Hydrogen As A Future Energy Carrier

This book fills the gap for concise but comprehensive literature on this interdisciplinary topic, involving chemical, physical, biological and engineering challenges. It provides broad coverage of the most important fields of modern hydrogen technology: hydrogen properties, production, storage, conversion to power, and applications in materials science. In so doing, the book covers all the pertinent materials classes: metal hydrides, inorganic porous solids, organic materials, and nanotubes. The authors present the entire view from fundamental research to viable devices and systems, including the latest scientific results and discoveries, practical approaches to design and engineering, as well as functioning prototypes and advanced systems.

The technologies of hydrogen's energetic utilization have been known for a long time. But aspects of system analysis, energy economics, and ecology that would come into play in introducing it into energy systems nave received much less attention. For those reasons, this book attempts to show the development path of a hydrogen economy, based on assured technological knowledge. One special concern has been to demonstrate, on one hand, how these developments would fit into existing energy supply structures, and, on the other, how they would contribute to further development of the energy system as a whole. With that goal in mind it is necessary to contrast the obvious advantages of hydrogen with the large efforts that would be required for its introduction. This total-systems approach led to a three-part organization of the book that also aids the reader in quickly identifying those parts that are of special interest to him. Section A essentially explains why it is necessary today to think about a new synthetic energy carrier. It also describes the irreplacable and growing role of hydrogen as a chemical raw material, and it explains technologies that al ready exist for its energetic use or that need further development. An attempt has also been made to prove that hydrogen's safety characteristics indeed per mit its handling and use as an energy carrier. Hopefully, all this will show that hydrogen, together with electricity, could be the universally employable energy carrier of a future non-fossil energy supply system.

Owing to the limited resources of fossil fuels, hydrogen is proposed as an alternative and environment-friendly energy carrier. However, its potential is limited by storage problems, especially for mobile applications. Current technologies, as compressed gas or liquefied hydrogen, comprise severe disadvantages and the storage of hydrogen in lightweight solids could be the solution to this problem. Since the optimal storage mechanism and optimal material have yet to be identified, this first handbook on the topic provides an excellent overview of the most probable candidates, highlighting both their advantages as well as drawbacks. From the contents: ¿ Physisorption ¿ Clathrates ¿ Metal hydrides ¿ Complex hydrides ¿ Amides, imides, and mixtures ¿ Tailoring Reaction Enthalpies ¿ Borazan ¿ Aluminum hydride ¿ Nanoparticles A one-stop reference on all questions concerning hydrogen storage for physical and solid state chemists, materials scientists, chemical engineers, and physicists.

In a world faced with massive and ever-growing energy demands where the environment is an important factor, an array of new technologies and or fuels are becoming a necessity, not a choice. Hydrogen may be one of those alternatives. Hydrogen can be produced from diverse domestic feedstocks using a variety of process technologies. Hydrogen-containing compounds such as, fossil fuels, biomass or even water can be a source of hydrogen. Thermochemical processes can be used to produce hydrogen from biomass and from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and petroleum. Power generated from sunlight, wind and nuclear sources can be used to produce hydrogen electrolytically. Sunlight alone can also drive photolytic production of hydrogen from water, using advanced photoelectrochemical and photobiological processes.

Hydrogen holds out the promise of a truly sustainable global energy future. As a clean energy carrier that can be produced from any primary energy source, hydrogen used in highly efficient fuel cells could prove to be the answer to our growing concerns about energy security, urban pollution and climate change. This prize surely warrants the attention and resources currently being directed at hydrogen even if the prospects for widespread commercialisation of hydrogen in the foreseeable future are uncertain.

The announcement of a hydrogen fuel initiative in the President's 2003 State of the Union speech substantially increased interest in the potential for hydrogen to play a major role in the nation's long-term energy future. Prior to that event, DOE asked the National Research Council to examine key technical issues about the hydrogen economy to assist in the development of its hydrogen R&D program. Included in the assessment were the current state of technology; future cost estimates; CO2 emissions; distribution, storage, and end use considerations; and the DOE RD&D program. The report provides an assessment of hydrogen as a fuel in the nation's future energy economy and describes a number of important challenges that must be overcome if it is to make a major energy contribution. Topics covered include the hydrogen end-use technologies, transportation, hydrogen production technologies, and transition issues for hydrogen in vehicles.

Adopting a unique, integrated engineering approach, this text simultaneously covers all aspects of design and operation, process analysis, optimization, monitoring and control. It clearly presents the multiple advantages of molten carbonate fuel cells for the efficient conversion of energy, and also includes recent developments in this innovative technology. The whole is rounded off by an appendix featuring benchmark problems with equations and parameters. Vital reading for process, chemical and power engineers, as well as those working in power technology, chemists and electrochemists, materials scientists, and energy-supplying companies.