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Advanced Methods for Hydrogen Production, Storage and Utilization

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A5: Hydrogen Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 26 September 2024 | Viewed by 4898

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kyriakos Panopoulos

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Guest Editor

Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CPERI), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: hydrogen production; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; energy management; synthetic fuels; power-to-X
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Michael Bampaou

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Guest Editor

Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CPERI), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: hydrogen production; fuel cells; energy management; synthetic fuels; power-to-X; methanol
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Renewable hydrogen plays a critical role in the current energy transition, and can facilitate the decarbonization and defossilization of hard-to-abate sectors, such as the industrial, power, transportation and buildings sectors. Governments worldwide are implementing ambitious policies to support the establishment of hydrogen technologies, whereas numerous projects and investments are dedicated to this field. This momentum is accelerating the cost and efficiency improvements across the complete renewable hydrogen value chain. However, significant research and advancements in the hydrogen production, storage, and utilization infrastructure is still necessary for the widespread adoption of hydrogen technologies.

This Special Issue invites original research papers that cover a wide range of topics in the renewable hydrogen value chain, such as advanced production methods, innovative storage technologies and novel utilization applications. Authors are also encouraged to submit review papers that summarize the state-of-the-art and recent progress in these fields.

We look forward to receiving your submissions.

Dr. Kyriakos Panopoulos
Dr. Michael Bampaou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

hydrogen production
water electrolysis
novel hydrogen storage technologies
hydrogen utilization for power/heat production
synthetic fuels production utilizing renewable hydrogen
decarbonization of industrial processes with renewable hydrogen
renewable hydrogen integration in buildings
hydrogen power management strategies

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3668 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Performance of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Using Synthetic Hydrogen Fuel

by Thomas Bacquart, Ward Storms, Niamh Moore, James Olden, Abigail Siân Olivia Morris, Mathew Hookham, Arul Murugan and Vincent Mattelaer

Energies 2024, 17(7), 1510; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17071510 - 22 Mar 2024

Viewed by 511

Abstract

The deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) is critical to achieve zero emissions. A key parameter influencing FCEV performance and durability is hydrogen fuel quality. The real impact of contaminants on FCEV performance is not well understood and requires reliable measurements from real-life events (e.g., hydrogen fuel in poor-performing FCEVs) and controlled studies on the impact of synthetic hydrogen fuel on FCEV performance. This paper presents a novel methodology to flow traceable hydrogen synthetic fuel directly into the FCEV tank. Four different synthetic fuels containing N₂ (90–200 µmol/mol), CO (0.14–5 µmol/mol), and H₂S (4–11 nmol/mol) were supplied to an FCEV and subsequently sampled and analyzed. The synthetic fuels containing known contaminants powered the FCEV and provided real-life performance testing of the fuel cell system. The results showed, for the first time, that synthetic hydrogen fuel can be used in FCEVs without the requirement of a large infrastructure. In addition, this study carried out a traceable H₂ contamination impact study with an FCEV. The impact of CO and H₂S at ISO 14687:2019 threshold levels on FCEV performance showed that small exceedances of the threshold levels had a significant impact, even for short exposures. The methodology proposed can be deployed to evaluate the composition of any hydrogen fuel. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Methods for Hydrogen Production, Storage and Utilization)

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20 pages, 5185 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Underground Hydrogen Storage Safety: Experimental Study of Hydrogen Diffusion through Caprocks

by Eloisa Salina Borello, Sergio Bocchini, Angelica Chiodoni, Christian Coti, Marco Fontana, Filippo Panini, Costanzo Peter, Candido Fabrizio Pirri, Michel Tawil, Andrea Mantegazzi, Francesco Marzano, Vincenzo Pozzovivo, Francesca Verga and Dario Viberti

Energies 2024, 17(2), 394; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17020394 - 12 Jan 2024

Viewed by 796

Abstract

Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS) provides a large-scale and safe solution to balance the fluctuations in energy production from renewable sources and energy consumption but requires a proper and detailed characterization of the candidate reservoirs. The scope of this study was to estimate the hydrogen diffusion coefficient for real caprock samples from two natural gas storage reservoirs that are candidates for underground hydrogen storage. A significant number of adsorption/desorption tests were carried out using a Dynamic Gravimetric Vapor/Gas Sorption System. A total of 15 samples were tested at the reservoir temperature of 45 °C and using both hydrogen and methane. For each sample, two tests were performed with the same gas. Each test included four partial pressure steps of sorption alternated with desorption. After applying overshooting and buoyancy corrections, the data were then interpreted using the early time approximation of the solution to the diffusion equation. Each interpretable partial pressure step provided a value of the diffusion coefficient. In total, more than 90 estimations of the diffusion coefficient out of 120 partial pressure steps were available, allowing a thorough comparison between the diffusion of hydrogen and methane: hydrogen in the range of 1 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s to 6 × 10⁻⁸ m²/s and methane in the range of 9 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s to 2 × 10⁻⁸ m²/s. The diffusion coefficients measured on wet samples are 2 times lower compared to those measured on dry samples. Hysteresis in hydrogen adsorption/desorption was also observed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Methods for Hydrogen Production, Storage and Utilization)

