Article | REF: BE8566 V3

Hydrogen Fuel. Uses

Authors: Farida LAMARI, Patrick LANGLOIS, Pierre MALBRUNOT

Publication date: May 10, 2023

You do not have access to this resource.
Click here to request your free trial access!

Already subscribed? Log in!


Overview

Français

ABSTRACT

As a fuel, hydrogen is used or usable either in direct combustion or in fuel cells that produce electricity at outputs ranging from 10 mW to 10 MW. Its applications range from portable equipment to energy-intensive industrial processes; for mobility alone, they come in road, rail, marine, submersible, aeronautical, and space applications. Hydrogen can be stored, transported and made available as a compressed gas or as a liquid, or even combined in solids or liquids. Its flammability and explosiveness however require precautions that are subject to appropriate safety standards. The role that this fuel will play in tomorrow's energy landscape will be a major element in the transition from fossil to renewable energy sources.

Read this article from a comprehensive knowledge base, updated and supplemented with articles reviewed by scientific committees.

Read the article

AUTHORS

  • Farida LAMARI: Doctorate in Process Engineering from the University of Paris XIII - CNRS Research Associate - Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, LSPM – UPR CNRS 3407

  • Patrick LANGLOIS: ENSAM engineer and PhD in metallurgy from Pierre et Marie Curie University (Paris VI) - CNRS research fellow - Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, LSPM – UPR CNRS 3407

  • Pierre MALBRUNOT: Scientific advisor to the France Hydrogène association

 INTRODUCTION

A new ecosystem is emerging around the hydrogen energy vector, thanks to its versatility (electrolyzer, fuel cell, transport and storage, mobility, new uses). Referring to the maxim "Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed" attributed to Lavoisier, hydrogen could indeed be very accurately and quite simply described as a vector of transformation, the need for transformation stemming from the imminent depletion of fossil resources and the harmful effect of their use on health, the environment and the climate. Against the backdrop of Europe's energy crisis and climate change, the urgency of such a transformation has become clear. Launched in 2019, the Green Pact for Europe commits EU member states to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, with an interim target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. This pact implies, in particular, the mass production and use of decarbonated or low-carbon hydrogen, with regulations adapted to a coherent hydrogen deployment strategy in terms of production and use currently being drawn up.

Hydrogen's highly energetic combustion, with a mass more than twice that of natural gas, makes it a fuel of choice for supplying heat and mechanical energy, with no residue other than water. But it can also combine electrochemically with oxygen to produce electricity and heat, again with only water emissions. In France, hydrogen is already widely used in the petroleum and chemical industries, for a total consumption of around 900,000 tonnes per year, but most of this is carbon-based hydrogen, which generates around 9 million tonnes of CO 2 per year, and we need to develop our production in this area. Hydrogen is an energy carrier that can be produced and used in a wide variety of applications, the best-known of which is mobility, where a growing number of hydrogen-powered vehicles are being marketed. In synergy with the future mass production of carbon-free hydrogen, we need to increase its use.

In addition to the article [BE 8 565] which deals with its production, this article looks at its energy conversion, supply and safety issues, as well as the possible economic and societal consequences of its widespread use. It also concludes with an analysis of what still needs to be done before this energy carrier can become the norm.

You do not have access to this resource.

Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!

You do not have access to this resource.
Click here to request your free trial access!

Already subscribed? Log in!


The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference

A Comprehensive Knowledge Base, with over 1,200 authors and 100 scientific advisors
+ More than 10,000 articles and 1,000 how-to sheets, over 800 new or updated articles every year
From design to prototyping, right through to industrialization, the reference for securing the development of your industrial projects

This article is included in

Vehicules and mobility

This offer includes:

Knowledge Base

Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees

Services

A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources

Practical Path

Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills

Doc & Quiz

Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading

Subscribe now!

Ongoing reading
Hydrogen fuel