Hydrogen Fuel: Opportunities and Barriers

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prashant Kumar ◽  
Rex Britter ◽  
Nitesh Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Effective Interaction ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Hydrogen Fuel ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Transportation Fuel ◽  
The Future

The fact that 65% of the oil use is by the transportation sector, the increasing gap between the oil supply and demand, and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions make the introduction of alternative fuels, together with large energy efficiency gains, a key to sustainable mobility, both nationally and globally. The history of alternative fuels has not been very successful. Various economic, social, and technological barriers have impeded the acceptance of energy carriers such as hydrogen as a major transportation fuel. An effective interaction between the societal system of vehicle owners and a supply infrastructure of alternative fuels is needed for mass adoption of these future technologies. However, hydrogen due to its production pathways, particularly from renewable resources, inexhaustible, and clean nature, an ubiquitous presence and its promise of a sustainable transportable energy source give it a strong edge to be fuel of the future. This paper discusses the economical, social, and technological implications on the use of hydrogen as a future transport fuel. Furthermore, three cases based on UK Department of Transport studies showing the penetration of high efficiency vehicles, fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), and hydrogen fuel internal combustion engine vehicles (H2-ICEs) into the future transport fleet are discussed. With some assumptions, it indicates clearly that by the end of 2050 the H2-ICEs will play a major role in the UK transport sector whereas more time is needed for FCVs due to their less compelling consumer value possibility. Also, it can be inferred that the emissions from hydrogen’s full life cycle are about half those of the direct emissions from nonrenewable fuels such as the natural gas from which it is produced, thereby showing a promising future of hydrogen fuel to cope with the problem of climate change and the continuously increasing scarcity of conventional/fossil fuels.

1993 Soichiro Honda Lecture: The Challenges of Change in the Auto Industry: Why Alternative Fuels?

1994 ◽  
Vol 116 (4) ◽  
pp. 727-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Nichols
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Auto Industry ◽  
Transportation Fuel ◽  
Alternative Fuel Vehicles ◽  
The Past ◽  
Entire Country ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Difficult Transition

Development of vehicles to operate on nonpetroleum fuels began in earnest in response to the energy shocks of the 1970s. While petroleum will remain the predominant transportation fuel for a long time, petroleum supplies are finite, so it is not too soon to begin the difficult transition to new sources of energy. In the past decade, composition of the fuel utilized in the internal combustion engine has gained recognition as a major factor in the control of emissions from the tailpipe of the automobile and the rate of formation of ozone in the atmosphere. Improvements in air quality can be realized by using vechicles that operate on natural gas, propane, methanol, ethanol, or electricity, but introduction of these alternative fuel vehicles presents major technical and economic challenges to the auto industry, as well as the entire country, as long as gasoline remains plentiful and inexpensive.

scholarly journals Design 2-Speed Transmission for Compact Electric Vehicle Using Dual Brake System

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1793
Author(s):  
Jae-Oh Han ◽  
Jae-Won Shin ◽  
Jae-Chang Kim ◽  
Se-Hoon Oh
Keyword(s):  
Automobile Industry ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Bending Strength ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
Drive System ◽  
The Government

Mega trends in the global automotive industry are environmentally friendly. As laws and regulations tighten at the government level, the automobile industry is striving to develop a drive system that can operate without using fossil fuels, instead of developing an internal combustion engine using fossil fuels. Environmentally-friendly energy is attracting attention as an alternative to solve the problems of air pollution and fossil fuel depletion. Electricity is attracting the most attention among environmentally-friendly alternative fuels. In addition, research on the development of a high-efficiency and high-reliability advanced electric automobile drive system are actively being carried out. In this study, a two-speed transmission for electric vehicles is developed using environmentally-friendly fuel. The 1st and the 2nd planetary gear modules were integrated, the ring gear and the carrier gear were shared, and the dual disc brake was used to design a mechanism for fixing each sun and shifting gear. Such a structure can improve shift energy efficiency compared to that of conventional transmissions. It was judged that the structure was suitable for an electric car using a limited power supply. Each gear was designed by calculating bending strength and surface durability.

scholarly journals Fuels for Automobiles: The Sustainable Future

2021 ◽  
pp. 8-13
Author(s):  
Olumide A. Towoju
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Internal Combustion Engine ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Internal Combustion ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Synthetic Fuels ◽  
The Future ◽  
Petroleum Derivatives