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20 pages, 2980 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Methane Pyrolysis in a Liquid Metal Bubble Column Reactor for CO₂-Free Production of Hydrogen

by David Neuschitzer, David Scheiblehner, Helmut Antrekowitsch, Stefan Wibner and Andreas Sprung

Energies 2023, 16(20), 7058; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16207058 - 12 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1341

Abstract

In light of the growing interest in hydrogen as an energy carrier and reducing agent, various industries, including the iron and steel sector, are considering the increased adoption of hydrogen. To meet the rising demand in energy-intensive industries, the production of hydrogen must be significantly expanded and further developed. However, current hydrogen production heavily relies on fossil-fuel-based methods, resulting in a considerable environmental burden, with approximately 10 tons of CO₂ emissions per ton of hydrogen. To address this challenge, methane pyrolysis offers a promising approach for producing clean hydrogen with reduced CO₂ emissions. This process involves converting methane (CH₄) into hydrogen and solid carbon, significantly lowering the carbon footprint. This work aims to enhance and broaden the understanding of methane pyrolysis in a liquid metal bubble column reactor (LMBCR) by utilizing an expanded and improved experimental setup based on the reactor concept previously proposed by authors from Montanuniversitaet in 2022 and 2023. The focus is on investigating the process parameters’ temperature and methane input rate with regard to their impact on methane conversion. The liquid metal temperature exhibits a strong influence, increasing methane conversion from 35% at 1150 °C to 74% at 1250 °C. In contrast, the effect of the methane flow rate remains relatively small in the investigated range. Moreover, an investigation is conducted to assess the impact of carbon layers covering the surface of the liquid metal column. Additionally, a comparative analysis between the LMBCR and a blank tube reactor (BTR) is presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Methods for Hydrogen Production, Storage and Utilization)

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21 pages, 2305 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Decarbonization of Former Lignite Regions with Renewable Hydrogen: The Western Macedonia Case

by Alexandros Kafetzis, Michael Bampaou, Giorgos Kardaras and Kyriakos Panopoulos

Energies 2023, 16(20), 7029; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16207029 - 10 Oct 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1061

Abstract

For lignite intense regions such as the case of Western Macedonia (WM), the production and utilization of green hydrogen is one of the most viable ways to achieve near zero emissions in sectors like transport, chemicals, heat and energy production, synthetic fuels, etc. However, the implementation of each technology that is available to a respective sector differs significantly in terms of readiness and the current installation scale of each technology. The goal of this study is the provision of a transition roadmap for a decarbonized future for the WM region through utilizing green hydrogen. The technologies which can take part in this transition are presented, along with the implementation purpose of each technology, and the reasonable extension that each technology could be adopted in the present context. The WM region’s limited capacity for green hydrogen production leads to certain integration scenarios, with regards to the required hydrogen, electrolyzer capacities, and required power, whereas an environmental assessment is also presented for each scenario. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Methods for Hydrogen Production, Storage and Utilization)

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Review

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24 pages, 1852 KiB

Open AccessReview

Underground Gas Storage in Saline Aquifers: Geological Aspects

by Barbara Uliasz-Misiak and Jacek Misiak

Energies 2024, 17(7), 1666; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17071666 - 30 Mar 2024

Viewed by 633

Abstract

Energy, gases, and solids in underground sites are stored in mining excavations, natural caverns, salt caverns, and in the pore spaces of rock formations. Aquifer formations are mainly isolated aquifers with significant spreading, permeability, and thickness, possessing highly mineralized non-potable waters. This study discusses the most important aspects that determine the storage of natural gas, hydrogen, or carbon dioxide in deep aquifers. In particular, the selection and characterization of the structure chosen for underground storage, the storage capacity, and the safety of the process are considered. The choice of underground sites is made on the basis of the following factors and criteria: geological, technical, economic, environmental, social, political, or administrative–legal. The geological and dynamic model of the storage site is then drawn based on the characteristics of the structure. Another important factor in choosing a structure for the storage of natural gas, hydrogen, or carbon dioxide is its capacity. In addition to the type and dimensions of the structure and the petrophysical parameters of the reservoir rock, the storage capacity is influenced by the properties of the stored gases and the operating parameters of the storage facility. Underground gas storage is a process fraught with natural and technical hazards. Therefore, the geological integrity of the structure under consideration should be documented and verified. This article also presents an analysis of the location and the basic parameters of gas storage and carbon dioxide storage facilities currently operating in underground aquifers. To date, there have been no successful attempts to store hydrogen under analogous conditions. This is mainly due to the parameters of this gas, which are associated with high requirements for its storage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Methods for Hydrogen Production, Storage and Utilization)

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