene and Green Hydrogen Powered Mid-Range Aircraft Concepts
Jun 2022
Publication
One of aviation’s major challenges for the upcoming decades is the reduction in its climate impact. As synthetic kerosene and green hydrogen are two promising candidates their potentials in decreasing the climate impact is investigated for the mid-range segment. Evolutionary advancements for 2040 are applied first with an conventional and second with an advanced low-NOx and low-soot combustion chamber. Experts and methods from all relevant disciplines are involved starting from combustion turbofan engine overall aircraft design fleet level and climate impact assessment allowing a sophisticated and holistic evaluation. The main takeaway is that both energy carriers have the potential to strongly reduce the fleet level climate impact by more than 75% compared with the reference. Applying a flight-level constraint of 290 and a cruise Mach number of 0.75 causing 5% higher average Direct Operating Costs (DOC) the reduction is even more than 85%. The main levers to achieve this are the advanced combustion chamber an efficient contrail avoidance strategy in this case a pure flight-level constraint and the use of CO2 neutral energy carrier in a descending priority order. Although vehicle efficiency gains only lead to rather low impact reduction they are very important to compensate the increased costs of synthetic fuels or green hydrogen.
Towards the Efficient and Time-accurate Simulations of Early Stages of Industrial Explosions
Sep 2021
Publication
Combustion during a nuclear reactor accident can result in pressure loads that are potentially fatal for the structural integrity of the reactor containment or its safety equipment. Enabling efficient modelling of such safety-critical scenarios is the goal of ongoing work. In this paper attention is given to capturing early phases of flame propagation. Transient simulations that are not prohibitively expensive for use at industrial scale are required given that a typical flame propagation study takes a large number of simulation time steps to complete. An improved numerical method used in this work is based on explicit time integration by means of Strong Stability Preserving (SSP) Runge-Kutta schemes. These allow an increased time step size for a given level of accuracy—reducing the overall computational effort. Furthermore a wide range of flow conditions is encountered in analysis of accelerating flames: from incompressible to potentially supersonic. In contrast numerical schemes for spatial discretization would often prove lacking in either stability or accuracy outside the intended flow regime—with density-based schemes being traditionally designed and applied to compressible (Ma>0.3) flows. In the present work a formulation of an all-speed density-based numerical flux scheme is used for simulation of slow flames starting from ignition. Validation was carried out using experiments with spherical lean hydrogen flames at laboratory scale. Turbulence conditions in the experiments correspond to those that can arise in a nuclear reactor containment during an accident. Results show that the new numerical method has the potential to predict flame speed and pressure rise at a reduced computational effort.
Hybrid Energy System Model in Matlab/Simulink Based on Solar Energy, Lithium‐Ion Battery and Hydrogen
Mar 2022
Publication
In this work a model of an energy system based on photovoltaics as the main energy source and a hybrid energy storage consisting of a short‐term lithium‐ion battery and hydrogen as the long‐term storage facility is presented. The electrical and the heat energy circuits and resulting flows have been modelled. Therefore the waste heat produced by the electrolyser and the fuel cell have been considered and a heat pump was considered to cover the residual heat demand. The model is designed for the analysis of a whole year energy flow by using a time series of loads weather and heat profile as input. This paper provides the main set of equations to derive the component properties and describes the implementation into MATLAB/Simulink. The novel model was created for an energy flow simulation over one year. The results of the simulation have been verified by comparing them with well‐established simulation results from HOMER Energy. It turns out that the novel model is well suited for the analysis of the dynamic system behaviour. Moreover different characteristics to achieve an energy balance an ideal dimensioning for the particular use case and further research possibilities of hydrogen use in the residential sector are covered by the novel model.
H2-powered Aviation at Airports – Design and Economics of LH2 Refueling Systems
Feb 2022
Publication
In this paper the broader perspective of green hydrogen (H2) supply and refueling systems for aircraft is provided as an enabling technology brick for more climate friendly H2-powered aviation. For this two H2 demand scenarios at exemplary airports are determined for 2050. Then general requirements for liquid hydrogen (LH2) refueling setups in an airport environment are derived and techno-economic models for LH2 storage liquefaction and transportation to the aircraft are designed. Finally a cost tradeoff study is undertaken for the design of the LH2 setup including LH2 refueling trucks and a LH2 pipeline and hydrant system. It is found that for airports with less than 125 ktLH2 annual demand a LH2 refueling truck setup is the more economic choice. At airports with higher annual LH2 demands a LH2 pipeline & hydrant system can lead to slight cost reductions and enable safer and faster refueling. However in all demand scenarios the refueling system costs only mark 3 to 4% of the total supply costs of LH2. The latter are dominated by the costs for green H2 produced offsite followed by the costs for liquefaction of H2 at an airport. While cost reducing scaling effects are likely to be achieved for H2 liquefaction plants other component capacities would already be designed at maximum capacities for medium-sized airports. Furthermore with annual LH2 demands of 100 ktLH2 and more medium and larger airports could take a special H2 hub role by 2050 dominating regional H2 consumption. Finally technology demonstrators are required to reduce uncertainty around major techno-economic parameters such as the investment costs for LH2 pipeline & hydrant systems.
