HYDROGEN

A Solution For The Global Energy Crisis

ADIB ADNAN
I M E C H E A F F I L I AT E M E M B E R
80315369
The Modern Climate Crisis
• The world is in the midst of perhaps the greatest environmental crisis of all time; global warming
•Rapid industrialization, coupled with a reliance on fossil fuels, has led to a large amount of and
greenhouse gas emissions
•This has led to the current state, where the global concentration of in the atmosphere has reached
levels not seen since the Pliocene era
The Modern Climate Crisis
The Modern Climate Crisis
As shown in this chart by the US
Environmental Protection Agency, the leading
contributors to global greenhouse gas
emissions are the transportation, power and
industrial sectors.
The transportation sector is the largest
contributor at 29%
The Transportation Sector
•This graph shows the increase in greenhouse
gas emissions since 2017
• Emissions reached a peak around 2006, with
emissions slowly decreasing since then
•This may be due to greater industry awareness
regarding the effects of greenhouse gases, and
the subsequent trends towards cleaner energy
How to decrease emissions?
Reducing emissions
With
  the harmful effects of increasing atmospheric levels becoming more and more apparent, it
becomes imperative to find methods to reduce greenhouse emissions.
Some methods for achieving this are listed below;
•Increasing energy efficiency
•Fuel switching
•Recycling
•Increasing awareness
•Reducing demand
The Hydrogen Solution
What is Hydrogen?
•The first element in the periodic table
•The most commonly available element in the
universe
•Solar fuel, used in nuclear fusion processes in
the Sun
•The possible solution to the global
transportation sectors greenhouse emission
crisis
Why Hydrogen?
•Widely available, and can be easily synthesized from water, hydrocarbons, and can even be
produced through biological processes by bacteria and algae
•Has very high energy density, meaning lower volumes can be used to produce large amount of
energy
•Has very clean emissions, the majority being pure water
•Has already seen use in the space exploration industry, as well as in commuter transportation
Hydrogen production
  most common method of producing hydrogen is by
The
electrolysis.
A DC electrical power source is connected to two electrodes,
or two plates (typically made from some inert metal such
as platinum, stainless steel or iridium) which are placed in the
water.
Hydrogen will appear at the anode (where electrons enter the
water), and oxygen will appear at the cathode
The efficiency of electrolysis is increased through the addition
of an electrolyte (such as a salt, an acid or a base) and the use
of electrocatalysts.
The overall chemical reaction thus becomes;
Hydrogen as fuel
There are two primary methods of harnessing power from hydrogen
1. Hydrogen Combustion
2. Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Let us first discuss hydrogen fuel combustion

Hydrogen Combustion
•Since the success of Project Suntan in the
1960s, liquid hydrogen has become the fuel of
choice in the space exploration sector
• It’s low molecular weight and high
intensity(5,500°F) means that when used in
combination with an oxidizer such as liquid
oxygen, liquid hydrogen yields the highest
specific impulse, or efficiency in relation to the
amount of propellant consumed, of any known
rocket propellant
Hydrogen Combustion
•Hydrogen has also been used in automotive
internal combustion engines, with companies
such as BMW, Mazda and Aston Martin
having also developed custom designs using
hydrogen internal combustion engines.
•Gasoline engines can also be retrofitted to
operate on hydrogen, a process that is able to
increase energy output by 15%. However, the
modifications often amount to 1.5 times the
initial cost of the engine, and as such is not
always viable.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
•The more commonly used form of hydrogen
energy is the hydrogen fuel cell
•This process takes advantage of the
electrochemical reactions that occur during the
oxidation of hydrogen to form water, in order
to produce energy
•There are many different types of fuel cells,
such as PAFC, SAFC, etc. However, we will
only be discussed the most commonly used
type, PEMFCs.
How do they work?
How do they work?
 
There are thus two main reactions occurring
throughout the process
•At the anode;

•At the cathode;

•Overall;

By controlling the flow of the electrons, we are

able to power different electrical loads
PEMFC performance
•Multiple fuel cells are connected in parallel to
create a stack, in order to produce the required
amount of energy
•Factors affecting fuel cell performance include;
• Flow channel geometry
• Type of electrolyte used
• Operating temperatures
• Type of catalyst used
Hydrogen Fuel Cells in use
•PEMFCs thus basically use the process used
for electrolytic production of hydrogen in
reverse to produce electrical energy.
•This energy can then be used to power loads,
such as electric motors
•Vehicles thus using hydrogen fuel cells can be
classified as electric vehicles
•Due to the lack of fossil fuel combustion, the
amount of greenhouse gases is greatly reduced
compared to traditional automotive vehicles
Hydrogen v Lithium
The question thus arises, why use hydrogen
instead of lithium ion battery technology?
Some points to be noted;
• Lithium has a much lower energy density
compared to hydrogen
• The lead time for production of lithium ion
batteries is longer than that for hydrogen
• Widespread use in applications ranging from
commercial electronics, drones, and the
automotive industry means that supply is lagging
behind demand
Hydrogen v Lithium
Conversely, it should also be noted that;
◦ Lithium battery technology has more substantial
existing infrastructure
◦ Batteries can be easily charged by the National
Grid
◦ Lithium ion has lower cost to mileage ratio
compared to hydrogen
◦ Storage and transportation of hydrogen poses a
great problem, as high pressure vessels are
required, and these may be costly
◦ While fuel cells themselves may not have any
carbon emissions, the processes used to produce
hydrogen may
 Addressing the issues
•The lack of supply for the huge demand of lithium
battery technology means that an alternative is
required, regardless of advantages and disadvantages
•Hydrogen, being already widely available in water, is
able to meet such high demand
•Carbon emissions can be kept low from the initial
supply simply by using renewable energy sources,
such as solar and wind, for initial hydrogen
production
•Storage and transportation pose the greatest problem.
This can be combatted by installing small hydrogen
production plants at each refueling center, an idea
that has already been put into use by Shell and
Toyota
Conclusion
With the rapid depletion of global fossil fuel reserves and the worsening effects of global
warming and climate change, the world is on the cusp of an energy crisis. While numerous
alternatives have been proposed, no concrete solution has been found to address this issue.
Hydrogen poses a unique option, as a widely available fuel alternative that is not dependent upon
fossil fuel use. It provides the most pragmatic path towards the automotive industry’s abolition of
fossil fuels, and if the problems regarding it’s commercialization can be solved, it will possibly
solve our global energy crisis.
References
1. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions#industry
2. https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/24/graphic-the-relentless-rise-of-carbon-dioxide/
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7MzFfuNOtY&t=807s
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPheEg-K2qc&t=480s
5. https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-musk-model3-delivery-dates-20190302
-story.html
6. http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/technologies/pemfc
7. Aiyejina, Ararimeh & Sastry, M. (2012). PEMFC flow channel geometry optimization: A
review. Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology. 9. 011011. 10.1115/1.4005393.