Development Of Hydrogen Infrastructure Research Articles

TransHyDE‐Sys: An Integrated Systemic Approach for Analyzing and Supporting the Transformation of Energy Systems and Hydrogen Infrastructure Development

In addition to the long‐term goal of mitigating climate change, the current geopolitical upheavals heighten the urgency to transform Europe's energy system. This involves expanding renewable energies while managing intermittent electricity generation. Hydrogen is a promising solution to balance generation and demand, simultaneously decarbonizing complex applications. To model the energy system's transformation, the project TransHyDE‐Sys, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, takes an integrated approach beyond traditional energy system analysis, incorporating a diverse range of more detailed methods and tools. Herein, TransHyDE‐Sys is situated within the recent policy discussion. It addresses the requirements for energy system modeling to gain insights into transforming the European hydrogen and energy infrastructure. It identifies knowledge gaps in the existing literature on hydrogen infrastructure‐oriented energy system modeling and presents the research approach of TransHyDE‐Sys. TransHyDE‐Sys analyzes the development of hydrogen and energy infrastructures from “the system” and “the stakeholder” perspectives. The integrated modeling landscape captures temporal and spatial interactions among hydrogen, electricity, and natural gas infrastructure, providing comprehensive insights for systemic infrastructure planning. This allows a more accurate representation of the energy system's dynamics and aids in decision‐making for achieving sustainable and efficient hydrogen network development integration.

Technological Aspects of Methane–Hydrogen Mixture Transportation through Operating Gas Pipelines Considering Industrial and Fire Safety

Pipeline transportation is widely regarded as the most cost-effective method for conveying substantial volumes of hydrogen across extensive distances. However, before hydrogen can be widely used, a new pipeline network must be built to reliably supply industrial users. An alternative way to rather expensive investments in new infrastructure could be to use the existing pipeline network to add pure hydrogen to natural gas and further transport the gas mixture in an industrially safe way. The new solution necessities will be examined for compression, transportation, and fire hazard accidents, which have not been scrutinized by other scholars. This study presents the results of a comprehensive analysis of the methane–hydrogen mixture compression process and a mathematical description of the main pipeline operation during gas mixture transportation, considering industrial fire safety issues. By examining a case study involving a main gas pipeline and its associated mathematical model for hydrogen transportation, it becomes feasible to assess the potential hazards associated with various leakage areas and the subsequent occurrence of fires. The findings of this investigation demonstrate that the spontaneous combustion of hydrogen due to leakage from a natural gas pipeline is directly influenced by the proportion of hydrogen present in the gas mixture. If the hydrogen percentage reaches a balanced ratio of 50–50%, it is plausible that the equipment at the compressor station could be subject to detrimental consequences, potentially leading to accidents and fires. Furthermore, the obtained results from modeling in ANSYS Fluent software propose two practical scenarios, which demonstrate that despite the limited research conducted on the safety aspects and the occurrence of fires during the operation of hydrogen gas pipelines, industrial and fire safety necessitate the inclusion of hydrogen transport infrastructure as a pivotal element within the broader framework of hydrogen infrastructure development.

A methodological framework for geospatial modelling of hydrogen demand in cities

Urban energy system planning is vital for cities shifting towards a more sustainable and integrated energy system. Hydrogen is considered one of the most promising solutions in future energy systems. Previous work on hydrogen energy systems predominantly analysed hydrogen models on a national level or only parts of the mobility sector. This indicates a research gap for geospatial models that include multiple sectors in which hydrogen can be used. These models can be used to support decision-making processes around the hydrogen economy in cities. This study presents a holistic model addressing the geospatial modelling of hydrogen demand in urban areas. It proposes a method that integrates a variety of open source data, including geodata, earth observation data and energy data to estimate hydrogen demand top down for the industrial feedstock (steel, ammonia, organic chemistry), process heating, and mobility (buses, trucks, trains, airplanes, ships) sectors. The proposed method can also be extended to different sectors. The method is validated by modelling the hydrogen demand in all German cities and benchmarking it with national studies. This study’s results are within the same range as the results of national studies. For this paper, the method is applied for two case studies in Freiburg im Breisgau and Frankfurt am Main. Applying this method in urban areas shows potential hydrogen demand hotspots in these areas. The model’s results help policymakers and industry stakeholders make informed decisions about the development of hydrogen infrastructure and facilitate the adoption of hydrogen as a low-carbon energy carrier. Future research could explore the temporal aspects of hydrogen demand and the spatial influence of hydrogen demand on future hydrogen production facilities such as electrolysers.

