United Kingdom

The lack of clarity and uncertainty about hydrogen’s role demand applications and economics has been a barrier to the development of the hydrogen economy. In this paper an optimisation model for the integrated planning and operation of hydrogen and electricity systems is presented to identify the role of hydrogen technologies and linepack in decarbonising energy systems improving system flexibility and enhancing energy system security and re Read More

Underground hydrogen storage in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and aquifers has been proposed as a potential long-term solution to storing intermittently produced renewable electricity as the subsurface formations provide secure and large storage space. Various phenomena can lead to hydrogen loss in subsurface systems with the key cause being the trapping especially during the withdrawal cycle. Capillary trapping in particular is strongly related Read More

The rapid adoption of hydrogen as an eco-friendly energy source has necessitated the development of intelligent power management systems capable of efficiently utilizing hydrogen resources. However guaranteeing the security and integrity of hydrogen-related data has become a significant challenge. This paper proposes a pioneering approach to ensure secure hydrogen data analysis by integrating blockchain technology enhancing trust transparenc Read More

We perform a simulation study of hydrogen injection in a depleted gas reservoir to assess the geomechanical impact of hydrogen storage relative to other commonly injected gases (methane CO2). A key finding is that the differences in hydrogen density compressibility viscosity and thermal properties compared to the other gases result in significantly less thermal perturbation at reservoir level. The risks of fault reactivation and wellbore fractures due to th Read More

In the present study pilot simulations of the phenomena of blast wave and fireball generated by the rupture of a high-pressure (35 MPa) hydrogen tank (volume 72 L) due to fire were carried out. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model includes the realizable k-ε model for turbulence and the eddy dissipation model coupled with the one-step chemical reaction mechanism for combustion. The simulation results were compared with experimen Read More

This study aimed to compare hydrogen ammonia methanol and waste-derived biofuels as shipping fuels using life cycle assessment to establish what potential they have to contribute to the shipping industry’s 100% greenhouse gas emission reduction target. A novel approach was taken where the greenhouse gas emissions associated with one year of global shipping fleet operations was used as a common unit for comparison therefore allow Read More

The ever-increasing world energy demand drives the need for new and sustainable renewable fuel to mitigate problems associated with greenhouse gas emissions such as climate change. This helps in the development toward decarbonisation. Thus in recent years hydrogen has been seen as a promising candidate in global renewable energy agendas where the production of biohydrogen gains more attention compared with fossil-based hydrogen. I Read More

The safety engineering design of hydrogen systems and infrastructure worker education and training regulatory compliance and engagement with other stakeholders are significant to the viability and public acceptance of hydrogen farms. The only way to ensure these are accomplished is for the field of hydrogen safety engineering (HSE) to grow and mature. HSE is described as the application of engineering and scientific principles to protect the Read More

This report outlines the methods and assumptions used in the hydrogen technology market analysis. The results of the analysis are presented in The UK Hydrogen Innovation Opportunity and the supporting report Hydrogen technology roadmaps. They include forecasts for the following market data: ○ Global hydrogen economy The overall size of the global hydrogen economy in 2023 2030 and 2050.○ Global and UK hydrogen technology market by tec Read More

Offshore energy system integration is particularly important for realising a rapid and cost-effective low-carbon energy transition in the North Sea region. Effective implementation of strategies that require collaboration be tween countries developers and operators must be underpinned by robust and comprehensive modelling results. Intra-system interactions and diversity of sectors needed to facilitate the energy transition must be adequately Read More

This report lays out roadmaps for the nine technology families identified in the UK Hydrogen Innovation Opportunity. The content in these roadmaps has been developed through a combination of extensive industrial engagement and aggregation of existing sector and technology roadmaps. This document also signposts to reports that highlight innovation challenges and opportunities for two underpinning technology families - materials and digital. The tec Read More

The UK government plans to phase out pure diesel trains by 2040 and fully decarbonize railways by 2050. Hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) trains electrified trains using pantographs (Electrified Trains) and battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) trains are considered the main solutions for decarbonizing railways. However the range of these decarbonization options’ line upgrade cost advantages is unclear. This paper analyzes the upgrade costs of three types of train Read More

Energy transition is a key driver to combat climate change and achieve zero carbon future. Sustainable and costeffective hydrogen production will provide valuable addition to the renewable energy mix and help minimize greenhouse gas emissions. This study investigates the performance of in-situ hydrogen production (IHP) process using a full-field compositional model as a precursor to experimental validation The reservoir model was simulated as on Read More

