CHEG 360: Hydrogen Technologies Lecture 22

Introduction to Hydrogen Technologies and Applications (CHEG 360) - Lecture 22

• Lecture 22 focused on hydrogen in the new energy scenario, specifically large-scale energy storage, including power-to-power and power-to-X systems
• The lecture's speaker was Dr. Lourdes F. Vega, a Professor in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, and Director of the Research and Innovation Center on CO2 and Hydrogen (RICH Center) at Khalifa University
• Date of lecture: November 19, 2024

Course Content

• The course covers various topics related to hydrogen technologies and applications
• Basic hydrogen properties and safety
• Hydrogen generation from hydrocarbons, solar methods, bio-hydrogen, and nuclear power
• Hydrogen transportation and storage options including underground storage, chemical, and physical storage methods
• Hydrogen utilization in classical applications like refining, fertilizer production, and chemical industries
• Combustion (ammonia as a carbon-free fuel), Heat, and power applications
• Hydrogen utilization in hard-to-abate sectors
• Fuel cell concepts and applications in transportation
• Hydrogen in the new energy scenario: large-scale energy storage (power-to-power) and power-to-X
• The lecture included discussion on the impact of climate change and the economic consequences associated with climate change in 2018 and as a whole by 2050
• The current CO2 concentration and the current situation and trends, particularly at the Mauna Loa Observatory
• The different sectors contributing to CO2 emissions were detailed, specifically: buildings, industry, and transportation
• The speaker presented a detailed study discussing greenhouse gases (GHG) and CO2 equivalence
• Different approaches to quantify the impact of GHG on the atmosphere
• CO2 emissions in the UAE were visually presented, broken down by energy source and sector
• A summary of energy sources: non-renewable sources such as petroleum, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy were presented, alongside renewable energy sources like biomass, hydro power, wind, solar, and geothermal energy
• The supply of electricity is irregular, leading to a need for energy storage on various scales
• Different energy storage strategies including reversible hydroelectric plants, thermal storage, batteries, and fuel cells were discussed
• Various hydrogen storage technologies were presented with their power and capacity ranges. This included a detailed description of the different storage technologies and their applications, categorized into mechanical and electrical storage and electrochemical and chemical storage
• Strategies to track clean energy processes including renewability, digitalization, electrification, bioenergy, international collaboration, and CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage)
• Hydrogen is not a primary energy source but an energy vector
• Technologies for hydrogen production and challenges to producing it in a cost-effective manner were examined
• Technological pathways for the energy transition showing hydrogen as part of the solution were visually represented by different proportions of various technologies to produce hydrogen in various methods
• Examples were given to show how renewable electricity can now be generated, including data from 2018 to illustrate the trend in various renewable energy plants, like Hydropower, Wind, Bioenergy, and Solar
• The evolution of renewable and non-renewable energy production was depicted through graphical representations of energy output over each week
• The presentation included discussion on where CO2 can be captured
• Various strategies for CO2 capture were presented with diagrams including post-combustion and direct air capture of CO2
• CCUS (carbon capture, utilization, and storage) concept and implementation strategies
• Details on various technologies for hydrogen production, in particular the difference between grey, blue and green hydrogen
• Balance for producing hydrogen (1.1 tonH2) for its use in different settings including different methods and approaches to produce hydrogen and the energy needed
• Hydrogen Utilization methods, detailed breakdown showing combined heat and power (CHP) utilization methods
• Hard-to-abate industries and the difficulties in decarbonizing them
• Basics and applications of fuel cells
• Hydrogen utilization in power generation and transportation
• Discussion on storing and transporting hydrogen, and various storage options and the future technologies
• Details on Power-to-X and Power-to-Power
• The current and expected hydrogen market for each method of hydrogen production (grey, blue, green, and electrolysis-based hydrogen)
• Various technological approaches to decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries that were visually displayed were addressed
• Details on the maturity of hydrogen solutions were shown, including a chart showing the maturity levels and application areas
• Details on the economic feasibility of ammonia as an alternative for hydrogen
• A presentation on how hydrogen is utilized for CHP were visualized along with details
• The lecture concluded with a message promoting the importance of continued engagement and effort in this area

Lecture 22 of CHEG 360 delves into hydrogen's role in new energy systems, emphasizing large-scale energy storage methods like power-to-power and power-to-X. Led by Dr. Lourdes F. Vega, this session explores various aspects of hydrogen generation, transportation, and applications in industry.