Analysis of Hydrogen-Induced Changes in the Cyclic Deformation Behaviour of AISI 300–Series Austenitic Stainless Steels Using Cyclic Indentation Testing
Jun 2021
Publication
The locally occurring mechanisms of hydrogen embrittlement significantly influence the fatigue behaviour of a material which was shown in previous research on two different AISI 300-series austenitic stainless steels with different austenite stabilities. In this preliminary work an enhanced fatigue crack growth as well as changes in crack initiation sites and morphology caused by hydrogen were observed. To further analyze the results obtained in this previous research in the present work the local cyclic deformation behaviour of the material volume was analyzed by using cyclic indentation testing. Moreover these results were correlated to the local dislocation structures obtained with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in the vicinity of fatigue cracks. The cyclic indentation tests show a decreased cyclic hardening potential as well as an increased dislocation mobility for the conditions precharged with hydrogen which correlates to the TEM analysis revealing courser dislocation cells in the vicinity of the fatigue crack tip. Consequently the presented results indicate that the hydrogen enhanced localized plasticity (HELP) mechanism leads to accelerated crack growth and change in crack morphology for the materials investigated. In summary the cyclic indentation tests show a high potential for an analysis of the effects of hydrogen on the local cyclic deformation behaviour.
Kinetic Parameters Estimation via Dragonfly Algorithm (DA) and Comparison of Cylindrical and Spherical Reactors Performance for CO2 Hydrogenation to Hydrocarbons
Oct 2020
Publication
Climate change and global warming as well as growing global demand for hydrocarbons in industrial sectors make great incentives to investigate the utilization of CO2 for hydrocarbons production. Therefore finding an in-depth understanding of the CO2 hydrogenation reactors along with simulating reactor responses to different operating conditions are of paramount importance. However the reaction mechanisms for CO2 hydrogenation and their corresponding kinetic parameters have been disputable yet. In this regard considering the previously proposed Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson (LHHW) mechanism which considered CO2 hydrogenation as a combination of reverse water gas shift (RWGS) and Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reactions and using a one-dimensional pseudo-homogeneous non-isothermal model kinetic parameters of the rate expressions are estimated via fitting experimental and modelling data through a novel swarm intelligence optimization technique called dragonfly algorithm (DA). The predicted reactants conversion using DA algorithm are closer to the experimental data (with about 4% error) comparing to those obtained by the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm and are in significant agreement with available literature data. The proposed model is used to assess the effect of reactor configuration on the performance and temperature fluctuations. Results show that axial flow spherical reactor (AFSR) and radial flow spherical reactor (RFSR) exhibiting the same surface area with that of the cylindrical reactor (CR) i.e. AFSR-2 and RFSR-2-i are the most efficient exhibiting hydrocarbons selectivity of 40.330% and 40.286% at CO2 conversion of 53.763% and 53.891%. In addition it is revealed that the location of the jacket has an essential role in controlling the reactor temperature.
The Role of Renewable Energies, Storage and Sector-Coupling Technologies in the German Energy Sector under Different CO2 Emission Restrictions
Aug 2022
Publication
This study aimed to simulate the sector-coupled energy system of Germany in 2030 with the restriction on CO2 emission levels and to observe how the system evolves with decreasing emissions. Moreover the study presented an analysis of the interconnection between electricity heat and hydrogen and how technologies providing flexibility will react when restricting CO2 emissions levels. This investigation has not yet been carried out with the technologies under consideration in this study. It shows how the energy system behaves under different set boundaries of CO2 emissions and how the costs and technologies change with different emission levels. The study results show that the installed capacities of renewable technologies constantly increase with higher limitations on emissions. However their usage rates decreases with low CO2 emission levels in response to higher curtailed energy. The sector-coupled technologies behave differently in this regard. Heat pumps show similar behaviour while the electrolysers usage rate increases with more renewable energy penetration. The system flexibility is not primarily driven by the hydrogen sector but in low CO2 emission level scenarios the flexibility shifts towards the heating sector and electrical batteries.
