As a necessary link in hydrogen energy supply, hydrogen energy storage and transportation has attracted much attention. How to store in the first step determines how to transport in the next step, but no matter which storage and transportation method, reducing costs is a top priority. The industry believes that the future hydrogen supply model will not be limited to one type, but will be a comprehensive hydrogen supply network including multiple technical routes, and the hydrogen energy storage and transportation method must match its most suitable application scenario.

　　The cause of the explosion at a hydrogen refueling station that occurred a month ago on the outskirts of Oslo, Norway, has finally been identified - it was mainly caused by an incorrect assembly of a specific plug in the hydrogen tank of the high-pressure storage device.

　　It is not alarmist to say that a "small" plug caused a serious accident. Behind it, it involves the "big problem" of hydrogen energy storage and transportation. Many industry insiders admitted to reporters that in addition to front-end hydrogen production and back-end refueling, the intermediate link from the hydrogen production site to the hydrogen refueling station is now receiving more and more attention. Under current conditions, storage and transportation have become one of the main bottlenecks affecting the application of hydrogen energy.

　　Inescapable storage and transportation links

　　Each of the existing methods has advantages and disadvantages

　　The so-called “middle” refers to the hydrogen energy storage, transportation and refueling links. Ouyang Minggao believes that with the later large-scale promotion and application and the gradual maturity of fuel cell engine technology, supply will no longer be a problem. In contrast, industrial problems focus on hydrogen storage, transportation and refueling.

　　"The storage and transportation of hydrogen are indistinguishable. How you store it in the first step determines how it is transported in the next step. Due to policy requirements, our country currently does not allow direct hydrogen production in hydrogen refueling stations, so storage and transportation are a necessary step in the supply of hydrogen energy. , worthy of attention." He Guangli, assistant director of the New Energy Center of the Beijing Low-Carbon Clean Energy Research Institute, told reporters.

　　The reporter further learned that hydrogen storage and transportation are currently divided into three main methods: gas, liquid and solid. Due to different conditions such as density, equipment, volume, etc., the above methods also have their own advantages and disadvantages.

　　Taking the low-temperature liquid method as an example, Gong Ningfeng, general manager of Beijing Hailison Technology Co., Ltd., said that as a global research and development focus, liquid hydrogen has the characteristics of high density and small volume, which can simplify storage and transportation, especially for long-distance and large-scale applications. Transportation demand. "But at the same time, it is difficult to turn gaseous hydrogen into liquid state, and the required container equipment is very demanding. In addition, due to policy factors, there are currently no cases of civilian liquid hydrogen transportation in my country."

　　The gas storage and transportation method is currently the most commonly used in my country. To put it simply, hydrogen is compressed into a high-pressure container and then transported through long-tube trailers or pipelines. Gong Ningfeng said that on the basis of mature technology, gaseous methods also face new challenges such as lightweight, high pressure and stable quality.

　　Solid-state storage and transportation use metal oxides, nanomaterials, etc. as carriers. Although it has inherent advantages such as convenient operation, high safety and high hydrogen storage volume density, this method is still in the stage of small-scale application. "Any factor such as the carrier's volume expansion, heat transfer, gas flow, etc. may affect the storage and transportation effect." Gong Ningfeng said.

　　Different technical routes

　　But they all face economic constraints

　　Regarding different methods, there has been a lot of debate in the industry for a long time and there is no conclusion. However, many people still pointed out that no matter which method is used, reducing storage and transportation costs is a top priority. The restricting factors include storage and transportation technology, equipment level, application scale, transportation radius and other factors.

　　"In the future, there will be no major problems in terms of technology and safety. The biggest bottleneck affecting storage and transportation is economics." Mao Zongqiang, vice chairman of the International Hydrogen Energy Association and professor at Tsinghua University, said bluntly. For example, liquid hydrogen has its advantages and is much sought after, but it should also be noted that the cost of manufacturing liquid hydrogen is not low at present. "It saves money on transportation, but manufacturing liquid hydrogen costs a lot. Overall, the economics still need to be further improved."

　　Gong Ningfeng agreed. He said that countries such as Japan, the United States, and Germany have reduced the transportation cost of liquid hydrogen to about 1/8 of that of high-pressure hydrogen, and continue to expand the scope of application. "It is undeniable that low-temperature liquid hydrogen transportation is a general direction in the future. However, in my country, due to technology and equipment levels, the cost of liquid hydrogen conversion is relatively high, and it is unlikely to be promoted in the civilian field in the short term."

　　In addition to technology, He Guangli believes that scale is one of the keys to economics. "With continuous progress, problems at the technology, equipment and other levels will be gradually solved. But in order to truly reduce costs, fully understanding the concept of 'big hydrogen energy' is a prerequisite."

　　In his view, automotive use is only one aspect of the development of hydrogen energy. As a clean and efficient secondary energy source, hydrogen energy should have a wider application range. "The concept of 'big hydrogen energy' means that hydrogen will not only be supplied to fuel vehicles. On the contrary, only when the scale of application increases can the infrastructure be truly improved, thereby realizing the cost sharing and reduction of vehicle hydrogen energy storage and transportation. This is also Why is it difficult to truly reduce costs on all storage and transportation routes under current conditions?”

　　Gong Ningfeng believes that due to limited scale, the transportation radius of different technical routes also needs to be verified. "For example, high-pressure gas transportation is still economical within a radius of 100-200 kilometers. If it is further away, the transportation cost will increase geometrically, resulting in uneconomical. But what exactly this radius is needs to be verified through practice."

　　Adapt to different application scenarios

　　More “hidden” options for storage and transportation

　　What kind of method can achieve safe, efficient and economical hydrogen energy storage and transportation?

　　In He Guangli's view, existing storage and transportation technology and equipment are gradually maturing. The key is to find truly applicable methods and reduce costs on the basis of meeting standards. “Combining energy demand, hydrogen supply network, technology development and other factors, the future hydrogen supply model will not be limited to one type, but a comprehensive hydrogen supply network including different routes, and its efficiency will be evaluated from a full life cycle perspective. ."

　　The "White Paper on China's Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Industry (2019 Edition)" recently released by the China Hydrogen Energy Alliance also predicts that hydrogen energy storage and transportation will develop in the direction of "low pressure to high pressure" and "gaseous state to multi-phase state", thus gradually improving Ability to store and transport hydrogen. In the long term (2036-2050), high-density and high-safety hydrogen storage will become a reality, and a complete hydrogen energy pipeline network will be built. At the same time, solid and organic liquid storage and transportation standards and pipeline transmission and distribution standards will be introduced as supporting facilities.

　　“When it comes to hydrogen energy storage and transportation, people often compare it to natural gas storage and transportation. I think this is not necessarily reasonable.” He Guangli further reminded. As a primary energy source, natural gas is the “starting point” wherever it is discovered and transported. Hydrogen energy is a secondary energy source. It only has raw materials but no storage. It is precisely because of this that it brings more choices to storage and transportation. "Whether the raw materials are prepared and transported, or the raw materials are transported out and then manufactured, or they are made into some kind of intermediate and then transported out and manufactured. Three completely different methods will bring different results. Effect. But at present, the discussion is more about producing hydrogen first and then transporting it.”

Read recommendations:

9V USB 1.5V 1000mWh

What are the main functions of 18650 lithium batteries.CR1616 battery

401030 battery.Lithium ion batteries

602535 polymer battery company

li ion 18650 battery pack Factory