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Hydrogen as a Sustainable Energy: Current Status and Future Prospect

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2023) | Viewed by 13307

Special Issue Editors

Hydrogen Energy and Space Propulsion Laboratory (HESPL), School of Mechanical, Electronic and Control Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
Interests: hydrogen energy; hydrogen production; hydrogen combustion; hydrogen safety; hydrogen internal combustion engines; hydrogen fuel cells; hydrogen policy; hydrogen energy storage; hydrogen catalysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Research Institute for Eco-civilization, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences(CASS), Beijing 100000, China
Interests: sustainable development economy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the status and the future prospect of hydrogen as a sustainable energy in the fields from the hydrogen production to the applications, from the technologies to the economy and policies. The relationships revealed would help to shape integrated sustainable planning and development strategies of hydrogen energy.

There is a growing amount of research studying the engineering technologies of hydrogen-fueled power devices (like internal combustion engines, gas turbines, propulsion) in the field of energy and fuels to solve the energy and environment issues brought by the combustion of fossil-fuels, as well as research studying the fundamental characteristics of hydrogen (like spray characteristics, combustion characteristics), the engineering technologies of hydrogen production-delivery-storage, as well as the safety issues of hydrogen attract more attentions in the field of nature science for promoting the applications. Meanwhile, a growing amount of research concerning the conflicts in response to scientific technologies and social issues (including the economy, the policies in current market, and the ethics to environment). However, there is a lack of understanding of the different scientific subjects, more engineering technologies of hydrogen application are not suitable for promotion without the considerations of social sustainability, as well as some policies of hydrogen energy hardly be effectively conducted due to the technology development lagging. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore the aspects of hydrogen energy together with the wisdoms from both the nature sciences and social sciences, examine and correct the current problems hydrogen facing up to as a future energy, and propose feasible and flexible routes of hydrogen as a sustainable energy.

The Special Issue aims to collect high-standard empirical studies and review papers, which explore the fundamental science, the engineering technologies, the economic and society issues of hydrogen as a proliferating energy towards Carbon neutrality, within both the fields of nature sciences and social sciences. Potential topics include but are not limited to the followings:

  • Hydrogen production: technologies, economic analysis, market potential of hydrogen energy
  • Hydrogen delivery: technologies, delivery efficiency, international delivery web
  • Hydrogen storage: hydrogen storage, crystal structure, nanostructure
  • Hydrogen fuel: physical properties, combustion characteristics
  • Hydrogen engines: hydrogen internal combustion engines, hydrogen gas turbine, hydrogen propulsion
  • Hydrogen fuel cells: fuel cells performances, electrochemical reaction, catalytical materials, life-cycle assessment
  • Hydrogen safety: explosion characteristics, leakage potential, spontoons ignition
  • Hydrogen economy and energy policy: public attitude, dynamics of hydrogen economy development and energy policy towards Carbon Neutral society
  • Hydrogen ethics: environmental risk in hydrogen production, environmental risk in w2w

This Special Issue will contribute to the existing literature on the interdisciplinary field of the impacts of scientific technologies and social risks, as well as facilitating comprehensive approaches to the hydrogen era.

Prof. Dr. Zuoyu Sun
Dr. Wang Mou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hydrogen energy
  • hydrogen production
  • hydrogen delivery
  • hydrogen storage
  • hydrogen fuel
  • hydrogen engines
  • hydrogen fuel cells
  • hydrogen safety
  • hydrogen economy
  • hydrogen policy
  • hydrogen ethics