Strategic investment planning for the hydrogen economy – A mixed integer non-linear framework for the development and capacity expansion of hydrogen supply chain networks

This work presents a novel Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) modeling and optimization framework for the investment planning of large-scale hydrogen economy envelopes. The scope of the model includes the design, synthesis, and long-term capacity expansion of hydrogen supply chain networks (HSCN) that include hydrogen production, purification, storage, transportation, and distribution, subject to environmental sustainability considerations. Production and carbon capture units are represented using surrogate models derived from rigorous simulations to capture important process non-linearities. This framework provides an optimal roadmap for the 10-year plan of hydrogen infrastructure development in the state of California, that demonstrates the important trade-offs between investment decisions, economic incentives, and regulatory carbon emissions constraints. It is shown that the development of the hydrogen production and distribution networks can be achieved over a 10-year horizon in an economically profitable way, while achieving a 90 % reduction in carbon emissions and satisfying all state regulatory mandates.

Model to inform the expansion of hydrogen distribution infrastructure

A growing hydrogen economy requires new hydrogen distribution infrastructure to link geographically distributed hubs of supply and demand. The Hydrogen Optimization with Deployment of Infrastructure (HOwDI) Model helps meet this requirement. The model is a spatially resolved optimization framework that determines location-specific hydrogen production and distribution infrastructure to cost-optimally meet a specified location-based demand. While these results are useful in understanding hydrogen infrastructure development, there is uncertainty in some costs that the model uses for inputs. Thus, the project team took the modeling effort a step further and developed a Monte Carlo methodology to help manage uncertainties. Seven scenarios were run using existing infrastructure and new demand in Texas exploring different policy and tax approaches. The inclusion of tax credits increased the percentage of runs that could deliver hydrogen at <$4/kg from 31% to 77% and decreased the average dispensed cost from $4.35/kg to $3.55/kg. However, even with tax credits there are still some runs where unabated SMR is deployed to meet new demand as the low-carbon production options are not competitive. Every scenario, except for the zero-carbon scenario (without tax credits), resulted in at least 20% of the runs meeting the $4/kg dispensed fuel cost target. This indicates that multiple pathways exist to deliver $4/kg hydrogen.

Challenges toward achieving a successful hydrogen economy in the US: Potential end-use and infrastructure analysis to the year 2100

Fossil fuels continue to exacerbate climate change due to large carbon emissions resulting from their use across a number of sectors. An energy transition away from fossil fuels seems inevitable, and energy sources such as renewables and hydrogen may provide a low carbon alternative for the future energy system, particularly in large emitting nations such as the United States. This research quantifies and maps potential hydrogen fuel distribution pathways for the continental US, reflecting technological changes, barriers to deployment, and end-use-cases from 2020 to 2100, clarifying the potential role of hydrogen in the US energy transition. The methodology consists of two parts, a linear optimization of the global energy system constrained by carbon reduction targets and system cost, followed by a projection of hydrogen infrastructure development. Key findings include the emergence of trade pattern diversification, with a greater variety of end-uses associated with imported fuels and greater annual hydrogen consumption over time. Further, sensitivity analysis identified the influence of complementary technologies including nuclear power and carbon capture and storage technologies. We conclude that hydrogen penetration into the US energy system is economically viable and can contribute toward achieving Paris Agreement and more aggressive carbon reduction targets in the future.

Greenhouse gas reduction potential and cost-effectiveness of economy-wide hydrogen-natural gas blending for energy end uses

North American and European jurisdictions are considering repurposing natural gas infrastructure to deliver a lower carbon blend of natural gas and hydrogen; this paper evaluates the greenhouse gas reduction potential and cost-effectiveness of the repurposing. The analysis uses a bottom-up economy-wide energy-systems model of an emission-intensive jurisdiction, Alberta, Canada, to evaluate 576 long-term scenarios from 2026 to 2050. Many scenarios were included to give the analysis broad international applicability and differ by sector, hydrogen blending intensity, carbon policy, and hydrogen infrastructure development. Twelve hydrogen production technologies are compared in a long-term greenhouse gas and cost analysis, including advanced technologies. Autothermal reforming with carbon capture provides both lower-carbon and lower-cost hydrogen compared to most other technologies in most futures, even with high fugitive natural gas production emissions. Using hydrogen-natural gas blends for end-use energy applications eliminates 1–2% of economy-wide GHG emissions and marginal GHG abatement costs become negative at carbon prices over $300/tonne. The findings are useful for stakeholders expanding the international low-carbon hydrogen economy and governments engaged in formulating decarbonization policies and are considering hydrogen as an option.

