ARTICLE 2.

2: APPLICATION OF
HYDROGEN ENERGY AND REVIEW
OF CURRENT CONDITIONS
Pan Aiqiang, Liu Jing, Liu Zhipeng,
Yang Yunwei, Yang Xiu, Zhang Meixia
(Summary by: Katty Beltrán)
1. INTRODUCTION
Fossil fuels have caused damage to the global environment due to greenhouse
emissions.

Hydrogen energy gives a solution to both environmental protection and economic

growth, due to its rich reserve, high combustion value and ecological end economic
benefits.

Hydrogen energy is complementary to electric power and will link renewable and
traditional energies in the future.

By 2050, hydrogen energy will have a market value of 8250 billion yuan, will reduce
20% of greenhouse gases emissions, will provide 18% energy for terminals.
• America, Europe and Japan have a head start in implementing
hydrogen energy.
• 1993 à Japan and the WE-NET program to research and develop
hydrogen energy technologies and reduce oil dependency.
• 2002 à the U.S. state department of energy released the “National
Hydrogen Energy Development Map”, analyzed technologies for
hydrogen energy preparation and storage and proposed a goal for
hydrogen economy in 2040.
• Now à China is developing a hydrogen energy industry (since 2011)
through several plans, for example:
• “Clean energy consumption plan (2018-2020)” à promote and
accelerate the industrialization of hydrogen energy.
2. ANALYSIS OF HYDROGEN ENERGY UTILISATION

Hydrogen energy has a high

China has a rich reserve of calorific value, is good for the
hydrogen energy. environment, and doesn’t emit
damaging gases.

Hydrogen production by water

It also achieves high production electrolysis might become an
efficiency in industries and economical and environmentally-
transportation. friendly hydrogen production
technology.
2.1. INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
Oil and chemical industry: hydrogenation, hydrocracking and desulfurization.

Chemical industry: preparation of ammonia and methyl alcohol à 60% hydrogen

in the world is used in synthesis of ammonia (and 80% within China).

Hydrogen is also largely used in oil refining à in hydrogenation and

desulfurization of naphtha, gas oil and fuel oil, and hydrocracking.

Steel industry: 1. Used as a middle product à the produced hydrogen is used

incombustion in the furnace. 2. Protection gas during cold rolling.

Steel manufacturers use hydrogen power (instead of carbon) for metallurgy processing in
order to limit the emissions.
2.2. APPLICATION OF HYDROGEN IN HYBRID ENERGY SYSTEMS
• Hydrogen might have an application in energy storage and supply.
• Great potencial in hybrid energy systems à storing power and heat-power
joint supply.

2.2.1. ELECTRICITY-HYDROGEN ENERGY STORAGE TECHNOLOGY

• In China, the regional consumption capacity of some renewable resources is
weak.
• 2018 à the waste volume of power generated
by renewable resources has reached 100
billion kilowatt-hours.
• Hydrogen can be used to construct hydrogen
energy storage systems à they consist of
hydrogen production, storage and hydrogen-
driven power generation subsystems.
• If the power output generated by renewable
energies is too high, the power supply will
exceed the power demand.
• The “extra” power is then injected into the
hydrogenation system to generate hydrogen,
which will be stored and enter the hydrogen-
driven power generation system to produce
electric power.
• An example is the hydrogen-driven power
generation plant in Yutzla Island in
Norway.
• The excessive power of the wind power
generator is used for electrolysis of the
sea water which produces hydrogen and
then stores it into a storage container.
• If the power generated by wind is not
sufficient, the hydrogen is injected into the
fuel cells to supply power.
 2.2.2. HYDROGEN ENERGY HEAT-
POWER JOINT SUPPLY
• It is clean and efficient.
• It is divided into hydrogen internal combustion
engine heat-electricity and hydrogen fuel cell
heat-electricity.
• The gas turbine is fueled by hydrogen. The Air and hydrogen go into the fuel cells to
combustion of fuel drives the turbine blades of produce DC, which is converted into AC by an
the power turbine to drive the power generator, inverter.
and the high-temperature steam generated after The cooling system of the fuel cells heats up
the combustion produces hot water through the the water using the heat of the power
waste heat boiler. generation process and stores the heat in the
container.
2.3. APPLICATION OF HYDROGEN IN TRANSPORTATION
2.3.1. HYDROGEN CELLS
• Hydrogen cells in electric cars à no carbon
emission and fulfils power needs.
• The hydrogen in storage container in vehicles
and air from outside go into the fuel cells to
produce electricity.
• The problems of fuel cells, like poor dynamic
response and insufficient maximum output,
can be solved with accumulators that work
like a supporting power source to the fuel
cells so that they can increase the power.
2.3.2. HYDROGENATION STATION
• They are the sources of hydrogen for fuel cell
vehicles.
• After getting hydrogen from outside or inside,
the hydrogenation station converts hydrogen
into dry gas with stable pressures. Then, the
hydrogen goes to the high-pressure storage
containers, and then fills the fuel cells.
• There are a total of 27 hydrogenation stations
in China (November 2018).
• Hydrogenation stations have high
construction costs à In China, 10 million
yuan per day (200 kg capacity).
3. BOTTLENECKS IN DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROGEN ENERGY (IN CHINA)
• The cost of hydrogen is still high.
• There are infrastructural problems: the industrial hydrogen production
capacity takes up 95% of the total capacity and over 90% hydrogen is
consumed by industrial parks with no delivery.
• These problems in storage and production will raise the cost of hydrogen.
• Poor economy efficiency.
• Industrial standards and technical regulations for the hydrogen energy
industry are nonexistent.
SOURCE

• Pan, Aiqiang & Liu, Jing & Liu, Zhipeng & Yang, Yunwei & Yang, Xiu & Zhang, Meixia.
(2020). Application of Hydrogen Energy and Review of Current Conditions. IOP Conference
Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 526.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/526/1/012124