In this latest OIES podcast James Henderson talks to Bill Farren-Price the new Head of the Gas Programme about some of Key Themes identified by OIES research fellows for 2024. After a review of the outcomes from 2023 we look at the oil and gas markets and discuss a common theme around the contrast between the fundamental tightness in both markets compared with the relative softness of prices. We then move onto a number of energy transiti Read More

Hydrogen trade is an emerging area of interest for hydrogen developers end-users traders and governments around the world. It can enhance system flexibility energy security and clean growth enabling decarbonisation at a lower cost and faster pace. Thanks to its competitive advantage in existing ports terminals and interconnectors the UK is well placed to be the European trade hub for hydrogen and its carriers. With its access to world leading of Read More

CFD modelling of compressed hydrogen fuelling provides information on the hydrogen and tank structure temperature dynamics required for onboard storage tank design and fuelling protocol development. This study compares five turbulence models to develop a strategy for costeffective CFD simulations of hydrogen fuelling while maintaining a simulation accuracy acceptable for engineering analysis: RANS models k-ε and RSM; hybrid models SAS and Read More

In recent years there has been a significant increase in the adoption of autonomous vehicles for marine and submarine missions. The advancement of emerging imaging navigation and communication technologies has greatly expanded the range of operational capabilities and opportunities available. The ENDURUNS project is a European research endeavor focused on identifying strategies for achieving minimal environmental impact. To measure th Read More

This study aims to carry out a techno-economic analysis of different hydrogen supply chain designs coupled with the Swedish electricity system to study the inter-dependencies between them. Both the hydrogen supply chain designs and the electricity system were parameterized with data for 2030. The supply chain designs comprehend centralised production decentralised production a combination of both and with/without seasonal variation in hydrogen Read More

Hydrogen presents the UK with a substantial opportunity to drive economic growth and secure skilled jobs by leveraging our natural geological and geographical advantages robust supply chain and existing energy expertise. Hydrogen UK’s most recent Economic Impact Assessment estimates that the hydrogen sector in the UK could support approximately 30000 direct jobs and contribute more than £7 billion gross value added annually by 2030. Read More

A new model is presented to predict hydrogen-assisted fatigue. The model combines a phase field description of fracture and fatigue stress-assisted hydrogen diffusion and a toughness degradation formulation with cyclic and hydrogen contributions. Hydrogen-assisted fatigue crack growth predictions exhibit an excellent agreement with experiments over all the scenarios considered spanning multiple load ratios H2 pressures and loading frequen Read More

Following a desktop study undertaken in 2021 to identify hazard scenarios associated with the use of liquid and compressed hydrogen on commercial shipping Shell has started a programme of large-scale experiments on the consequences of a release of liquid hydrogen. This work will compliment on-going research Shell has sponsored within several joint industry projects but will also address immediate concerns that the maritime industry has for the Read More

This review article provides a comprehensive analysis of the hydrogen landscape outlining the imperative for enhanced hydrogen production implementation and utilisation. It places the question of how to accelerate hydrogen adoption within the broader context of sustainable energy transitions and international commitments to reduce carbon emissions. It discusses influencing factors and policies for best practices in hydrogen energy application. Through Read More

Accelerated decarbonisation of steelmaking oil refining and petrochemical industries is essential for climate change mitigation. Drawing on three longitudinal case studies of these industries in the UK this synthesis article makes a comparative analysis of their varying low-carbon reorientation speeds. The paper uses the triple embeddedness framework to analyse five factors (policy support international competition financial health technical feasibility corporate Read More

This study focuses on development of a CFD model able to simulate the experimentally observed critical nozzle diameter for hydrogen non-premixed flames. The critical diameter represents the minimum nozzle size through which a free jet flame will remain stable at all driving pressures. Hydrogen non-premixed flames will not blow-out at diameters equal to or greater than the critical diameter. Accurate simulation of this parameter is important for assess Read More

This paper investigated the opportunities and challenges of integrating ports into hydrogen (H2 ) supply chains in the context of Australia and Japan because they are leading countries in the field and are potential leaders in the upcoming large-scale H2 trade. Qualitative interviews were conducted in the two countries to identify opportunities for H2 ports necessary infrastructure and facilities key factors for operations and challenges associated with the Read More