Recent Progress and New Perspectives on Metal Amide and Imide Systems for Solid-State Hydrogen Storage
Apr 2018
Publication
Hydrogen storage in the solid state represents one of the most attractive and challenging ways to supply hydrogen to a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Although in the last 15 years a large variety of material systems have been identified as possible candidates for storing hydrogen further efforts have to be made in the development of systems which meet the strict targets of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Recent projections indicate that a system possessing: (i) an ideal enthalpy in the range of 20–50 kJ/mol H2 to use the heat produced by PEM fuel cell for providing the energy necessary for desorption; (ii) a gravimetric hydrogen density of 5 wt. % H2 and (iii) fast sorption kinetics below 110 ◦C is strongly recommended. Among the known hydrogen storage materials amide and imide-based mixtures represent the most promising class of compounds for on-board applications; however some barriers still have to be overcome before considering this class of material mature for real applications. In this review the most relevant progresses made in the recent years as well as the kinetic and thermodynamic properties experimentally measured for the most promising systems are reported and properly discussed.
Tetrahydroborates: Development and Potential as Hydrogen Storage Medium
Oct 2017
Publication
The use of fossil fuels as an energy supply becomes increasingly problematic from the point of view of both environmental emissions and energy sustainability. As an alternative hydrogen is widely regarded as a key element for a potential energy solution. However differently from fossil fuels such as oil gas and coal the production of hydrogen requires energy. Alternative and intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar power wind power etc. present multiple advantages for the production of hydrogen. On the one hand the renewable sources contribute to a remarkable reduction of pollutants released to the air and on the other hand they significantly enhance the sustainability of energy supply. In addition the storage of energy in form of hydrogen has a huge potential to balance an effective and synergetic utilization of renewable energy sources. In this regard hydrogen storage technology is a key technology towards the practical application of hydrogen as “energy carrier”. Among the methods available to store hydrogen solid-state storage is the most attractive alternative from both the safety and the volumetric energy density points of view. Because of their appealing hydrogen content complex hydrides and complex hydride-based systems have attracted considerable attention as potential energy vectors for mobile and stationary applications. In this review the progresses made over the last century on the synthesis and development of tetrahydroborates and tetrahydroborate-based systems for hydrogen storage purposes are summarized.
Study of Attenuation Effect of Water Droplets on Shockwaves from Hydrogen Explosion
Sep 2021
Publication
The increasing demand for renewable energy storage may position hydrogen as one of the major players in the future energy system. However to introduce such technology high level of safety must be offered. In particular for the accident scenarios with combustion or explosion of the unintendedly released hydrogen in partially or fully confined volumes such as e.g. road tunnel the effective countermeasures preventing or reducing the risk of equipment damages and person injuries should be established. A mitigation strategy could be the use of existing fire suppression system which can inject water as a spray. The shock waves resulted from hydrogen explosion could be weakened by the water droplets met on the shock path. In the presented work an attenuation effect of water droplets presence on the strength of the passing shock was studied. The analysis of the different attenuation mechanisms was performed and estimation of the effect of spray parameters such as droplet size and spray density on the shock wave was carried out. For the quantitative evaluation of the attenuation potential a numerical model for the COM3D combustion code was developed. The novel model for the droplet behavior accounting for the realistic correlations for the fluid (water) particle drag force linked with the corresponding droplet breakup model describing droplet atomization is presented. The model was validated against literature experimental data and was used for the blind simulations of the hydrogen test facility in KIT.
