PEM Electrolysis-Based Refueling Stations for Hydrogen Fueled Vehicles

摘要

There are several pathways to developing and commercializing large and small vehicles that utilize hydrogen for fuel, including direct hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, direct hydrogen combustion vehicles, and those that may utilize hythane. For each of those cases, there must be a cost-effective and practical means of generating hydrogen and delivering the hydrogen on-board those vehicles. Refueling requirements vary significantly among single cars, small car fleets, single buses, and bus fleets in terms of quantity of H2 needed, on-board vehicle storage conditions, fill times, and even refueling station mobility. Hydrogen refuelers based upon Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolysis technology that are designed to address those various requirements may provide the best solutions to some of those refueling needs. The infrastructure to generate, store, and dispense hydrogen to the vehicles is already well established for electrolysis-based refuelers. Water and electricity are all that are needed for hydrogen generation and a pathway to zero-emission hydrogen production is created if the electricity is supplied by renewable sources. Hydrogen can be stored as a gas or liquid and even in the solid hydride form both on-board and off-board the vehicle. Gaseous storage offers the most flexible and economical option although liquid storage has volume advantages over gaseous storage, if gaseous storage pressure is below 690 barg. Near-term advances in hydride storage technologies may offer volumetric advantages for hydrogen storage and in the longer term, other technologies may be beneficial. Hydrogen dispensing equipment has already been demonstrated and new standards for such equipment continue to evolve to ensure safe and practical refueling practices. All of the individual elements required for electrolysis-based hydrogen refuelers have been developed and can now be packaged into turnkey systems. The objectives are to accomplish this in a cost-effective manner while maximizing the use of renewable energy sources to provide the pathway to zero-emissions hydrogen production.