Optimizing design and performance assessment of a sustainability hydrogen supply chain network: A multi-period model for China

Abstract

The potential future use of hydrogen as transportation fuel should be assessed from supply chain point. However, the main challenge to motivate hydrogen supply chain (HSC) network is the insufficiency of the present hydrogen infrastructure. This paper presents a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) optimization model for a rational HSC design, given that primary energy source availability, production technologies, transportation modes and storage types. A sustainable principle based on Markov chain is innovatively introduced in the design of HSC network. The strategic decisions for sustainability infrastructure plans can be hierarchically analyzed in time-associated steps (2025–2030–2035). Meanwhile the spatiotemporal-resolved design is further used for an explicit consideration of specific city (Dalian in China), not heavily focused on national/country scale. Furthermore, optimizations are evaluated with total daily costs, carbon tax and CO2 emissions reduction constraints. The results show that the route of WE(S2)→WE(S2)→WE(S3) is the strategic decisions for Dalian hydrogen infrastructure plan from economic-environmental sustainable viewpoint, with the whole HSC costs of 18.44 $ kg−1 H2 in 2025, 10.56 $ kg−1 H2 in 2030 and 5.98 $ kg−1 H2 in 2035. Finally, the proposed design can provide policy-makers with the selection of sustainability pathways for dynamic hydrogen development planning.