Refueling of LH2 Aircraft—Assessment of Turnaround Procedures and Aircraft Design Implication
Mar 2022
Publication
Green liquid hydrogen (LH2) could play an essential role as a zero-carbon aircraft fuel to reach long-term sustainable aviation. Excluding challenges such as electrolysis transportation and use of renewable energy in setting up hydrogen (H2) fuel infrastructure this paper investigates the interface between refueling systems and aircraft and the impacts on fuel distribution at the airport. Furthermore it provides an overview of key technology design decisions for LH2 refueling procedures and their effects on the turnaround times as well as on aircraft design. Based on a comparison to Jet A-1 refueling new LH2 refueling procedures are described and evaluated. Process steps under consideration are connecting/disconnecting purging chill-down and refueling. The actual refueling flow of LH2 is limited to a simplified Reynolds term of v · d = 2.35 m2/s. A mass flow rate of 20 kg/s is reached with an inner hose diameter of 152.4 mm. The previous and subsequent processes (without refueling) require 9 min with purging and 6 min without purging. For the assessment of impacts on LH2 aircraft operation process changes on the level of ground support equipment are compared to current procedures with Jet A-1. The technical challenges at the airport for refueling trucks as well as pipeline systems and dispensers are presented. In addition to the technological solutions explosion protection as applicable safety regulations are analyzed and the overall refueling process is validated. The thermodynamic properties of LH2 as a real compressible fluid are considered to derive implications for airport-side infrastructure. The advantages and disadvantages of a subcooled liquid are evaluated and cost impacts are elaborated. Behind the airport storage tank LH2 must be cooled to at least 19 K to prevent two-phase phenomena and a mass flow reduction during distribution. Implications on LH2 aircraft design are investigated by understanding the thermodynamic properties including calculation methods for the aircraft tank volume and problems such as cavitation and two-phase flows. In conclusion the work presented shows that LH2 refueling procedure is feasible compliant with the applicable explosion protection standards and hence does not impact the turnaround procedure. A turnaround time comparison shows that refueling with LH2 in most cases takes less time than with Jet A-1. The turnaround at the airport can be performed by a fuel truck or a pipeline dispenser system without generating direct losses i.e. venting to the atmosphere.
Simulation of a Hydrogen-Air Diffusion Flame under Consideration of Component-Specific Diffusivities
Mar 2022
Publication
This work deals with the numerical investigation of a three-dimensional laminar hydrogenair diffusion flame in which a cylindrical fuel jet is surrounded by in-flowing air. To calculate the distribution of gas molecules the model solves the species conservation equation for N-1 components using infinity fast chemistry and irreversible chemical reaction. The consideration of the component-specific diffusion has a strong influence on the position of the high-temperature zone as well as on the concentration distribution of the individual gas molecules. The calculations of the developed model predict the radial and axial species and temperature distribution in the combustion chamber comparable to those from previous publications. Deviations due to a changed burner geometry and air supply narrow the flame structure by up to 50% and the high-temperature zones merge toward the central axis. Due to the reduced inflow velocity of the hydrogen the high-temperature zones develop closer to the nozzle inlet of the combustion chamber. As the power increases the length of the cold hydrogen jet increases. Furthermore the results show that the axial profiles of temperature and mass fractions scale quantitatively with the power input by the fuel.
Sustainability Assessment and Engineering of Emerging Aircraft Technologies—Challenges, Methods and Tools
Jul 2020
Publication
Driven by concerns regarding the sustainability of aviation and the continued growth of air traffic increasing interest is given to emerging aircraft technologies. Although new technologies such as battery-electric propulsion systems have the potential to minimise in-flight emissions and noise environmental burdens are possibly shifted to other stages of the aircraft’s life cycle and new socio-economic challenges may arise. Therefore a life-cycle-oriented sustainability assessment is required to identify these hotspots and problem shifts and to derive recommendations for action for aircraft development at an early stage. This paper proposes a framework for the modelling and assessment of future aircraft technologies and provides an overview of the challenges and available methods and tools in this field. A structured search and screening process is used to determine which aspects of the proposed framework are already addressed in the scientific literature and in which areas research is still needed. For this purpose a total of 66 related articles are identified and systematically analysed. Firstly an overview of statistics of papers dealing with life-cycle-oriented analysis of conventional and emerging aircraft propulsion systems is given classifying them according to the technologies considered the sustainability dimensions and indicators investigated and the assessment methods applied. Secondly a detailed analysis of the articles is conducted to derive answers to the defined research questions. It illustrates that the assessment of environmental aspects of alternative fuels is a dominating research theme while novel approaches that integrate socio-economic aspects and broaden the scope to battery-powered fuel-cell-based or hybrid-electric aircraft are emerging. It also provides insights by what extent future aviation technologies can contribute to more sustainable and energy-efficient aviation. The findings underline the need to harmonise existing methods into an integrated modelling and assessment approach that considers the specifics of upcoming technological developments in aviation.
