Hydrogen Discovery and Production

Study Notes

Henry Cavendish discovered hydrogen in 1766 by reacting zinc with hydrochloric acid.
Hydrogen flames are pale blue and difficult to see in daylight due to the lack of soot.
Hydrogen has the highest energy content per unit of weight making it ideal for weight-sensitive applications like aerospace.

Steam methane reforming (SMR) is the primary chemical process for hydrogen production: it reacts methane (CH₄) and steam (H₂O) to produce carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H₂).
The Middle East has the lowest hydrogen production cost without carbon capture and storage (CCUS) due to its abundance of low-cost natural gas.
Heterogeneous catalysis is preferred for hydrogen production: it allows for easier separation of the catalyst from the products, which is essential for industrial processes.
Pre-reformers optimize the main reformer efficiency by converting complex hydrocarbons into simpler ones, reducing catalyst fouling.

Metal hydrides offer a more secure, compact method for storing hydrogen in mobile applications, eliminating the need for high-pressure containers.
Type V all-composite tanks with no metal liner are a promising new design for hydrogen storage in automotive applications. These tanks are lighter and more cost-effective than traditional designs.

Machine learning (ML) is used to accelerate the discovery of new hydrogen storage materials: regression models are used to predict the hydrogen absorption capacity of materials based on their chemical composition.