Hydrogen-powered vehicles for autonomous ride-hailing fleets

Autonomous ride-hailing fleets are approaching commercialization as an on-demand, low-cost transportation solution. Although battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are well-studied for this application, hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) may provide additional advantages that have not been sufficiently investigated. Here, we developed a stochastic ride-hailing autonomous vehicle (RHAV) model to compare these technologies and applied this model to seven BEVs and two FCEVs. FCEV fleets are 3–10% smaller than BEV fleets due to shorter refueling times and greater driving ranges, which enable greater fleet efficiency. The Hyundai Kona (BEV) provides the greatest fleet profitability; however, the Toyota Mirai (FCEV) is only 3% less profitable despite having a 25% higher purchase price. We demonstrate that FCEVs are economically competitive as RHAVs, and that expected price reductions can make them the most profitable technology. Furthermore, FCEV fleets provide qualitative benefits, including a substantial increase in local hydrogen demand to catalyze hydrogen infrastructure development. • FCEVs and BEVs are compared for ride-hailing autonomous vehicle (RHAV) fleets. • FCEVs have smaller fleet sizes due to lower refuel times and longer ranges. • Despite higher prices, FCEV fleets can be economically competitive with BEVs. • FCEV fleets increase local hydrogen demand, supporting infrastructure growth. • FCEVs can become the most economical RHAV option as costs continue to decrease.

PEM Fuel cell and electrolysis cell technologies and hydrogen infrastructure development – a review

This review presents the current status of PEM fuel cell &amp; electrolysis cell technologies, along with the H2infrastructure, describes their similarities &amp; differences in structures, materials, and fundamentals, and outlines challenges/opportunities.

Renewable Green hydrogen energy impact on sustainability performance

In today's world, the major source of energy is fossil fuels, which are nonrenewable and cannot be used once exhausted. At the start of the twenty-first century, main challenges with current energy infrastructure throughout the world were a finite supply of fossil fuels, ever-increasing energy use, and the growing environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions. Fossil fuel energy is economical due to existing infrastructure, but it has significant downsides and has a severe impact on the environment.&#x0D; As a result, renewable energy sources are being investigated as potential contenders to supply the bulk of energy demands. Hydrogen is the least harmful to the environment of these fuels. Hydrogen is a clean, long-lasting fuel with the potential that is the source of future global energy. It may potentially be used to replace current fossil-fuel-based energy infrastructure. This is seen as a solution to the above-mentioned challenges, such as global warming and environmental degradation. It is impossible to overestimate the relevance of environmental and economic factors in the development of hydrogen infrastructure. This article discusses the many aspects of hydrogen, including as manufacturing, storage, and applications, with a focus on the environment and the economy.

Design Code Analysis of Fire Protection Facilities in Hydrogen Refueling Stations

The Korean government has announced the construction of more than 310 hydrogen refueling stations by 2022 to establish a hydrogen infrastructure, which is crucial for realizing hydrogen economy. According to the fire act in Korea, most hydrogen refueling stations are not included in the specific structure for fire protection. Therefore, in this study, the fire protection facilities in hydrogen refueling stations and the amendment methods for those facilities were investigated using the Delphi method. A total of six fire protection facilities, including an automatic fire alarm system and sprinkler, were drawn. It is the conclusion of the paper, however the current fire act does not classified the hydrogen refueling station as the specific structure for fire protection. I think the following is better: Furthermore, hydrogen refueling stations needed to be included in the specific structure for fire protection by modifying the hydrogen storage tank volume. High-pressure gas act and relevant technical codes were further required to connect with fire regulations. Quantitative analysis of fire protection facilities and design codes for hydrogen refueling stations could provide information for the hydrogen infrastructure development.

