Hydrogen Futures
And Technologies
Dr. Charles Forsberg
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
P.O. Box 2008; Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6179
Tel: (865) 574-6783; E-mail: forsbergcw@ornl.gov
Rohsenow Symposium on Future Trends In Heat Transfer
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
May 17, 2003
The submitted manuscript has been authored by a contractor of the U.S. Government under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725. Accordingly, the U.S. Government retains a nonexclusive, royalty-free license to publish or
reproduce the published form of this contribution, or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes. File name: MIT.2003
Why the Hydrogen Economy?
National Security
Protect the
Environment
Imported Oil
03-121
Large Scale Hydrogen Production Is
an Old Business: Town Gas
03-120
Liquid Fuels Production Is Rapidly Becoming
the Major Market for Hydrogen
(Worldwide All Uses: 50 Million Tons/Year)
Input
Past
Refinery
Transport Fuel
Light
Sweet
Crude Oil
(CH1.5+)n
Dirty (sulfur, etc.):
(CH1.5+)n
Heavy
Sour
Crude Oil
(CH0.8)n
Clean: (CH2)n
Current
Transition
Near
Future
Hydrogen Plant
Natural Gas
Future
Heavy
Sour
Crude Oil
(CH0.8)n
Clean: (CH2+)n
Nonfossil Hydrogen
ORNL DWG 2001-107R2
Addition of Hydrogen Can Increase Liquid
Fuel Yields per Barrel of Oil by Up to 15%
(Transition to the Hydrogen Economy)
Benefits
Hydrogen
•
•
•
•
•
Lower imports
Reduced CO2
Reduced NOX
Reduced sulfur
Reduced diesel
particulate
02-173
The Growing Hydrogen Demand Creates a Bridge to the
Hydrogen Economy—With a Future Hydrogen Energy
Demand That May Exceed That for Electricity
Refinery and
Chemical Demand
Today
I
n
f
Technology
Experience
r
a
Development
s
Distributed
t
Power
r
Transport
u
Fuel
c
t
u
r
Economics e of Scale
Hydrogen Fueled
Future
ORNL DWG 2001-108
The Hydrogen Economy
Oxygen
Nuclear Reactor
Oil Refinery
Heat
High Capacity
Pipeline (Existing)
2H2O
2H2 + O2
Transport Fuel
Distributed
Power
Steam Reforming
of Coal
CO2
Sequestration
C + 2H2O
Hydrogen Fueled
Future
CO2 + 2H2
Time of Day/Month
H2 Storage
03-122
The Big Barriers to the Hydrogen Economy
Hydrogen Production
Oxygen
Nuclear Reactor
Vehicle On-Board
Hydrogen Storage
Heat
2H2O
2H2 + O2
Steam Reforming
of Coal
CO2
Sequestration
C + 2H2O
CO2 + 2H2
03-123
Heat Transfer Challenges
Hydrogen Production
Example: Nuclear Energy
Sulfur Iodine Process For Hydrogen Production
Water
Oxygen
Hydrogen
H2 O
O2
H2
I2
SO2 , H2 O
Heat
Heat
700-1000oC
H2SO4 H2O + SO3
H2O + SO2 + ½O2
I 2 + SO2 + 2H2 O
2HI + H2 SO4
H2SO4
2HI
H2 + I2
450oC
HI
120oC
Reject Heat
03-041R
The Reactor and Hydrogen Production Facility Will
Be Physically Separated to Ensure Safety
Nuclear Safety by Isolation
Hydrogen Safety by Dilution
Oxygen
Hot Air Out
Control
Rods
Molten Salt
Air
Inlet
•
•
•
•
Molten Salt
Heat-Transfer Loop
High Heat Capacity
Low Pumping Costs
Low Pressure
Industrial Experience
H2
Water
02-176
Challenges in High-Temperature
Molten Salt Heat Transfer
• Temperatures 750 to
1000°C
• Radiation Heat
Transfer Important
• Can control
transparency
• How should system
be designed to
maximize
capabilities?
Heat Transfer Challenges
Vehicle On-Board Hydrogen Storage
Example: Hydrogen Absorbers
Hydrogen Storage Heat-Transfer
Challenges in Vehicles
Heat
Management
Hydrogen On
Absorber
Bed 1
Bed 2
Cool
(Exhausted Bed)
Bed 3
Add Heat
Bed 4
Preheat
(Recovered Heat)
Bed 5
H2
Bed 6
03-119
Conclusions
• Hydrogen economy
− Great Benefits
− Great Challenges
• Key Challenges
− Low-cost environmentally acceptable hydrogen
production
− Vehicle on-board hydrogen storage
• Major heat transfer challenges