Sustainable hydrogen manufacturing via renewable-integrated intensified process for refueling stations

Journal Article · 13 February 2022 · Applied Energy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.118667 · OSTI ID:1976849

Arora, Akhil ^[1]; Zantye, Manali S. ^[2]; Hasan, M. M. Faruque ^[2]

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1. Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); OSTI
2. Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

The widescale consumer adoption of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (HFCEVs) is currently hindered by the high cost of small-scale hydrogen generation and the lack of extensive hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Natural gas-based hydrogen is cheaper when produced in large volumes but is also associated with high CO₂ emissions. To counter these challenges, we propose a hybrid approach where both natural gas and renewables are integrated in a synergistic manner using a dynamic process intensification technology that can be deployed on-site for meeting local demands of refueling stations. The technology is based on sorption enhanced steam methane reforming (SE-SMR) that utilizes a combination of reaction with in-situ CO₂ adsorption for enhancing process modularity, productivity and efficiency thereby outperforming conventional SMR at small scale. We develop a mixed integer linear programming (MILP)-based optimization framework for simultaneous design and scheduling of the SE-SMR process. The simultaneous optimization provides a synergistic combination whereby the renewables allow sustainable hydrogen manufacturing and the dynamic SE-SMR allows optimal use of the intermittency of the renewables. The U.S. nationwide analysis indicates that for futuristic renewable prices and a hydrogen production capacity of 2 ton/day, hydrogen can be produced at 50% less cost compared to the current cost of small-scale hydrogen generation. Finally, the city-wise analysis with varying hydrogen demand shows that even with just 5% HFCEV market penetration level, hydrogen production cost less than $3/kg can be obtained at small scales across the United States with even cheaper hydrogen for large cities.

• Research Organization: West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States); West Virginia University Research Corporation, Morgantown, WV (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE; USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
• Grant/Contract Number: FE0031771
• OSTI ID: 1976849
• Journal Information: Applied Energy, Journal Name: Applied Energy Journal Issue: C Vol. 311; ISSN 0306-2619
• Publisher: ElsevierCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English