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2452 KiB  
Article
Lumped Parameter Modeling of SAE J2601 Hydrogen Fueling Tests
by Shanshan Deng, Feng Li, Hao Luo, Tianqi Yang, Feng Ye, Richard Chahine and Jinsheng Xiao
Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1448; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021448 - 12 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1532
Abstract
The safety of hydrogen storage is essential for the development of fuel cell vehicles. A mathematical model for a compressed hydrogen storage tank is established based on the mass conservation equation, the energy conservation equation and the real gas equation of state. Using [...] Read more.
The safety of hydrogen storage is essential for the development of fuel cell vehicles. A mathematical model for a compressed hydrogen storage tank is established based on the mass conservation equation, the energy conservation equation and the real gas equation of state. Using the Matlab/Simulink platform, a dual-zone lumped parameter model, which divides the tank into a hydrogen gas zone and a tank wall zone, is established. The initial conditions of the MC Default method hydrogen filling from SAE J2601 are utilized in the lumped parameter model for numerical simulation. Five cases are studied, including two different tanks. One case used the Lookup table for hydrogen refueling, and four cases used the MC Default method for fueling. The hydrogen gas temperature, wall temperature, pressure in the tank and state of charge are obtained during the fueling process. The simulated results show that the dual-zone lumped parameter model can well predict the temperature, pressure and state of charge (SOC) for Type IV tanks with volumes of 249 L and 117 L during refueling. By using the averaged heat transfer coefficient (80 W/(m2·K)) between gas and wall, and the constant heat transfer coefficient (20 W/(m2·K)) between wall and environment, the gas temperature and pressure of our dual-zone lumped parameter model show good agreement with the experiment. The maximum difference between simulated and experimental wall temperatures for five cases is around 2 °C. The experimental wall temperatures were measured on the external surface of the tank, while the simulated wall temperature of the dual-zone lumped parameter model is representative of a mean temperature averaged alone with the radial direction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogen as a Sustainable Energy: Current Status and Future Prospect)
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21 pages, 5649 KiB  
Article
Effect of Structural Parameters and Operational Characteristic Analysis on Ejector Used in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell
by Chao Li, Baigang Sun and Qinghe Luo
Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9205; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159205 - 27 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1145
Abstract
A hydrogen ejector for PEMFC system is designed based on thermodynamic theory with considering the influence of water vapor. A CFD model is built in order to optimize the geometric parameters, comprehensively considering performance of different operating conditions. Moreover, effect of structural parameters [...] Read more.
A hydrogen ejector for PEMFC system is designed based on thermodynamic theory with considering the influence of water vapor. A CFD model is built in order to optimize the geometric parameters, comprehensively considering performance of different operating conditions. Moreover, effect of structural parameters and operating conditions on PEMFC ejector performance was studied using single-factor and multi-factor analysis methods. The single-factors analysis results show that the nozzle throat diameter, nozzle divergent angle (A), nozzle throat length (B), nozzle exit position (C), mixing tube diameter (D), mixing tube length (E) and are crucial structural parameters that affect the performance of the ejector significantly. Multi-factors analysis is carried to gain the sensitivity of the crucial parameters and further optimize performance of the ejector on PEMFC. For low current (110 A), middle current (275 A), and high current (412.5 A), the order of influence of performance were (D > A > B > C > E), (D > A > B> E > C), and (D > C > E > B > A), respectively. The optimized ejector by multi-factor analysis method has a better performance than one optimized by single-factor. This study may provide a new way of thinking for optimization of structural parameters of any PEMFC ejector with various operating condition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogen as a Sustainable Energy: Current Status and Future Prospect)
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18 pages, 1723 KiB  
Article
Use of Heat Pumps in the Hydrogen Production Cycle at Thermal Power Plants
by Konstantin Kalmykov, Irina Anikina, Daria Kolbantseva, Milana Trescheva, Dmitriy Treschev, Aleksandr Kalyutik, Alena Aleshina and Iaroslav Vladimirov
Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7710; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137710 - 24 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1486
Abstract
The paper considers the integration and joint operation of a methane steam reforming unit (MSRU) and a heat pump unit (HPU) at a thermal power plant (TPP) as one of the possible ways to follow the global decarbonization policy. Research methods are simulation [...] Read more.
The paper considers the integration and joint operation of a methane steam reforming unit (MSRU) and a heat pump unit (HPU) at a thermal power plant (TPP) as one of the possible ways to follow the global decarbonization policy. Research methods are simulation modeling of a thermal power plant in the program “United Cycle” and analysis of thermodynamic cycles of heat pumps. The Petrozavodskaya combined heat and power plant (CHPP) was selected as the object of the research. During the research, technological schemes for hydrogen production at the Petrozavodskaya CHPP were developed: with steam extraction to MSRU from a live steam collector and with the use of production steam. A scheme for HPU integration is proposed to reduce the cost of hydrogen and to reduce waste heat. A heat pump is used to preheat natural gas before going to MSRU. A method for determining fuel costs for hydrogen production in the trigeneration cycle of a thermal power plant was developed. The minimum specific fuel consumption for hydrogen production—7.854 t ref.f./t H2—is achieved in the mode with steam extraction to MSRU from the turbine PT-60-130/13 (industrial extraction with a flow rate of 30 t/h). At this mode, the coefficient of fuel heat utilization is the highest among all modes with hydrogen production—66.18%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogen as a Sustainable Energy: Current Status and Future Prospect)
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18 pages, 4403 KiB  
Article
Effect of Different Combustion Modes on the Performance of Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines under Low Load
by Wei Wei, Xu He, Hairong Zhu, Junfa Duan and Gaolin Qin
Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 6095; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14106095 - 17 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1835
Abstract
Detailed hydrogen–air chemical reaction mechanisms were coupled with the three-dimensional grids of an experimental hydrogen internal combustion engine (HICE) to establish a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) combustion model based on the CONVERGE software. The effects of different combustion modes on the combustion and [...] Read more.
Detailed hydrogen–air chemical reaction mechanisms were coupled with the three-dimensional grids of an experimental hydrogen internal combustion engine (HICE) to establish a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) combustion model based on the CONVERGE software. The effects of different combustion modes on the combustion and emission characteristics of HICE under low load were studied. The simulation results showed that, with the increase in excess hydrogen, the equivalent combustion and excessive hydrogen combustion modes with medium-cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) dilution could improve the intensity of the in-cylinder combustion of HICE, increase the peak values of pressure and temperature in the cylinder, and then improve the indicated thermal efficiency of HICE under low load. However, larger excessive hydrogen combustion could weaken the improvement in performance; therefore, the performance of HICE could be comprehensively improved by the adoption of excessive hydrogen combustion with a fuel–air ratio below 1.2 under low load. The obtained conclusions indicate the research disadvantages in the power and emission performances of HICE under low load, and they are of great significance for the performance optimization of HICE. Furthermore, a control strategy was proposed to improve the stability of HICE under low load. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogen as a Sustainable Energy: Current Status and Future Prospect)
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Review

