Non Conventional Energy

Sources

Module 5: Hydrogen Energy

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Shivamogga
• Hydrogen has highest energy content per unit of mass of any chemical
fuel and can be substituted hydrocarbon in a broad range of application.
• Its burning process is non polluting.
• Heating value of 28000 kcal/kg is three times greater than hydrocarbon.
• Easy in production because it is produced from water found in abundance.
• Hydrogen is highly flammable.
• Hydrogen at ordinary pressure and temperature is a light gas with a
density only (1/14) that of air and (1/9) that of natural gas under the same
Condition.
• By cooling to extremely low temperature of -253 ˚C, the gas is condensed
to a liquid with a specific gravity of 0.07, roughly (1/10) that of gasoline.
• The flame speed of hydrogen burning in air is much greater than for
natural gas, and the energy required to initiate combustion is less.
• Mixture of hydrogen and air are combustible over an exceptionally wide
range of compositions; thus the flammability limits at ordinary
temperature extends from 4 to 74 % by volume of hydrogen in air.
 On the basis of source use and energy source hydrogen production are
following type-
 Electrolysis or electrolytic production-In electrolysis water spit in to H2 and
O2 when electric current pass through in this process two type of
electrolyzer are used
 Tank type electrolyzer.
 Bipolar or filter press electrolyzer.
 Thermo – Chemical Methods.
 Some thermo chemical cyclic process.
 Westinghouse Electrochemical Thermal Sulfur Cycles.
 Ispra Mark 13 Cycles.
 Iodine Sulphur Cycle.
 Fossil Fuel Methods
 Solar energy methods.
 Bio photolysis method.
 Photo Electrolysis method.
 The process of splitting water into Hydrogen & Oxygen by means of a
direct electric current is known as electrolysis. This is the simplest
method of hydrogen production.
 Although only the water is split, an electrolyte (KOH solution) is
required because water itself is a very poor conductor of electricity.
 Theoretically 1.23 volts are required for this process but in real
situation due to the slowness of the electrode processes higher
voltages are required for the electrolysis.
 Theoretically 2.8 KW-hr of electrical energy should produce from one
Cu.m of hydrogen however the actual electrical energy requirement is
generally from 3.9 to 4.6 KW-hr per Cu.m. this means that efficiency
of electrolysis is roughly 60 to 70%.
 To increase the efficiency the electrode surface must be able to
catalyze the electrode processes. Platinum & nickel are normally
deposited on the electrode.
 The overall efficiency for the conversion of primary energy from fossil & Nuclear
fuels into hydrogen by electrolysis is dependent, in the first place on the
efficiency of the generating electricity.
 This efficiency is 38% for modern fossil plants and 32% for nuclear installation.
 The higher conversion efficiency might be possible if the heat produced by
the primary fuel could be used directly to decompose water, without the
intermediary of electric energy. Such direct decomposition into hydrogen
and oxygen is possible, but it requires a temperature of atleast 2500˚C.
 But due to temperature limitation and conversion process equipment, direct
single step water decomposition is not possible.
 However a sequential chemical reaction series can be devised in which
hydrogen and oxygen are produced, water is consumed and all other
intermediates are recycled. The operation is called as thermo chemical
cycle.
 It is so called because energy is supplied as heat at one or more of the
chemical stage, and hydrogen and oxygen are produced separately in
different stages.
 For practical reasons , primarily the availability structural and containment
materials, the maximum temperature considered to be about 950˚C.
 Heat energy then be converted into hydrogen energy with efficiency of 50%,
this is a marked improvement over what is possible by electrolysis.
 At present no commercial process for the thermal splitting of water to
hydrogen
and oxygen is in operation.
 Several workers have proposed many multistep reaction sequence that
thermally decompose
2CrCL2 + 2HCLwater 2CrCl3
at lower+ temperatures.
H2
2CrCL3 2CrCL2 + Cl2
H2O + Cl2 2HCL + ½
(O2)sequences, only water is split, all
As can be seen, in this reaction
other materials are completely recycled.
 Hydrogen production from solar energy there is two methods are considered –
1. Bio photolysis and
2. Photo Electrolysis.

Bio photolysis:
 This method utilizes living systems (or material derived from such systems) to
split water into its constituents hydrogen and oxygen.
 In normal photosynthesis in green plants the green plants the green pigment
chlorophyll takes of the energy from sunlight and in a complex series of
reactions breaks up water molecules into oxygen gas, hydrogen ions and
electrons.
 The oxygen is evolved from the green plant, but the hydrogen ions and electrons
are removed by interaction with carbon dioxide (from the air) to produce simple
sugars.
 Certain single cell green/ blue green algea are able to make enzyme hydrogenase.
They decompose water in sunlight to yield hydrogen and oxygen.
 Instead of using living algae to obtain hydrogen from water, a more convenient
approach is to utilize biological materials obtained from plants or bacteria. One
advantage is the ability to vary the conditions to optimize hydrogen production.
 An ultimate objective of research on the decomposition of water by sunlight is the
efficient simulation of biological processes without using biological materials.

