Techno-economic analysis of hydrogen storage and transportation from hydrogen plant to terminal refueling station

Abstract

Economical hydrogen storage and transportation contribute to hydrogen energy utilization. In this paper, for economically distributing hydrogen from the hydrogen plant to the terminal hydrogen refueling station, considering the daily hydrogen demand and transportation distance, firstly a comprehensive techno-economic analysis of the point-to-point hydrogen storage and transportation system based on compressed gas hydrogen (GH), liquid hydrogen (LH), pipeline hydrogen (PH), and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC) is investigated, respectively. The optimal economical point-to-point energy storage and transportation modes under various transportation distance and daily hydrogen demand are obtained. Then the economic analysis of different hydrogen storage and transportation modes under 1-to-N hydrogen storage and transportation scenario is conducted, which can significantly decrease the cost of LH storage and transportation mode. To step further, the 1-to-N relay hydrogen storage and transportation scenario is constructed to improve the applicability and reduce the unit cost. The economic analysis of 14 kinds of feasible combinations of hydrogen storage and transportation modes is systematically assessed. Regarding to the transportation distance and daily hydrogen demand, the optimal economical 1-to-N relay energy storage and transportation modes are identified. This study may contribute to rationally design and application for economic hydrogen storage and transportation systems.