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SMR Dominates Hydrogen Production, But There’s Many Ways to Make It
Making hydrogen is possible on any scale...even at home
John Dodge, Editor-in-Chief -- Design News, July 14, 2008
When it comes to the oil companies and industrial gas concerns, Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) from natural gas is the most common way to make hydrogen. SMR accounts for 95 percent of the hydrogen produced in the U.S., according to the Dept. of Energy (DOE). Ed Kiczek, global director of hydrogen energy systems for Air Products and Chemicals, which claims to be the largest producer on hydrogen in the world, says the SMR figure is closer to 80 percent.
SMR works by putting methane under intense steam pressure. The result is hydrogen along with small amounts of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, according to the Dept. of Energy (DOE). DOE’s hydrogen website is just one good source for learning how hydrogen is produced. SMR is the most economic means of producing today and the bulk of it is used to clean the sulfur out of gasoline.
Reforming has long been used in gasoline refining and there are several reforming technologies that can be used to produce hydrogen. Chevron, for instance, has several reformer techniques to produce hydrogen at a half dozen hydrogen refueling stations in the U.S.
Another well-known but less efficient method is using electricity and water in a simple process known as electrolysis. Tiny amounts of hydrogen can be made using a 9V battery, some wire, electrodes and any vessel that can hold water. The DOE is conducting research into three different electrolyser types: PEM (polymer electrolyte membrane), Alkaline and Solid Oxide.
The promise of commercial electrolysers is that hydrogen can be produced at a refueling station or even at home. For instance, the Air Products electrolyser at the Shell Hydrogen station in White Plains, N.Y. requires a whopping 70-80 kW-hr (about 1/8th-1/10th of my monthly home electric bill) to make a single kilogram of hydrogen which yields the same amount of energy as a gallon of gasoline.
The promise of hydrogen is that using fuel cells, no CO2 or NOX is produced, thus the potential to dramatically reduce greenhouse gases and pollution. However, if electrolyers are to succeed on a mass scale, most experts agree the electricity to power them must come from renewable sources so zero pollution is from “well-to-wheel.”
Other methods include biomass and coal gasification; high temperature water splitting and a very early stage technology known as photolytic which uses sunlight to separate hydrogen from water. For more information, the Web is a bottomless source about hydrogen and how it is produced.
Liquid hydrogen is hydrogen cooled to - 423.17F and is used as rocket fuel. The primary reason to liquefy hydrogen is to use it as a coolant in addition to a fuel. Disadvantages are the expense to keep it that cold and high evaporation rates of 1-2 percent a day.
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 Steam Methane Reforming. Photo courtesy of New York State Energy Research and Development Authority |
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Unlike distributed renewable energy sources (solar, wind, even hydro in some cases), hydrogen has the advantage that it is a relatively easy "plug-in" into present oil company model. Not from the technology side, but in the way that it can be rolled into the centralized, easily controlled and easily manipulated energy market.
Unlike the distributed model, which can have energy generation even down to a per-household level, hydrogen is the perfect centralized solution to take the place of gasoline! Excellent!
Markus Unread - 2008-16-9 09:27:12 EDT -
I believe the primary reason to liquefy hydrogen when it is used as a rocket fuel is to improve its volumetric efficiency, not to use it as a coolant as the article states.
- 2008-21-7 19:23:04 EDT -