The future of internal combustion engine-powered automobiles hangs in the balance unless clean fuels are available in commercial quantities. Electricity-powered vehicles will displace the internal combustion engine-powered automobiles. However, electricity-powered vehicles are yet to meet some of the automobile demands. A paradigm shift with attendant infrastructural change is necessary for its adoption. Synthetic fuels promise to be the solution. Their invention dates back to the early twentieth century when the concern was not about climate change. The search for alternative fuels later metamorphosed to when fossil fuels reserve depletion and petroleum derivatives cost became a concern. The alternatives were made available in biofuels. The prevailing challenge is now climate change. It is the consequence of the emission of greenhouse gases from the combustion of petroleum derivatives in automobiles. Synthetic fuels show the potential of coming to the rescue despite the prevailing hurdles. The future holds a potential promise of converting greenhouse gas (CO2) to liquid fuels that will allow little or no disruptions to the current transportation infrastructure network. It is, therefore, necessary to encourage further studies on the production of synthetic fuels. The environmental and economic benefits of commercially available synthetic fuels promise to be enormous.

scholarly journals Long-Term Forecast of Energy and Fuels Demand Towards a Sustainable Road Transport Sector in Ecuador (2016–2035): A LEAP Model Application

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Rivera-González ◽  
David Bolonio ◽  
Luis F. Mazadiego ◽  
Sebastián Naranjo-Silva ◽  
Kenny Escobar-Segovia
Keyword(s):  
Total Energy ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Planning System ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Fuel Quality ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Vehicle Class ◽  
Fuel Demand

The total energy demand in the transport sector represented 48.80% of the total consumption in Ecuador throughout 2016, where 89.87% corresponded to the road transport sector. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze the future behavior of this sector and assess the economic and environmental measures towards sustainable development. Consequently, this study analyzed: (1) the total energy demand for each vehicle class and fuel type; (2) the GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions and air pollutants NOx and PM10; and (3) the cost attributed to the fuel demand, between 2016 and 2035. For this, four alternative demand scenarios were designed: BAU: Business As Usual; EOM: Energy Optimization and Mitigation; AF: Alternative Fuels; and SM: Sustainable Mobility using Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning system. After analysis, the EOM, AF, and SM scenarios have advantages relative to BAU, where SM particularly stands out. The results show that SM compared to BAU, contributes with a 12.14% (141,226 kBOE) decrease of the total energy demand, and the economic savings for this fuel demand is of 14.22% (26,720 MUSD). Moreover, global NOx and PM10 emissions decreased by 14.91% and 13.78%, respectively. Additionally, accumulated GHG emissions decreased by 13.49% due to the improvement of the fuel quality for the vehicles that mainly consume liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, and electricity.

scholarly journals Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Alternative Fuels for Western Australia’s Transport Sector

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Najmul Hoque ◽  
Wahidul Biswas ◽  
Ilyas Mazhar ◽  
Ian Howard
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Security ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
Hydrogen Fuel ◽  
Production Of Hydrogen ◽  
Environmental Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
The Impact

Alternative fuels for the transport sector are being emphasized due to energy security and environmental issues. Possible alternative fuel options need to be assessed to realize their potential to alleviate environmental burdens before policy formulations. Western Australia (WA) is dominated by private cars, accounting for around 72% vehicles with 87% of those using imported gasoline, and resulting in approximately 14% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector. There is an urgent need for WA to consider alternative transport fuels not only to reduce the environmental burden but also to avoid future energy security consequences. This study assesses the environmental life cycle assessment (ELCA) of transport fuel options suitable for WA. The study revealed that ethanol (E65), electric (EV) and plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV) options can decrease global warming potential (GWP) by 40%, 29% and 14%, respectively, when compared to gasoline. The EV and PHEV also performed better than gasoline in the fossil fuel depletion (FFD) and water consumption (WC) impact categories. Gasoline, however, demonstrated better environmental performance in all the impact categories compared to hydrogen and that was mainly due to the high electricity requirement during the production of hydrogen. The use of platinum in hydrogen fuel cells and carbon fibre in the hydrogen tank for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCV) and Li-ion battery for EVs are the most important sources of environmental impacts. The findings of the study would aid the energy planners and decision makers in carrying out a comparative environmental assessment of the locally-sourced alternative fuels for WA.