Photo Electrolysis:

 In photosynthesis , a current is generated by exposing on or both electrodes to the

sunlight. Hydrogen and Oxygen gases are liberated at the respective electrodes by
the decomposition of the water , just as an ordinary electrolysis.
 Atleast one of the electrodes in the photosynthesis is usually a semiconductor;
a catalyst may be included to facilitate the electrode processes.
 Research is being directed at increasing this efficiency by selection of electrode
materials, electrolyte solutions and electrode catalysts.
 Electrolysis is a more attractive way of producing hydrogen with solar
radiation since it can be operated intermittently and therefore needs no
storage.
Hydrogen Storage

• In any energy system, storage of energy is one of the important

factor, as the demand and production of energy are fluctuating.

• Storage of hydrogen is not as easy as storage of liquid fuels.

• Methods to store hydrogen

1. Compressed gas storage

2. Liquid hydrogen storage

3. Line pack system

4. Underground storage

5. Storage as metal hydrides

 Compressed gas storage

• Hydrogen can be stored as compressed

gas in high pressure cylinders.

• This method is expensive and bulky.

• In conventional industrial hydrogen

systems, compressed gas is used to
supply small amounts of hydrogen.

• When hydrogen is considered as a fuel,

it is not feasible to store in tanks.

Fig: Compressed hydrogen storage

 Liquid hydrogen storage
• On a small scale or moderate
scale, hydrogen is frequently
stored under high pressure in
liquid state.
• In liquid phase hydrogen must
be stored well under a
temperature of -2530C.
• There is always a risk factor as
this temperature is below
condensation temperature of
air.
• It consumes high energy to
store it inside vacuum chamber
and at cryogenic temperatures.
Fig: Liquid hydrogen storage
Line Packing

Fig: Line packing of hydrogen

Underground storage
Storage as Metal hydrides

Three of the more promising hydrides are

1. Lanthanum-Nickel (LaNi5)
2. Iron-Titanium (FeTi)
3. Magnesium-Nickel (Mg2Ni)
Hydrogen Transportation

• Compressed hydrogen can be transferred through

the pipelines.
• Compared to natural gas the heating value of
hydrogen is very less (1/3rd of natural gas).
• As hydrogen has very less density compared to
natural gas, for supply of particular quantity of
energy in the form of hydrogen requires more
pumping (or compressing) power compared to
natural gas.
• As the compression energy required is high for the
hydrogen, the cost of transportation also increases.
Continued…

• One of the main concerns about hydrogen transmission is

hydrogen embrittlement of the pipeline materials.

• Liquid Hydrogen can also be transported in bulk using double-

walled insulated hydrogen tanks.

• Using the insulated system liquid hydrogen can be transported

either by using roadways or railways.

• Hydrogen can be transported in the form of metal hydrides.

• The main drawback is the weight of the hydride relative to its

hydrogen content.
 Utilization of Hydrogen gas

• Hydrogen gas can be utilized for

I. For residential uses- as Fuel cells for generating electricity

II. For industrial uses – as a fuel or chemical reducing agent

III. As an alternate transport fuel

IV. As an alternate fuel for aircraft

V. Electric power generation in utility

Fuel Cell
• A fuel cell uses the chemical energy of hydrogen or
other fuels to cleanly and efficiently produce
electricity.
• If hydrogen is the fuel, the only products are
electricity, water, and heat.
• Fuel cells are unique in terms of the variety of their
potential applications; they can use a wide range of
fuels and feedstocks and can provide power for
systems as large as a utility power station and as
small as a laptop computer.
Working principle

Fig: Fuel Cell

• Fuel cells work like batteries, but they do not run
down or need recharging.
• They produce electricity and heat as long as fuel is
supplied.
• A fuel cell consists of two electrodes—a negative
electrode (or anode) and a positive electrode (or
cathode)—sandwiched around an electrolyte.
• A fuel, such as hydrogen, is fed to the anode, and air
is fed to the cathode.
• In a hydrogen fuel cell, a catalyst at the anode
separates hydrogen molecules into protons and
electrons, which take different paths to the cathode.
• The electrons go through an external circuit,
creating a flow of electricity. The protons migrate
through the electrolyte to the cathode, where they
unite with oxygen and the electrons to produce
water and heat. Learn more about.
Classification of fuel cells

• Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

• Direct methanol fuel cells
• Alkaline fuel cells
• Phosphoric acid fuel cells
• Molten carbonate fuel cells
• Solid oxide fuel cells
• Reversible fuel cells
Zero energy Concepts