Prospective Technologies for Hydrogen Production

Abstract

A study is presented assessing the technology and economics of hydrogen production by advanced processes. The advanced processes include 1) high temperature electrolysis of steam, 2) coal gasification and electrochemical shift, 3) integrated coal gasification and high temperature electrolysis, 4) thermal cracking of natural gas and 5) the HYDROCARB thermal conversion of coal. High energy radiation, plasma and solar photovoltaic-water electrolysis production of H₂ are discussed. The advanced high temperature electrochemical systems suffer from high electrical energy and capital cost requirements. The thermal cracking of methane is potentially the lowest cost process for hydrogen production. This is followed closely by the HYDROCARB coal cracking process. To reach full potential, the thermal cracking processes depend on taking credit for the clean carbon fuel by-product. As the cost of oil and gas inevitably increases in the next several decades, emphasis will be placed on processes making use of the worlds reserve of coal.