Future of Commodity Markets and Investments

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hunter M. Holzhauer
Keyword(s):  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Commodity Markets ◽  
Investment Banks ◽  
Algorithmic Trading ◽  
Excess Supply ◽  
The Future ◽  
Change Concerns ◽  
Global Population ◽  
Regulatory Trends

This chapter begins with a breakdown of recent growth trends for the overall commodities market. However, the long-term future of the market will heavily depend on three pressing issues: excess supply, increased regulations, and algorithmic trading. The section on excess supply explores how traders are changing strategies to adjust to the current imbalance between supply and demand, especially in the steel industry, and how that imbalance might change in the future based on global population trends and climate change concerns. The next section examines several regulatory trends, including the dramatic exodus of some investment banks from certain segments of the commodities market followed by a section focusing on how algorithmic trading is influencing how commodities are traded. A discussion of potential scenarios for the commodities market follows. The chapter concludes by examining a few ways in which the market and commodity traders may both survive and even thrive in the future.

scholarly journals Free Stream Behavior of Hydrogen Released from a Fluidic Oscillating Nozzle

Fluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 245
Author(s):  
Anja Fink ◽  
Oliver Nett ◽  
Simon Schmidt ◽  
Oliver Krüger ◽  
Thomas Ebert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Free Stream ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Direct Injection ◽  
Combustion Process ◽  
Vertical Direction ◽  
Spray Angle ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Flow Measurements ◽  
Injection Process ◽  
Bottom Dead Center

The H2 internal combustion engine (ICE) is a key technology for complete decarbonization of the transport sector. To match or exceed the power density of conventional combustion engines, H2 direct injection (DI) is essential. Therefore, new injector concepts that meet the requirements of a H2 operation have to be developed. The macroscopic free stream behavior of H2 released from an innovative fluidic oscillating nozzle is investigated and compared with that of a conventional multi-hole nozzle. This work consists of H2 flow measurements and injection tests in a constant volume chamber using the Schlieren method and is accompanied by a LES simulation. The results show that an oscillating H2 free stream has a higher penetration velocity than the individual jets of a multi-hole nozzle. This behavior can be used to inject H2 far into the combustion chamber in the vertical direction while the piston is still near bottom dead center. As soon as the oscillation of the H2 free stream starts, the spray angle increases and therefore H2 is also distributed in the horizontal direction. In this phase of the injection process, spray angles comparable to those of a multi-hole nozzle are achieved. This behavior has a positive effect on H2 homogenization, which is desirable for the combustion process.

scholarly journals Comparative TCO Analysis of Battery Electric and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses for Public Transport System in Small to Midsize Cities

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 4384
Author(s):  
Hanhee Kim ◽  
Niklas Hartmann ◽  
Maxime Zeller ◽  
Renato Luise ◽  
Tamer Soylu
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Transport System ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Hydrogen Fuel Cell ◽  
Hydrogen Fuel ◽  
Fuel Cost ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Transport System ◽  
Bus Body

This paper shows the results of an in-depth techno-economic analysis of the public transport sector in a small to midsize city and its surrounding area. Public battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses are comparatively evaluated by means of a total cost of ownership (TCO) model building on historical data and a projection of market prices. Additionally, a structural analysis of the public transport system of a specific city is performed, assessing best fitting bus lines for the use of electric or hydrogen busses, which is supported by a brief acceptance evaluation of the local citizens. The TCO results for electric buses show a strong cost decrease until the year 2030, reaching 23.5% lower TCOs compared to the conventional diesel bus. The optimal electric bus charging system will be the opportunity (pantograph) charging infrastructure. However, the opportunity charging method is applicable under the assumption that several buses share the same station and there is a “hotspot” where as many as possible bus lines converge. In the case of electric buses for the year 2020, the parameter which influenced the most on the TCO was the battery cost, opposite to the year 2030 in where the bus body cost and fuel cost parameters are the ones that dominate the TCO, due to the learning rate of the batteries. For H2 buses, finding a hotspot is not crucial because they have a similar range to the diesel ones as well as a similar refueling time. H2 buses until 2030 still have 15.4% higher TCO than the diesel bus system. Considering the benefits of a hypothetical scaling-up effect of hydrogen infrastructures in the region, the hydrogen cost could drop to 5 €/kg. In this case, the overall TCO of the hydrogen solution would drop to a slightly lower TCO than the diesel solution in 2030. Therefore, hydrogen buses can be competitive in small to midsize cities, even with limited routes. For hydrogen buses, the bus body and fuel cost make up a large part of the TCO. Reducing the fuel cost will be an important aspect to reduce the total TCO of the hydrogen bus.

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