As a necessary link in hydrogen energy supply, hydrogen energy storage and
transportation has attracted much attention. How to store in the first step
determines how to transport in the next step, but no matter which storage and
transportation method, reducing costs is a top priority. The industry believes
that the future hydrogen supply model will not be limited to one type, but will
be a comprehensive hydrogen supply network including multiple technical routes,
and the hydrogen energy storage and transportation method must match its most
suitable application scenario.
The cause of the explosion at a hydrogen refueling station that occurred a
month ago on the outskirts of Oslo, Norway, has finally been identified - it was
mainly caused by an incorrect assembly of a specific plug in the hydrogen tank
of the high-pressure storage device.
It is not alarmist to say that a "small" plug caused a serious accident.
Behind it, it involves the "big problem" of hydrogen energy storage and
transportation. Many industry insiders admitted to reporters that in addition to
front-end hydrogen production and back-end refueling, the intermediate link from
the hydrogen production site to the hydrogen refueling station is now receiving
more and more attention. Under current conditions, storage and transportation
have become one of the main bottlenecks affecting the application of hydrogen
energy.
Inescapable storage and transportation links
Each of the existing methods has advantages and disadvantages
The so-called “middle” refers to the hydrogen energy storage,
transportation and refueling links. Ouyang Minggao believes that with the later
large-scale promotion and application and the gradual maturity of fuel cell
engine technology, supply will no longer be a problem. In contrast, industrial
problems focus on hydrogen storage, transportation and refueling.
"The storage and transportation of hydrogen are indistinguishable. How you
store it in the first step determines how it is transported in the next step.
Due to policy requirements, our country currently does not allow direct hydrogen
production in hydrogen refueling stations, so storage and transportation are a
necessary step in the supply of hydrogen energy. , worthy of attention." He
Guangli, assistant director of the New Energy Center of the Beijing Low-Carbon
Clean Energy Research Institute, told reporters.
The reporter further learned that hydrogen storage and transportation are
currently divided into three main methods: gas, liquid and solid. Due to
different conditions such as density, equipment, volume, etc., the above methods
also have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Taking the low-temperature liquid method as an example, Gong Ningfeng,
general manager of Beijing Hailison Technology Co., Ltd., said that as a global
research and development focus, liquid hydrogen has the characteristics of high
density and small volume, which can simplify storage and transportation,
especially for long-distance and large-scale applications. Transportation
demand. "But at the same time, it is difficult to turn gaseous hydrogen into
liquid state, and the required container equipment is very demanding. In
addition, due to policy factors, there are currently no cases of civilian liquid
hydrogen transportation in my country."
The gas storage and transportation method is currently the most commonly
used in my country. To put it simply, hydrogen is compressed into a
high-pressure container and then transported through long-tube trailers or
pipelines. Gong Ningfeng said that on the basis of mature technology, gaseous
methods also face new challenges such as lightweight, high pressure and stable
quality.
Solid-state storage and transportation use metal oxides, nanomaterials,
etc. as carriers. Although it has inherent advantages such as convenient
operation, high safety and high hydrogen storage volume density, this method is
still in the stage of small-scale application. "Any factor such as the carrier's
volume expansion, heat transfer, gas flow, etc. may affect the storage and
transportation effect." Gong Ningfeng said.
Different technical routes
But they all face economic constraints
Regarding different methods, there has been a lot of debate in the industry
for a long time and there is no conclusion. However, many people still pointed
out that no matter which method is used, reducing storage and transportation
costs is a top priority. The restricting factors include storage and
transportation technology, equipment level, application scale, transportation
radius and other factors.
"In the future, there will be no major problems in terms of technology and
safety. The biggest bottleneck affecting storage and transportation is
economics." Mao Zongqiang, vice chairman of the International Hydrogen Energy
Association and professor at Tsinghua University, said bluntly. For example,
liquid hydrogen has its advantages and is much sought after, but it should also
be noted that the cost of manufacturing liquid hydrogen is not low at present.
"It saves money on transportation, but manufacturing liquid hydrogen costs a
lot. Overall, the economics still need to be further improved."
Gong Ningfeng agreed. He said that countries such as Japan, the United
States, and Germany have reduced the transportation cost of liquid hydrogen to
about 1/8 of that of high-pressure hydrogen, and continue to expand the scope of
application. "It is undeniable that low-temperature liquid hydrogen
transportation is a general direction in the future. However, in my country, due
to technology and equipment levels, the cost of liquid hydrogen conversion is
relatively high, and it is unlikely to be promoted in the civilian field in the
short term."
In addition to technology, He Guangli believes that scale is one of the
keys to economics. "With continuous progress, problems at the technology,
equipment and other levels will be gradually solved. But in order to truly
reduce costs, fully understanding the concept of 'big hydrogen energy' is a
prerequisite."
In his view, automotive use is only one aspect of the development of
hydrogen energy. As a clean and efficient secondary energy source, hydrogen
energy should have a wider application range. "The concept of 'big hydrogen
energy' means that hydrogen will not only be supplied to fuel vehicles. On the
contrary, only when the scale of application increases can the infrastructure be
truly improved, thereby realizing the cost sharing and reduction of vehicle
hydrogen energy storage and transportation. This is also Why is it difficult to
truly reduce costs on all storage and transportation routes under current
conditions?”
Gong Ningfeng believes that due to limited scale, the transportation radius
of different technical routes also needs to be verified. "For example,
high-pressure gas transportation is still economical within a radius of 100-200
kilometers. If it is further away, the transportation cost will increase
geometrically, resulting in uneconomical. But what exactly this radius is needs
to be verified through practice."
Adapt to different application scenarios
More “hidden” options for storage and transportation
What kind of method can achieve safe, efficient and economical hydrogen
energy storage and transportation?
In He Guangli's view, existing storage and transportation technology and
equipment are gradually maturing. The key is to find truly applicable methods
and reduce costs on the basis of meeting standards. “Combining energy demand,
hydrogen supply network, technology development and other factors, the future
hydrogen supply model will not be limited to one type, but a comprehensive
hydrogen supply network including different routes, and its efficiency will be
evaluated from a full life cycle perspective. ."
The "White Paper on China's Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Industry (2019
Edition)" recently released by the China Hydrogen Energy Alliance also predicts
that hydrogen energy storage and transportation will develop in the direction of
"low pressure to high pressure" and "gaseous state to multi-phase state", thus
gradually improving Ability to store and transport hydrogen. In the long term
(2036-2050), high-density and high-safety hydrogen storage will become a
reality, and a complete hydrogen energy pipeline network will be built. At the
same time, solid and organic liquid storage and transportation standards and
pipeline transmission and distribution standards will be introduced as
supporting facilities.
“When it comes to hydrogen energy storage and transportation, people often
compare it to natural gas storage and transportation. I think this is not
necessarily reasonable.” He Guangli further reminded. As a primary energy
source, natural gas is the “starting point” wherever it is discovered and
transported. Hydrogen energy is a secondary energy source. It only has raw
materials but no storage. It is precisely because of this that it brings more
choices to storage and transportation. "Whether the raw materials are prepared
and transported, or the raw materials are transported out and then manufactured,
or they are made into some kind of intermediate and then transported out and
manufactured. Three completely different methods will bring different results.
Effect. But at present, the discussion is more about producing hydrogen first
and then transporting it.”
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