Design of a hydrogen community

• Published in: International journal of hydrogen energy 2012-01, Vol.37 (2), p.1214-1219
• Main Authors: Mohan, Vijay, Shah, Aanchal, Sheffield, John W., Martin, Kevin B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alternative fuels. Production and utilization; Applied sciences; Biogas; Early market customers; Economic data; Energy; Energy economics; Exact sciences and technology; Fuels; General, economic and professional studies; Hydrogen; Hydrogen fueling station; Natural energy; Safety; Well-to-wheel
• ISSN: 0360-3199; 1879-3487
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2011.10.039

This paper discusses the conceptual design of a scalable and reproducible hydrogen fueling station at Santa Monica, California. Hydrogen production using renewable energy sources such as biogas, which accounts for 100% of the total production, has been discussed. The fueling station consists of a direct fuel cell (DFC) 300 fuel cell for on-site generation of 136kg/day of hydrogen and 300kW of electric power, five hydrogen storage tanks (storage capacity of 198kg of H2 at 350 and 700bar), four compressors which assist in dispensing 400kg of hydrogen in 14h, two hydrogen dispensers operating at 350bar and 700bar independently and a SAE J2600 compliant hydrogen nozzle. Potential early market customers for hydrogen fuel cells and their daily fuel requirements have been computed. The safety codes, potential failure modes and the methods to mitigate risks have been explained. A well-to-wheel analysis is performed to compare the emissions and the total energy requirements of conventional gasoline and fuel cell vehicles. ► Renewable energy sources account for 100% of the hydrogen at the fueling station. ► DFC 300 runs 24h/day, generating 136kg/day of H2 and producing 300kW power. ► The CO2 emissions of a H2 fuel cell vehicle is 55.7% less than a gasoline vehicle. ► Early market customers are identified, accounting for 250kg/day of H2.