Conference Session B5 Paper #6006 Disclaimer — This paper partially fulfills a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. This paper is a student, not a professional, paper. This paper is based on publicly available information and may not be provide complete analyses of all relevant data. If this paper is used for any purpose other than these authors’ partial fulfillment of a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, the user does so at his or her own risk. ELECTROLYSIS IN THE PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN FUEL Michael Bremer, mjb243@pitt.edu, Sanchez 10:00 AM, Dimitry Labko, dil23@pitt.edu, Mahboobin 4:00 PM Revised Proposal — One of the fundamental reasons behind the development of hydrogen fuel is the pursuit of a sustainable, non-polluting energy source. Electrolysis, which is one of the few ways to produce hydrogen fuel without releasing pollutants into the atmosphere, has the best outlook as a sustainable replacement to today’s fossil fuels. For that reason, it will be the technology that we will investigate to find out the current state of its process and to see if it is a viable replacement for gasoline and oil through its use in hydrogenpowered vehicles, while looking at the social and environmental impacts that could result from the mass production of hydrogen fuel. In order for this technology to be suited for the mass production of hydrogen fuel for the use in vehicles, many recent advancements have been made to increase the efficiency and decrease the power that is required to complete the process. Electrolysis has a very bright future and awaits further development. Electrolysis is a chemical reaction that produces hydrogen fuel by applying an electrical current into water to separate hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Currently there are three forms of electrolysis: alkaline, polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM), and solid oxide electrolyte. Of these processes, alkaline is the most developed process and produces hydrogen at the highest rate. The importance of producing hydrogen through electrolysis lies in the purity of the resulting gas. By using electrolysis, the purity of the hydrogen fuel created can reach levels of 99.999% [1]. With high purity levels, the hydrogen fuel can be used directly in low temperature fuel cells located inside hydrogen fuels cars. Using electrolysis to produce hydrogen fuel is especially important to the automotive industry due to the dire need of a sustainable energy source to replace the current internal combustion engine which relies on fossil fuel. In this paper we will be discussing the brief history of electrolysis as a method of hydrogen fuel production, as well as the many recent advancements that have led up to the technology’s current status, and where it will be in the near future. We will do this by looking into several sources provided by leading scientists in this field. These sources include journal articles and patents that show the current state of this technology and in which ways this technology needs to be developed. The ways in which the development of electrolysis ties into the sustainable automotive industry will also be discussed, showing what effect this hydrogen production may University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering 1 2016/01/29 have on the expanding the field of hydrogen-powered vehicles. As for the process of electrolysis, this paper will outline the advantages, disadvantages, and social and environmental impacts of what an investment into this technology would bring. REFERENCES [1] A. Ursua (2012) “Hydrogen Production from Water Electrolysis” Proceedings of the IEEE (online article) DOI: 10.1109/JPROC.2011.2156750 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY A. Ursua (2012) “Hydrogen Production from Water Electrolysis” Proceedings of the IEEE (online article) DOI: 10.1109/JPROC.2011.2156750 This article originates from a peer reviewed journal hosted by IEEE and offers a detailed summary of the current process of electrolysis and what direction it is headed in the future. The article opens with a step by step analysis of the basic electrolysis operation, citing specific parts necessary for completion. The article then continues to delve into each of the three different kinds of electrolysis. C. Koroneos (2012) “A review on exergy comparison of hydrogen production methods from renewable energy sources” Royal Society of Chemistry (online journal) http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2012/ee/c2ee01098 d This article uses the thermodynamic concept of “exergy” to discuss the viability of hydrogen as a mass produced alternative fuel source. Exergy is the amount of energy available for use, in this case that amount of energy that electrolysis can reasonably provide. This article is hosted by the Royal Society of Chemistry, a reputable source for articles discussing chemical processes. N Kelly (2014) “Integrated Solar-Powered high-pressure hydrogen production and battery charging system” Provisional Patent (online patent) https://www.google.com/patents/US8721868 This patent focuses on making automotive transport virtually pollution free. Although electric cars do not produce Michael Bremer Dimitry Labko pollution, the creation of the electricity used to power the cars does. In this regard the inventors want to create a power source using hydrogen fuel and solar charging to use in their vehicles. The lead inventor, Nelson Kelly, is responsible for many advancements in electric vehicles and is a Certified Vehicle Electrification Professional. This article was published by a peer-reviewed journal: “International Journal of Hydrogen Production,” and reviews the social and environmental impacts of incorporating hydrogen fuel as provider of energy to a large area. It investigates the methods of electrolysis and considers alternative techniques in specific processes such as PEM electrolysis with a mercury cell diaphragm. The article also discusses possible negative health effects, such as how humanity toxicity, radiation, and acidification may result from hydrogen production. E. Zoulias (2004) “A Review on Water Electrolysis” Center for Renewable Energy Sources (online journal) http://www.cres.gr/kape/publications/papers/dimosieyseis/ydr ogen/A%20REVIEW%20ON%20WATER%20ELECTROL YSIS.pdf This article reviews the history of water electrolysis in the use of hydrogen fuel production. It opens with a historical background followed by the theory behind water electrolysis. Later on the writers discuss developments in electrodes for electrolysis. This article is written by researchers at the Centre of Renewable Energy Sources and Saving, a Greek national laboratory that sponsors the advancement of renewable energy sources. K. Zeng (2010) “Recent progress in alkaline water electrolysis for hydrogen production and applications” Progress in Energy and Combustion Science (online article) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036012850 9000598 This article, located in the peer-reviewed journal “Progress in Energy and Combustion Science,” examines the feasibility of mass producing hydrogen and supplying it to an extensive power network. The author’s idea is to create small scale hydrogen producing electrolyzers locally instead of the large power plants that support the current petroleum industry. The author explains that this is the most efficient way to provide fuel for hydrogen powered vehicles. C. Koroneos (2004) “Life cycle assessment of hydrogen fuel production processes” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (online article) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036031990 4000655 This article’s goal is to examine the full life cycle of hydrogen production, from the pre-production to its uses in fuel cell vehicles and homes. It focuses on confirming the belief that hydrogen fuel is truly pollution-free and that it will not negatively affect the environment. This article was published by the peer-reviewed journal: “International Journal of Hydrogen Energy” and we plan to use it so support our thesis that hydrogen is safe and sustainable alternative to petroleum. F. Suleman (2015) “Environmental impact assessment and comparison of some hydrogen production options” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (online article) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036031991 5007697 2