Fundamentals, Materials, and Machine Learning of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Technology
Jun 2020
Publication
Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are electrochemical devices that directly convert the chemical energy stored in fuel into electrical energy with a practical conversion efficiency as high as 65%. In the past years significant progress has been made in PEM fuel cell commercialization. By 2019 there were over 19000 fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) and 340 hydrogen refueling stations (HRF) in the U.S. (~8000 and 44 respectively) Japan (~3600 and 112 respectively) South Korea (~5000 and 34 respectively) Europe (~2500 and 140 respectively) and China (~110 and 12 respectively). Japan South Korea and China plan to build approximately 3000 HRF stations by 2030. In 2019 Hyundai Nexo and Toyota Mirai accounted for approximately 63% and 32% of the total sales with a driving range of 380 and 312 miles and a mile per gallon (MPGe) of 65 and 67 respectively. Fundamentals of PEM fuel cells play a crucial role in the technological advancement to improve fuel cell performance/durability and reduce cost. Several key aspects for fuel cell design operational control and material development such as durability electrocatalyst materials water and thermal management dynamic operation and cold start are briefly explained in this work. Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) have received increasing attention in material/energy development. This review also discusses their applications and potential in the development of fundamental knowledge and correlations material selection and improvement cell design and optimization system control power management and monitoring of operation health for PEM fuel cells along with main physics in PEM fuel cells for physics-informed machine learning. The objective of this review is three fold: (1) to present the most recent status of PEM fuel cell applications in the portable stationary and transportation sectors; (2) to describe the important fundamentals for the further advancement of fuel cell technology in terms of design and control optimization cost reduction and durability improvement; and (3) to explain machine learning physics-informed deep learning and AI methods and describe their significant potentials in PEM fuel cell research and development (R&D).
Numerical Simulations of Suppression Effect of Water Mist on Hydrogen Deflagration in Confined Spaces
Sep 2021
Publication
Hydrogen safety issues attract focuses increasingly as more and more hydrogen powered vehicles are going to be operated in traffic infrastructures of different kinds like tunnels. Due to the confinement feature of traffic tunnels hydrogen deflagration may pose a risk when a hydrogen leak event occurs in a tunnel e.g. failure of the hydrogen storage system caused by a car accident in a tunnel. A water injection system can be designed in tunnels as a mitigation measure to suppress the pressure and thermal loads of hydrogen combustion in accident scenarios. The COM3D is a fully verified three-dimensional finite-difference turbulent flow combustion code which models gas mixing hydrogen combustion and detonation in nuclear containment with mitigation device or other confined facilities like vacuum vessel of fusion and semi-confined hydrogen facilities in industry such as traffic tunnels hydrogen refueling station etc. Therefore by supporting of the European HyTunnel-CS project the COM3D is applied to simulate numerically the hydrogen deflagration accident in a tunnel model being suppressed by water mist injection. The suppression effect of water mist and the suppression mechanism is elaborated and discussed in the study.
Materials for Hydrogen-based Energy Storage - Past, Recent Progress and Future Outlook
Dec 2019
Publication
Michael Hirscher,
Volodymyr A. Yartys,
Marcello Baricco,
José Bellosta von Colbe,
Didier Blanchard,
Robert C. Bowman Jr.,
Darren P. Broom,
Craig Buckley,
Fei Chang,
Ping Chen,
Young Whan Cho,
Jean-Claude Crivello,
Fermin Cuevas,
William I. F. David,
Petra E. de Jongh,
Roman V. Denys,
Martin Dornheim,
Michael Felderhoff,
Yaroslav Filinchuk,
George E. Froudakis,
David M. Grant,
Evan MacA. Gray,
Bjørn Christian Hauback,
Teng He,
Terry D. Humphries,
Torben R. Jensen,
Sangryun Kim,
Yoshitsugu Kojima,
Michel Latroche,
Hai-wen Li,
Mykhaylo V. Lototskyy,
Joshua W. Makepeace,
Kasper T. Møller,
Lubna Naheed,
Peter Ngene,
Dag Noreus,
Magnus Moe Nygård,
Shin-ichi Orimo,
Mark Paskevicius,
Luca Pasquini,
Dorthe B. Ravnsbæk,
M. Veronica Sofianos,
Terrence J. Udovic,
Tejs Vegge,
Gavin Walker,
Colin Webb,
Claudia Weidenthaler and
Claudia Zlotea
Globally the accelerating use of renewable energy sources enabled by increased efficiencies and reduced costs and driven by the need to mitigate the effects of climate change has significantly increased research in the areas of renewable energy production storage distribution and end-use. Central to this discussion is the use of hydrogen as a clean efficient energy vector for energy storage. This review by experts of Task 32 “Hydrogen-based Energy Storage” of the International Energy Agency Hydrogen TCP reports on the development over the last 6 years of hydrogen storage materials methods and techniques including electrochemical and thermal storage systems. An overview is given on the background to the various methods the current state of development and the future prospects. The following areas are covered; porous materials liquid hydrogen carriers complex hydrides intermetallic hydrides electro-chemical storage of energy thermal energy storage hydrogen energy systems and an outlook is presented for future prospects and research on hydrogen-based energy storage
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