Hydrogen Powered Military Vehicles: A Vision or Reality by 2040

摘要

The hydrogen-powered military vehicle will be affordable and practical for military use on the battlefield by 2040. This vehicle will be twice as efficient as today's gasoline-powered vehicles, with zero air emissions, and 1/2 the Class III logistics footprint. However, the development of this vehicle will be a massive undertaking, requiring large investments and many years of effort. This paper examines the factors involved in developing a hydrogen-powered military vehicle by the year 2040. Section 1 provides background information on hydrogen fuel cell research. Section 2 discusses the seven different types of fuel cells currently in development or use and their applicability to military vehicles: Alkaline, Polymer Electrolyte Membrane, Molten Carbonate, Solid Oxide, Phosphoric Acid, Direct Method, and Regenerative (Reversible). Section 3 examines current methods of producing hydrogen from natural gas and coal, new technologies that will drastically lower the cost of hydrogen production in the next decade, and the benefits of building low-cost, small-scale hydrogen production plants. The advanced ion transport membrane technology will simplify the process of manufacturing hydrogen from natural gas, and the integrated gasification combined-cycle technology will enable the production of hydrogen and electricity from coal. Section 4 discusses future research and development requirements and the work being done by the Department of Energy (DOE) on hydrogen production. Section 5 describes the FutureGen plant, which will produce hydrogen and electricity from coal while capturing and sequestering the CO2 generated in the process. FutureGen is a public-private partnership sponsored by the DOE. Section 6 discusses the challenges of hydrogen distribution and storage. Section 7 describes the fuel consumption rates of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq from March 1-May 24, 2003. Section 8 presents conclusions.