Keyword Network Analysis of Domestic Research Articles for Determining Recent Trends of Hydrogen Refueling Stations

Global climate change has caused various natural disasters, which has resulted in serious damage to the society. Therefore, there has been a growing interest in utilizing eco-friendly energy sources such as hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen vehicles and infrastructures have been studied extensively. However, the research trends of hydrogen refueling stations have not been systematically analyzed using text mining with domestic research articles. The keyword network and research topics were analyzed based on the Korea Citation Index (KCI) data of the past 10 years. The analysis revealed that “hydrogen refueling station,” “fuel cell,” and “charging station” are new research keywords. Furthermore, topics such as “hydrogen storage,” “hydrogen and electric vehicle,” and “safety in hydrogen refueling station” are becoming increasingly popular. These quantitative analysis results provide an insight on the development of hydrogen infrastructure and research policy.

Barriers to implementation of hydrogen initiatives in the context of global energy sustainable development

Modern trends in the global energy market linked to the Sustainable Development Goals often lead to the adoption of political decisions with little basis in fact. Stepping up the development of renewable energy sources is an economically questionable but necessary step in terms of its social and ecological effects. However, subsequent development of hydrogen infrastructure is, at the very least, a dangerous initiative. In connection with mentioned above, an attempt to examine hydrogen by conducting an integral assessment of its characteristics has been made in this article. As a result of the research conducted, the following conclusions concerning the potential of the widespread implementation of hydrogen in the power generation sector have been made: as a chemical element, it harms steel structures, which significantly impedes the selection of suitable materials; its physical and volume characteristics decrease the general efficiency of the energy system compared to similar hydrocarbon solutions; the hydrogen economy does not have the necessary foundation in terms of both physical infrastructure and market regulation mechanisms; the emergence of widely available hydrogen poses a danger for society due to its high combustibility. Following the results of the study, it was concluded that the existing pilot hydrogen projects are positive yet not scalable solutions for the power generation sector due to the lack of available technologies to construct large-scale and geographically distributed infrastructure and adequate international system of industry regulation. Thus, under current conditions, the risks of implementing such projects considerably exceed their potential ecological benefits.

Barriers to implementation of hydrogen initiatives in the context of global energy sustainable development

Modern trends in the global energy market linked to the Sustainable Development Goals often lead to the adoption of political decisions with little basis in fact. Stepping up the development of renewable energy sources is an economically questionable but necessary step in terms of its social and ecological effects. However, subsequent development of hydrogen infrastructure is, at the very least, a dangerous initiative. In connection with mentioned above, an attempt to examine hydrogen by conducting an integral assessment of its characteristics has been made in this article. As a result of the research conducted, the following conclusions concerning the potential of the widespread implementation of hydrogen in the power generation sector have been made: as a chemical element, it harms steel structures, which significantly impedes the selection of suitable materials; its physical and volume characteristics decrease the general efficiency of the energy system compared to similar hydrocarbon solutions; the hydrogen economy does not have the necessary foundation in terms of both physical infrastructure and market regulation mechanisms; the emergence of widely available hydrogen poses a danger for society due to its high combustibility. Following the results of the study, it was concluded that the existing pilot hydrogen projects are positive yet not scalable solutions for the power generation sector due to the lack of available technologies to construct large-scale and geographically distributed infrastructure and adequate international system of industry regulation. Thus, under current conditions, the risks of implementing such projects considerably exceed their potential ecological benefits.

Modeling of Hydrogen Infrastructure for Fuel Cell Applications and Its Impact on Hydrogen Economic Era, Case Study in Semarang

The current global trend is a shift in the use of fossil energy to hydrogen, known as the economy. At present transportation (automotive) is looking for alternative fuels as a substitute for fuel oil. In addition to using electricity as a driving force, hydrogen fuel is used as one of the fuels which can also be considered an option. This study seeks to determine the profile of energy consumption in Semarang district starting from the transportation to a certain year. The output of this research is about hydrogen infrastructure and making possible steps for a decission by knowing the profile of energy consumption in Semarang. Finally it will be known the potential of hydrogen infrastructure development which can become a guideline in determining the right policy in carrying out hydrogen infrastructure development in Semarang. The capacity of hydrogen production in Semarang is approximately 1,000 m3 / hour. The production breakdown per day is : 550m3 / hour x 24 = 13,200m3. It can be maximized the production of hydrogen for 360 days per year is 4,752,000m3. The prediction of the hydrogen needs of 2020 in Semarang is 1,955,780 m3. Thus the production of hydrogen in Semarang can be fulfilled. Keywords : hydogen fuel, oil fuel, production, transportation, Semarang DOI: 10.7176/JETP/10-3-04 Publication date: July 31 st 2020

