Gene D. Berry

Hydrogen as a future transportation fuel

A smooth transition from a petroleum-driven transportation system to clean-burning automobiles with the performance and range of todays gasoline cars is plausible using high-efficiency hydrogen-fueled hybrid-electric vehicles. The introduction of hydrogen (H2) vehicles will reduce U.S. dependence on oil imports, virtually eliminate automotive urban air pollution, accelerate the development of cost-effective renewable energy, and help stabilize greenhouse-gas emissions. Based on an economic and technical analysis, H2 vehicles, when first introduced, can be cost-competitive with battery-powered electric vehicles. As market penetration increases, H2-vehicle fueling costs would become competitive with the fueling costs of todays gasoline vehicles (5 ¢/mi). Hydrogen production at filling stations, vehicle fleets, and homes would circumvent many start-up issues and would use existing natural gas and/or electricity energy infrastructures to begin the transition towards a clean, flexible, sustainable, and secure transportation fuel.

Remote power systems with advanced storage technologies for Alaskan villages

This paper presents an analytical optimization of a remote power system for a hypothetical Alaskan village. The analysis considers the potential of generating renewable energy (e.g., wind and solar), along with the possibility of using energy storage to take full advantage of the intermittent renewable sources available to these villages. Storage in the form of either compressed hydrogen or zinc pellets can then provide electricity from hydrogen or zinc–air fuel cells whenever wind or sunlight are low. The renewable system is added on to the existing generation system, which is based on diesel engines. Results indicate that significant reductions in fossil fuel consumption in these remote communities are cost effective using renewable energy combined with advanced energy storage devices. A hybrid energy system for the hypothetical village can reduce consumption of diesel fuel by about 50% with annual cost savings of about 30% by adding wind turbines to the existing diesel generators. Adding energy storage devices can further reduce fuel use, and depending on the economic conditions potentially reduce life-cycle costs. With optimized energy storage, use of the diesel gensets can be reduced to almost zero, with the existing equipment only maintained for added reliability. However, about one quarter of the original fuel is still used for heating purposes.

Insulated pressure vessels for hydrogen storage on vehicles

Abstract Probably the most significant hurdle for hydrogen vehicles is storing sufficient hydrogen onboard. Three viable technologies for storing hydrogen fuel on cars are: compressed gas, metal hydride adsorption, and cryogenic liquid. However, each of these has significant disadvantages: volume, weight, boiling losses, or energy to compress or liquefy the hydrogen. Insulated pressure vessels can reduce these problems for hydrogen-fueled light-duty vehicles. Insulated pressure vessels can be fueled with liquid hydrogen (LH 2 ), with low-temperature (80 K) compressed hydrogen (CH 2 ) or with ambient-temperature CH 2 . In this analysis, hydrogen venting losses are calculated for insulated pressure vessels fueled with LH 2 or with low-temperature CH 2 , and the results are compared to those obtained in low-pressure LH 2 tanks. Hydrogen losses are calculated as a function of daily driving distance during normal operation, as a function of time during long periods of vehicle inactivity and as a function of initial vessel temperature during fueling. The number of days before any venting losses occur is also calculated as a function of the daily driving distance. The results show that insulated pressure vessels with packaging characteristics comparable to those of conventional, low-pressure LH 2 tanks (low weight and volume), have greatly improved dormancy and much lower boil-off. Insulated pressure vessels used in a 17 km/l (40 mpg) car can hold the hydrogen indefinitely when the car is driven at least 15 km/day in average. Nearly all cars are driven for greater distances, so most cars would never need to vent hydrogen. Losses during long periods of parking are also relatively small. Due to their high-pressure capacity, these vessels would retain about a third of their full charge even after a very long dormancy, so that the owner would not risk running out of fuel. If an insulated pressure vessel reaches ambient temperature, it can be cooled down very effectively by fueling it with LH 2 with no losses during fueling. The vessel has good thermal performance even when inexpensive microsphere insulation is used. Finally, the vessel eases fuel availability and infrastructure requirements, since it would be compatible with both compressed and cryogenic hydrogen refueling.

The Case for Hydrogen in a Carbon Constrained World

Unlike other fuels, hydrogen (H{sub 2}) can be generated and consumed without generating carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}). This creates both significant engineering challenges and unsurpassed ecological advantages for H{sub 2} as a fuel, while enabling an inexhaustible (closed) global fuel cycle based on the cleanest, most abundant, natural, and elementary substances: H{sub 2}, O{sub 2}, and H{sub 2}O. If generated using light, heat, and/or electrical energy from solar, wind, fission, or (future) fusion power sources, H{sub 2} becomes a versatile, storable, and universal carbonless energy carrier, a necessary element for future global energy system(s) aimed at being free of air and water pollution, CO{sub 2}, and other greenhouse gases. The case for hydrogen rests fundamentally on the need to eliminate pollution and stabilize Earths atmosphere and climate system.