2. What is Hydrogen energy?
● Hydrogen is an energy
carrier, however that energy
must be produced from
another substance;
Hydrogen can be produced
from water, Fossil Fuels,
and Biomass
● Because Hydrogen gas
cannot be extracted from the
atmosphere, and must be
extracted from other
substances, you must
extract the Hydrogen using
either electrolysis (water
splitting) or steam reforming.
3. Steam Reforming
● Steam reforming is
currently the least
expensive method of
producing hydrogen and is
accountable for 95-96% of
the hydrogen produced in
the United States. It is
used to separate hydrogen
atoms from carbon atoms
in methane (CH4).
Unfortunately, because
methane is a fossil fuel,
the process of steam
results in greenhouse
gases which are
commonly linked with
global warming
4. Electrolysis
● Electrolysis is a process
that splits Hydrogen from
water, which results in no
emission but is very
expensive at present, It
accounts for only 4-5% of
Hydrogen production in
the United States today,
due mostly to the greater
cost.
6. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Structure
● The Hydrogen
Fuel cells are
made up of four
parts- the Anode,
the Cathode, the
Catalyst, and the
Proton Exchange
Membrane
7. Anode
● The anode is the
negative part of the
fuel cell. It conducts
freed hydrogen
molecules and sends
them into an external
circuit
Cathode
● The cathode is the
positive part of the
fuel cell. It conducts
electrons from the
external circuit to the
catalyst and holds the
oxygen until it is
forced past the
catalyst.
8. Electrolyte (Proton Exchange
Membrane)
● The Electrolyte looks like clear
kitchen wrap, but can only
conduct positive ions. The fact
that it must be hydrated in
order to work is a problem that
must be solved. Its purpose is
to separate Hydrogen ions
from their electrons pushing
the Hydrogen ions through the
membrane and sending the
electrons through an external
circuit.
9. Catalyst
● The catalyst is a piece
of carbon paper or cloth
covered with a thin
sheet of platinum nano-
particles. It facilitates
the recombination of
Hydrogen and Oxygen
(from the anode and
cathode respectively)
with water molecules as
the waste.
10. The Process of Fuel Cells
1) Pressurized hydrogen gas
enters the fuel cell on the
anode side.
2) The gas is forced through
the catalyst, separating it
into to H+ions and two
electrons.
3) The ions go through the
catalyst (because they’re
positive) and the electrons
are forced through an
external circuit (where they
generate power).
Meanwhile…
1) Oxygen gas is forced through
the cathode past the catalyst.
It forms two highly negatively
charged Oxygen ions, which
attract the two H+ ions.
2) Each oxygen atom combines
with two H2ions, as well as
electrons that have returned
from the external circuit, to
form water molecules.
11. Other Fuel Cell Facts
● Hydrogen fuel cells are essentially the “battery” of
Hydrogen.
● They combine more Oxygen and Hydrogen to form
water, and in the process energy is created
● It dispenses steam
● Small fuel cells can power electric cars, while large
fuel cells can provide electricity in out-of-the-way
places without power lines
● The most common form of fuel cells are Polymer
Membrane Exchange Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) because
they have a high power density and low operating
temperature, which means they take minimal time to
heat up
12. CO$TS
● One commercially offered price for a fuel cell currently is
approximately $3,000 per kilowatt, a price considered too
high for common use. Though fuel cells will not truly
achieve nationwide market penetration until they drop to
about $1,500, engineers are constantly working for a
cheaper solution
● The initial cost setup is really not set for fuel cells in the
current market because it really has not in fact
penetrated the market and is therefore being sold for a
wide variety of prices, many of which vary from the
company’s above to as high as $6,000 per kilowatt.
● Long term costs tend to be substantially less than the
initial costs, eventually coming out to about $1,500 per
kilowatt.
13. Short Term Pollution
● The Hydrogen itself does not have any
detrimental effects because Hydrogen lives
within our atmosphere and the process only
exerts water and heat
● Pure hydrogen does not naturally exist in nature,
so it must be artificially created through the use
of some sort of independent energy, most likely
fossil fuels, which renders the entire process of
using hydrogen energy to avoid the pollution and
environmental damage of the fossil fuels
pointless
14. Long Term Pollution
● Steam reforming, one of the most
common methods of extracting
hydrogen, is used to separate
hydrogen atoms from carbon atoms in
methane, as mentioned earlier.
However, because methane is a fossil
fuel, the process of steam reforming
results in greenhouse gases which are
commonly linked with global warming,
a long effect on the environment
● Besides the use of fossil fuels,
Hydrogen has no long term pollution
effects, one of the few energies that
can make that claim.
15. Availability
●
●
●
●
Hydrogen exists all over the earth. It is most commonly found in
water, fossil fuels, and biomass.
Water is the most useful of the three sources, due to its
abundance among Earth.
However, the efficient use of fuel cells requires pure Hydrogen
which does not exist on earth. Therefore, pure Hydrogen must be
extracted from the previously mentioned sources.
Biomass is the least efficient source primarily because of its
seasonality, limited supplies, it has a low yield, it will degrade the
soil, and it is not in fact suitable for pure hydrogen production.
16. Safety
● Because of its energy content, Hydrogen must be
handled with as much care as any fossil fuel,
however is not extremely dangerous
● Hydrogen fuel cells are indeed advantageous in cars
if a car were to be lit on fire, due to the fact that
Hydrogen rises to the top of the car before catching
on fire while gasoline simply explodes, making a
Hydrogen fueled car much safer in a scenario of a
dire or extremely dangerous crash.
17. Other Positive Aspects of Hydrogen
Energy
● Hydrogen has almost
an unlimited source
unlike most energies
and is far more
accessible
● Gasoline has about a
20% efficiency while
Hydrogen has about a
64% efficiency.
18. The Few Cons of Hydrogen Energy
● Because it is such a light gas,
it is difficult to store a lot of
Hydrogen in a small area,
which contradicts with the
desires of the engineers who
want to design a 300-mile
range car.
● Liquid Hydrogen would have
to be kept at -420oF which is
rather difficult
● It depends on other energies
and really is rather useless as
an energy source except for
its increase of efficiency
(shh…)
