The document discusses hydrogen production and a potential hydrogen economy. It outlines that hydrogen is mainly used today in the Haber process for ammonia production and hydrocracking of petroleum. The hydrogen economy proposes using hydrogen as an energy carrier produced from water using energy rather than being an energy source itself. The main challenges to a hydrogen economy are high costs, developing efficient hydrogen storage methods, and building the necessary infrastructure including production, transportation and distribution. Current hydrogen is mainly produced via natural gas reforming, but other methods discussed are electrolysis, gasification, and biological and photolytic production.

1. Bobby Barker

2. Overview
 Uses of hydrogen
 Hydrogen economy
 Hydrogen production
 Challenges to a hydrogen economy
 Storage of hydrogen

3. Uses of Hydrogen
 Haber Process – Roughly 50% of hydrogen use.
 Producing ammonia for fertilizers
 Hydrocracking – Roughly 50% of hydrogen use.
 Cracking – complex organics to simpler molecules
 Converting heavy petroleum fractions into lighter ones
 Hydrogen Economy
 Hydrogen as an energy carrier, not a source
 Must be generated
 Expanding enterprise

4. Hydrogen Economy
 John Bockris – 1970
 A solution to the pollution emission from hydrocarbon
fuels
 One pound of hydrogen holds 52,000 BTU, three times
the energy of a pound of gasoline
 Many issues
 Storage
 Purity 99.999% for fuel cells
 Costs

5. Hydrogen Economy
Graphic: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Realizing.the.Hydrogen.Economy.chart.gif

6. Methods of Hydrogen Production
Graphic: http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/consumer/hydrogen/basics/images/HydrogenProductionPaths.gif

7. Methods of Hydrogen Production
 Steam Reformation of Natural Gas
 Cheapest method
 CH4 + H2O → CO + 3H2 at 700 – 1100 °C in the presence
of a metal-based catalyst.
 CO + H2O → CO2 + H2
 Still emits pollution as CO2
 Carbon capture

8. Methods of Hydrogen Production
 Electrolysis
 2H2O + energy → 2H2 + O2
 Uses electric current to split water; many methods.
 High-pressure, high-temperature, biocatalyst, thermal,
solar, etc.
 Gasification
 Coal or Biomass converted into gaseous components by
heat, under pressure, in the presence of steam.
 Carbon capture

9. Methods of Hydrogen Production
 Kværner-process
 Carbon Black and Hydrogen (CB&H) method
 Produces hydrogen and carbon black from
hydrocarbons
 Energy-efficient, pure 100% carbon and hydrogen.
 Biological
 Bacteria consume water in light or
without light to produce hydrogen
as a byproduct.
Graphic: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Algae_hydrogen_production.jpg

10. Methods of Hydrogen Production
 Renewable Liquid Reforming
 Biomass used to make biofuels can be reacted with high-
temperature steam to produce hydrogen.
 Global production (2006):
 48% from natural gas
 30% from oil
 18% from coal;
 Water electrolysis accounts for only 4%.

11. Main Challenges to a Hydrogen
Economy
 Cost reduction
 Transportation technology
 Production technology
 Conversion processes over other sources of energy
 Storage
 Infrastructure

12. Storage of Hydrogen
 One of the foremost challenges to the hydrogen
economy
 Compressed gas in high-pressure tanks
 Liquid in tanks (-253°C)
 Solid by absorbing or reacting with metals
 Issues:
 Operating pressure and temperature
 Life span of the storage material
 High energy content compared to weight, low energy
content compared to volume, especially for gas.

13. Storage Technologies
Graphic: http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/consumer/hydrogen/basics/storage.htm

14. Infrastructure
 Pipeline transport
 Expensive, but still cheapest.
 Hydrogen stations
 Hydrogen embrittlement
 Typical natural gas lines require coatings or replacement
 Idea of on-site applications
 Explosion leaks
 Hydrogen-oxygen flames in UV range
 Odorless

15. References
 References:
 1. Hydrogen Economy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_economy (accessed 26
Feb 2012).
 2. Hydrogen Technologies.
http://www.interstatetraveler.us/Reference-
Bibliography/Bellona-HydrogenReport.html (accessed 26 Feb
2012).
 3. Hydrogen Production.
http://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/doe_h2_production.pdf
(accessed 26 Feb 2012).
 4. Hydrogen.
http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/consumer/hydrogen/index.htm
(accessed 26 Feb 2012).