What is the current standard of hydrogen production and what challenges does it face, if any? How is PowerNova's process different?
The current state of hydrogen production technology is based on a process called steam reforming. This technology uses steam at extremely high temperatures of about 700-3,000° C to create hydrogen from a hydrocarbon source such as methanol or natural gas. This process is feasible for industrial use, but commercially not viable on board motor vehicles due to a number of challenges. These issues include: excessive size and weight, high costs, cold and slow start-ups, slow and lethargic response (cannot produce hydrogen quickly and on demand such as required when a vehicle accelerates). Further, methanol or natural gas, required to produce hydrogen, are not widely available to consumers at gas stations. Other issues involve storage and transportation, as hydrogen is extremely volatile. Another obstacle is finding a way to store hydrogen in a container that is small enough to be transported easily while providing enough energy.
PowerNova's research and development project, upon successful completion, will result in a technology that is to overcome all of these challenges by producing hydrogen at temperatures below 200° C. This will drive down the cost per unit, and also its size and weight. PowerNova's technology will use hydrocarbons, such as cyclohexane, as its hydrogen source, which is also a good storage media that is already widely accessible by consumers. Finally, hydrogen is to be produced on board the vehicle and upon demand which brilliantly overcomes the storage challenge. Thus, in comparison to technology standards as well as many in development, PowerNova's technology is far more superior as it is a robust, safe and practical method of hydrogen production, transportation and storage.
What are the emissions from a fuel cell vehicle (FCV)?
The only emissions from a fuel cell is water vapor. However, fuel cells require hydrogen and oxygen to make electricity. In the hydrogen production process, using hydrocarbon fuel sources such as gasoline, natural gas or methanol, CO2 is emitted. Because fuel cells are two to three times as efficient as internal combustion engines, CO2 emissions from FCVs are estimated to be up to one third less. For this reason, FCVs using a hydrocarbon fuel are classified as super ultra low emissions vehicles (SULEVs) rather than zero emissions vehicles.
Is Hydrogen Safe?
Most fuel uses proposed for hydrogen are for hydrogen in its gaseous form and will not represent a radical departure from existing practices. Furthermore, gaseous fuels have been used safely for many decades. In the United States, "town gas," a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, was widely used earlier in this century before it was replaced by natural gas. In 1996, more than 476 billion m³ (17 trillion ft³) of natural gas was used in the U.S. residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. The use of compressed natural gas as a vehicle fuel is also increasing, again with an excellent safety record. Gaseous hydrogen has many similarities to fuels that are now used routinely, but there are some differences in the properties of hydrogen compared to other commonly used gaseous fuels. As with any fuel, safe handling depends on knowledge of its particular physical, chemical, and thermal properties and consideration of safe ways to accommodate those properties. Hydrogen, handled with this knowledge, is a safe fuel.
Hydrogen has been and can be used safely if appropriate codes, standards, and guidelines are followed. Industry has produced, stored, transported, and used large amounts of hydrogen safely and routinely by following standard practices that have been established in the past 50 years. These practices can be emulated in nonindustrial uses of hydrogen to attain the same level of safety and routine.
In general, hydrogen is neither more nor less inherently hazardous than gasoline, propane, or methane. The potential contribution of a particular property of hydrogen to a particular hazard depends strongly on the specific conditions under which hydrogen is released and/or confined.
Will planes use liquid hydrogen for fuel in the future?
A number of countries are interested in using hydrogen to fuel aircraft. The Russians developed and tested a plane fueled by liquid hydrogen some years ago. NASA is currently studying the use of hydrogen as aviation fuel. The hydrogen will most likely be liquid, although some research has been conducted on so-called "slush" hydrogen, which is a combination of liquid and solid hydrogen. Slush hydrogen has a lower temperature and a higher density than liquid hydrogen.
How much hydrogen is produced each year and how much does it cost?
Recent worldwide production numbers for hydrogen are:
Origin
| Amount in billions
Nm3/year
| Percent
|
Natural Gas
| 240
| 48
|
Oil
| 150
| 30
|
Coal
| 90
| 18
|
Electrolysis
| 20
| 4
|
Total
| 500
| 100
|
Most of
the hydrogen produced today is consumed on site, such as at an oil
refinery, and is not sold on the market. From large-scale
production, hydrogen costs $0.32/lb if it is consumed on site. When
hydrogen is sold on the market, the cost of liquefying the hydrogen
and transporting it to the user must be added to the production
cost. This can increase the selling price to $1.00 - 1.40/lb for
delivered liquid hydrogen. Some users who require relatively small
amounts of very pure hydrogen (such as the electronics industry) may
use electrolyzers to produce high-purity hydrogen at their
facilities. The cost of this hydrogen, which depends on the cost of
the electricity used to split the water, is typically $1.00 -
$2.00/lb.
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PowerNova Technologies Corporation, www.powernova.com
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