Low-cost green hydrogen production will be key in reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Green hydrogen can be produced by electrolysis using renewable energy including wind energy. However the configuration of offshore wind-to-hydrogen systems is not yet standardised. For example electrolysis can take place onshore or offshore. This work presents a framework to assess and quantify which configuration is more resilient so that security o Read More

Hydrogen is one of the key solutions to decarbonising the UK economy along with other carbon abatement solutions such as electrification CCUS biofuels and energy efficiency. It provides a low carbon alternative to fossil fuels that has many of the same desirable features such as burning with a high temperature flame without producing carbon emissions during combustion. Hydrogen will be particularly valuable in hard-to-decarbonise sectors that have few Read More

A growing share of renewable energy production in the energy supply systems is key to reaching the European political goal of zero CO2 emission in 2050 highlighted in the green deal. Linked to the irregular production of solar and wind energies which have the highest potential for development in Europe massive energy storage solutions are needed as energy buffers. The European project HyPSTER [1] (Hydrogen Pilot STorage for large Ecosystem Read More

Porous carbons have been extensively investigated for hydrogen storage but to date appear to have an upper limit to their storage capacity. Here in an effort to circumvent this upper limit we explore the potential of oxygen-rich activated carbons. We describe cellulose acetate-derived carbons that combine high surface area (3800 m2 g−1 ) and pore volume (1.8 cm3 g−1 ) that arise almost entirely (>90%) from micropores with an oxygen-rich nature. The Read More

Underground coal gasification (UCG) is an emerging clean energy technology with significant potential for enhanced hydrogen production especially when coupled with water injection. Previous lab-scale studies have explored this potential but the mechanisms driving water-assisted hydrogen enhancement in large-scale deep UCG settings remain unclear. This study addresses this gap using numerical simulations of a large-scale deep coal model designe Read More

Though being attractive on railway decarbonisation for regional lines excessive cost caused by immature hydrogen supply chain is one of the significant hurdles for promoting hydrogen traction to rolling stocks. Therefore we conduct bespoke research on the UK’s hydrogen supply chain for railway concentrating on hydrogen transportation. Firstly a map for the planned hydrogen production plants and potential hydrogen lines is developed wit Read More

As global economies seek to transition to low-carbon energy systems to achieve net zero targets hydrogen has potential to play a key role to decarbonise sectors that are unsuited to electrification or where long-term energy storage is required. Hydrogen can also assist in enabling decentralized renewable power generation to satisfy higher electricity demand to match the scale-up of electrified technologies. In this context suitable transport storage a Read More

Billions of litres of wastewater are produced daily from domestic and industrial areas and whilst wastewater is often perceived as a problem it has the potential to be viewed as a rich source for resources and energy. Wastewater contains between four and five times more energy than is required to treat it and is a potential source of bio-hydrogen—a clean energy vector a feedstock chemical and a fuel widely recognised to have a role in the decarbo Read More

Aviation is a major contributor to transportation carbon emissions but aims to reduce its carbon footprint. Sustainable and environmentally friendly green hydrogen fuel is essential for decarbonization of this industry. Using the extremely low temperature of liquid hydrogen in aviation sector unlocks the opportunity for cryoelectric aircraft concept which exploits the advantageous properties of superconductors onboard. A significant barrier for gre Read More

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) represent the short-term solution to reduce fossil carbon emissions from aviation. The Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) was globally adopted to foster and make SAFs production economically competitive. Fischer-Tropsch synthetic paraffinic kerosene (FTSPK) produced from forest residue is a promising CORSIA-eligible fuel. FT conversion pathway permits the integration of ca Read More

The research motivation of this paper is to utilize the large amount of energy wasted during the LNG (liquefied natural gas) gasification process and proposes a synergistic liquefied hydrogen (LH2) production and storage process scheme for LNG receiving station and methane reforming hydrogen production process - SMR-LNG combined liquefied hydrogen production system which uses the cold energy from LNG to pre-cool the hydrogen and subseque Read More

Future pathways for Great Britain’s energy system decarbonization have highlighted the importance of lowcarbon hydrogen as an energy carrier and demand flexibility support. However the potential application within various sectors (heating industry transport) and production capacity through different technologies (methane reformation with carbon capture biomass gasification electrolysis) is highly varying introducing substantial uncertainties fo Read More

This study investigated the cost competitiveness using total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) in heavy duty on and off-road fleet applications as a key enabler in the decarbonisation of the transport sector and compares results to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and diesel internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). Assessments were carried out for a present day (2021) scenario and a sensitivity analysis asse Read More