Use of methane-hydrogen mixtures for energy accumulation

Hydrogen-methane mixtures draw attention due to an idea of injection of hydrogen into natural gas network, thus lowering the need of huge investing in development of hydrogen infrastructure. Extraction of hydrogen from dilute mixtures with natural gas differs from traditional separations, since hydrogen concentration is low. Due to selective absorption of hydrogen from the feed, epy metal hydrides purification achieves high values of separation efficiency. We have experimentally demonstrated successful separation of the hydrogen (10%) – methane (90%) mixture at inlet pressure 9.5 bar by the LaNi4.8Mn0.3Fe0.1 intermetallic compound in one step with roundtrip (absorption/desorption) hydrogen recovery 74% and absorption hydrogen recovery 76%.

Securing Platinum-Group Metals for Transport Low-Carbon Transition

Summary Fuel cell technology is the key to transport low-carbon transition. It depends on the catalysis from platinum-group metals, the rarest metals on Earth. However, due to the limited reserve, it is critical to evaluate whether global platinum resources can meet the increasing demand. This paper aims to account whether current platinum resources can support future fuel cell vehicle deployment for 140 countries for the period 2000–2100 by establishing a technology-rich, bottom-up model. It is found that, under a wide range of scenarios, the primary resource demand is significantly lower than the supply capacity at the global level. This result confirms that fuel cell vehicles have the potential to significantly contribute to global decarbonization strategies. However, challenges exist at regional and national levels. Most regions will rely heavily on resource import from the few countries with substantial resource endowments but with political instability, implying potential supply risks.

Thermal hazard analysis of a dehydrogenation system involving methylcyclohexane and toluene

The development of hydrogen infrastructure is important because its commercialization will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions significantly. The construction of hydrogen fueling stations will increase the demand for fuel cell vehicles. While the risk associated with various types of fueling stations has been assessed, and appropriate safety regulations have been proposed, there have been few studies on hydrogen fueling stations with on-site dehydrogenation systems that use methylcyclohexane (MCH). This is because such stations are very new. In particular, the thermal hazards associated with such systems must be analyzed because they could lead to equipment damage. The purpose of the present study was to identify the thermal hazards of such systems using various thermal analysis methods. Thermal analyses were performed while assuming spontaneous ignition and oxidation under normal and abnormal conditions, in order to identify the thermal hazards associated with the storage of MCH, toluene, and heat carriers in underground storage tanks as well as their use in the dehydrogenation reactor. In addition, the thermal safety of the tank and the reactor was estimated based on the results of the thermal analyses. It was found that the underground storage tanks for MCH and toluene have a lower thermal risk because the process conditions are mild, and the thermal hazards related to the chemicals are low. Further, in the case of the dehydrogenation reactor, the risk of the spontaneous ignition of the heat carrier is low under quasi-adiabatic conditions and moderate air ventilation, in case the heat carrier leaks from damaged piping and equipment. However, it is important to regularly inspect the reactor to prevent any issues that may arise from an exothermic reaction of the heat carrier.

The Hydrogen Energy Infrastructure Development in Japan

The actual start of the full-scale hydrogen energy infrastructure operations is scheduled to 2020 in Japan. The scope of factors and policy for the hydrogen infrastructure development in Japan is made. The paper provides observation for the major undergoing and already done projects for each link within hydrogen infrastructure chain – from production to end-user applications. Implications for the Russian energy policy are provided.

Feasibility analysis of a hydrogen backup power system for Russian telecom market

We performed feasibility analysis of 10 kW hydrogen backup power system (H2BS) consisting of a water electrolyzer, a metal hydride hydrogen storage and a fuel cell. Capital investments in H2BS are mostly determined by the costs of the PEM electrolyzer, the fuel cell and solid state hydrogen storage materials, for single unit or small series manufacture the cost of AB5-type intermetallic compound can reach 50% of total system cost. Today the capital investments in H2BS are 3 times higher than in conventional lead-acid system of the same capacity. Wide distribution of fuel cell hydrogen vehicles, development of hydrogen infrastructure, and mass production of hydrogen power systems will for sure lower capital investments in fuel cell backup power. Operational expenditures for H2BS is only 15% from the expenditures for lead acid systems, and after 4-5 years of exploitation the total cost of ownership will become lower than for batteries.