Compendium of Hydrogen Energy

Hydrogen Production and Purification

Velu Subramani, Angelo Basile, T. Nejat Veziroglu, Velu Subramani, Angelo Basile, T. Nejat Veziroglu

• Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781782423836
• Topic: Commerce
• Subtopic: Industrie de l'énergie

Compendium of Hydrogen Energy: Hydrogen Production and Purification, the first text in a four-volume series, focuses on the production of hydrogen. As many experts believe that the hydrogen economy will eventually replace the fossil fuel economy as our primary source of energy, the text provides a timely discussion on this interesting topic.

The text details the methods of hydrogen production using fossil fuels, also exploring sustainable extraction methods of hydrogen production from water and hydrogen purification processes.

• Provides a comprehensive understanding of the current methods used in the production of hydrogen
• Discusses the hydrogen economy and its potential to replace fossil fuels as our primary source of energy
• Details the methods of hydrogen production using fossil fuels, also exploring sustainable extraction methods of hydrogen production from water and hydrogen purification processes

Part One

Introduction to hydrogen

Outline

1. Introduction to hydrogen and its properties

2. Introduction to hydrogen production

3. Economics of hydrogen production

1

Introduction to hydrogen and its properties

H. Idriss¹, M. Scott², and V. Subramani^{3 1}Corporate Research and Innovation (CRI), SABIC-KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia ²School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand ³Refining and Logistics Technology, BP Products North America, Inc., Naperville, IL, USA

Abstract

Hydrogen is one of the most widely used chemical elements in the world. It is currently being used in many different industries, from chemical and refining to metallurgical, food, glass, and electronics. Because of its light weight and high energy density, hydrogen is also a preferred fuel in space applications, as a clean fuel in fuel cells. This chapter provides a brief overview of hydrogen and its physical and chemical properties. The history of hydrogen and its discovery, electronic structure, position in the periodic table, and its periodic properties are described. The energy density of hydrogen is compared with some of the common hydrocarbons such as natural gas and other liquid fuels such as methanol and ethanol. A few common methods for industrial production of hydrogen and synthesis gas, which is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, and their uses for the manufacture of variety of chemicals and fuels are highlighted.

Keywords

Fuel cells; History; Hydrogen; Ortho-hydrogen; Para-hydrogen; Steam reforming; Syngas

1.1. Introduction

Hydrogen, the first element on the periodic table with an atomic number of 1, is truly in a class by itself. It does not belong to any family of elements. Although hydrogen is a nonmetal, it is placed on the left side of the periodic table along with the first group alkali metals, but obviously, hydrogen does not belong to the alkali metals family. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe; it is found as interstellar gas and as the chief constituent of main sequence stars. Helium is the other element similar to hydrogen in its simplicity and abundance, and is placed on the same row at the right side of the periodic table. Although helium is a noble gas, and hence it is chemically inert, hydrogen reacts with all sorts of other elements and makes variety of useful compounds. For instance, the bonding of hydrogen with carbon forms the backbone for a vast collection of organic molecules, known as hydrocarbons. Similarly, by bonding with oxygen, hydrogen makes water, the single most important compound on the Earth.

Although hydrogen is the most abundant element, it makes up only about 0.14% of the Earth's crust by weight. It occurs, however, in vast quantities as part of the water in oceans, ice packs, rivers, lakes, and the atmosphere. As part of innumerable carbon compounds, hydrogen is present in all animal and vegetable tissue and in petroleum. Even though it is often said that there are more known compounds of carbon than of any other element, the fact is that, because hydrogen is contained in almost all carbon compounds and also forms a multitude of compounds with all other elements (except some of the noble gases), it is possible that hydrogen compounds are more numerous.

Elementary hydrogen finds its principal industrial application in the manufacture of ammonia; a compound of hydrogen and nitrogen, and in the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide and organic compounds to make a variety of chemicals and fuels. Hydrogen has also been considered as a potential source of power and transportation and, perhaps in the future, as a source of abundant clean energy.

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of hydrogen, its physical and chemical properties, an overview of industrial production, and uses in chemical and energy industries.

1.2. Some historical events (Hoffmann, 2012 and hydrogen fact sheet)

1766	Henry Cavendish, the British scientist, first identified hydrogen as a distinct element after observing a gas evolved by the reaction of zinc metal with hydrochloric acid. In a demonstration to the Royal Society of London, Cavendish applied a spark to hydrogen gas that yielded water (H2O). This discovery led to his later finding that H2O is made of hydrogen and oxygen.
1783	Jacquest Alexander Cesar Charles, a French physicist, launched the first hydrogen balloon flight known as Charliere. This unmanned balloon flew to an altitude of 3 km. Three months later, Charles himself flew in his first manned hydrogen balloon.
1788	Based on the discoveries of Cavendish, the French chemist Antoine Lavoisier gave hydrogen its name, which was derived from Greek words: “hydro” and “genes,” meaning “water” and “born of.”
1800	English scientists William Nicholson and Sir Anthony Carlisle discovered the process of “electrolysis.”
1838	Swiss chemist Christian Friedrich Schoenbein discovered the fuel cell effect that produced electric current and pure water by combining hydrogen and oxygen gases.
1845	Sir William Grove, an English scientist and judge, demonstrated Schoenbeinʼs discovery on a practical scale by creating a “gas battery.” He earned the title “father of the fuel cell” for his achievement.
1874	Jules Verne, a French author, prophetically examined the potential use of hydrogen as a fuel in his popular work of fiction entitled The Mysterious Island.
1889	Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer attempted to build the first fuel cell device using air and industrial coal gas.
1920	German engineer Rudolf Erren converted the internal combustion engines of trucks, buses, and submarines to use hydrogen or hydrogen mixtures. During this period, British scientist and Marxist writer, J.B.S. Haldane, introduced the concept of renewable hydrogen.
1952	The United States of America conducted its first nuclear test of a fusion device, or “hydrogen bomb” at Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands.
1958	The United States formed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA's space program currently uses the most liquid hydrogen worldwide, pr...