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17 pages, 816 KiB  
Review
A Policy Review of Green Hydrogen Economy in Southern Africa
by Katundu Imasiku, Fortunate Farirai, Jane Olwoch and Solomon Nwabueze Agbo
Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13240; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313240 - 30 Nov 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5961
Abstract
Renewable energy and clean energy have been on the global agenda for energy transition for quite a long time but recently gained strong momentum, especially with the anticipated depletion of fossil fuels alongside increasing environmental degradation from their exploitation and the changing climate [...] Read more.
Renewable energy and clean energy have been on the global agenda for energy transition for quite a long time but recently gained strong momentum, especially with the anticipated depletion of fossil fuels alongside increasing environmental degradation from their exploitation and the changing climate caused by their excessive carbon emissions. Despite this, Africa’s pursuit to transition to a green economy using renewable energy resources still faces constraints that hamper further development and commercialization. These may include socio-economic, technical, political, financial, and institutional policy framework barriers. Although hydrogen demand is still low in Southern Africa, the region can meet the global demands for green hydrogen as a major supplier because of its enormous renewable energy resource-base. This article reviews existing renewable energy resources and hydrogen energy policies in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The significance of this review is that it explores how clean energy technologies that utilize renewable energy resources address the United Nations sustainable development goals (UN SDGs) and identifies the hydrogen energy policy gaps. This review further presents policy options and recommends approaches to enhance hydrogen energy production and ramp the energy transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to a hydrogen energy-based economy in Southern Africa. Concisely, the transition can be achieved if the existing hydrogen energy policy framework gap is narrowed by formulating policies that are specific to hydrogen development in each country with the associated economic benefits of hydrogen energy clearly outlined. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogen as a Sustainable Energy: Current Status and Future Prospect)
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