: This article investigates how safety culture impacts the safety performance of blue hydrogen projects. Blue hydrogen refers to decarbonized hydrogen produced through natural gas reforming with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. It is crucial to decide on a suitable safety policy to avoid potential injuries financial losses and loss of public goodwill. The system dynamics approach is a suitable tool for studying the impact of factors controlling s Read More

The concept of the “hydrogen economy” was first coined by Prof. John Bockris during a talk he gave in 1970 at the General Motors Technical Center. Bockris’s talk introduced the vision of a world economy in which energy was carried in the form of hydrogen resulting in zero emissions at its point of use—be that as a chemical feedstock or as a fuel for industrial or domestic heating for power generation in a gas turbine or in a fuel cell “engine” for transport appli Read More

As climate change intensifies determining a developing region’s role in achieving net-zero emissions worldwide is crucial. However regional efforts considering historical emissions remain underexplored. Here we assess energy system changes technology adoption and investments needed for developing regions including five major- and minor-emitting nations. Our analysis using an integrated assessment model shows a large gap in regional efforts Read More

This article presents a comprehensive review of the current landscape and prospects of large-scale hydrogen storage technologies with a focus on both onshore and offshore applications and flexibility. Highlighting the evolving technological advancements it explores storage and compression techniques identifying potential research directions and avenues for innovation. Underwater hydrogen storage and hybrid metal hydride com pressed gas tan Read More

Large-scale H2 storage in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs offers a practical way to use existing energy infra structure to address renewable energy intermittency. Cushion gases often constitute a large initial investment especially when expensive H2 is used. Cheaper alternatives such as CO2 or in-situ CH4 can reduce costs and in the case of CO2 integrate within carbon capture and storage systems. This study explored cushion and working gas dyna Read More

Hydrogen (H2) offers a green medium for storing the excess from renewables production instead of dumping it thus being crucial to decarbonisation efforts. Hydrogen also offers a storage medium for the grid’s cheap electricity to be used during grid peak demand or grid power cutoffs. Funded by the Scottish Government’s Emerging Energy Technologies this paper presents the design and performance analysis of a hydrogen uninterruptible power suppl Read More

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) have not received enough attention as a power source in the transportation sector. However with the development of the technology its advantages over other types of fuel cells such as fuel flexibility and high energy efficiency have made SOFC an interesting option. The present study aims at simulation and experimentally validation of the performance of a hydrogen-powered SOFC in an automotive application. A 6 kW SOF Read More

The adoption of liquid hydrogen (LH2) as an energy carrier presents significant opportunities for distributing large quantities of hydrogen efficiently. However ensuring safety of LH2 transfer operations requires the evo lution of suitable technologies and regulatory framework. This study offers an extensive overview of technical considerations and safety aspects pertaining to liquid hydrogen installations and mobile applications. A signif icant lack of regulations Read More

The renewable hydrogen economy is recognized as an integral solution for decarbonizing energy sectors. However high costs have hindered widespread deployment. One promising way of reducing the costs is optimization. Optimization generally involves finding the configuration of the renewable generation and hydrogen system components that maximizes return on investment. Previous studies have included many aspects into their optimisations incl Read More

Steel production is a highly energy-intensive industry responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions. Electrification of this sector is challenging making green hydrogen technology a promising alternative. This research performs a thermodynamic analysis of green hydrogen production for steel manufacturing using the direct reduction method. Four solid oxide electrolyzer (SOE) modules replace the traditional reformer to produce 2.88 kg/s of hydrogen Read More

Stringent sustainability goals are set for the next generation of aircraft. A promising novel airframe concept is the ultra-high aspect ratio Strut-Braced Wing (SBW) aircraft. Hydrogen-based concepts are active contenders for sustainable propulsion. The study compares a medium-range Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) to a kerosene-based SBW aircraft designed with the same top-level requirements. For both concepts overall design operating costs and emissions are Read More

This study investigates hydrogen-diesel dual-fuelling specifically for a modern 4.4L 4-cylinder heavy-duty diesel engine using extensive one-dimensional combustion modelling in Ricardo WAVE. Parametric analyses from 900 to 2200 rpm speeds and 0 to 17.5% hydrogen fractions introduced via port injection are undertaken to assess the effect of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) for controlling NOx. Moreover impacts on key indicators like brake power to Read More