Power Plant Engineering

2.22.4 HYDROGEN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY (AS A FUEL)
You have learnt in chemistry that hydrogen is a combustible gas. When it burns it releases lots of
heat. Water vapour alone is produced. No poisonous gas is produced when hydrogen is burnt. Then is it
not a good fuel? Why then hydrogen is not used as a fuel in our daily life?
There is every chance for explosion when hydrogen is burnt.
Moreover, it is difficult to store hydrogen safely. Attempts are being made to burn hydrogen in
small measures so as to reduce the chance of accident. We can expect that, in future, hydrogen will
become a fuel which can be used by anybody. Hydrogen is being used even now as a fuel in rockets.
Hydrogen is a clean fuel and efficient energy medium for fuel cells and other devices. Hydrogen
can be produced from water, non-conventional energy sources and from other fuels. Hydrogen could be
Fig. 2.46

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NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY RESOURCES AND UTILISATION
105
used for a broad range of applications to supplement or substitute the consumption of hydrocarbon fuels
and fossil fuels in an environment friendly manner. The large-scale introduction of hydrogen as a fuel
would reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and keep the air clean and free from pollution. This Min-
istry is supporting research, development and demonstration projects on various aspects of hydrogen
energy including production, storage and utilization of hydrogen as fuel at various research, scientific
and educational institutions, laboratories, universities, and industries.
Hydrogen can be produced from non-conventional energy sources by various methods. Electro-
lytic, photolytic/photo biological, photo-electrolysis and thermos-chemical hydrogen production tech-
nologies are currently under development and use. The selection of production processes/technologies
will depend on the availability of resource, expertise, infrastructure and economical aspect. The re-
search group at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, carried out studies on semiconductor-septum
solar cells for pilot scale production of hydrogen by photo catalytic decomposition of water.
This Government has sanctioned a project Chettiar Research Centre (MCRC), Chennai, for the
production of hydrogen from organic effluents at a pre-commercial level and optimise various param-
eters for optimal hydrogen production. Photo bioreactors of 0.125 m and 1.25 m have been fabricated at
Nillikuppam. One more reactor of 12.5m capacity is being fabricated by MCRC. For hydrogen produc-
tion, 12 heterotopy bacteria and two phototropic bacteria were isolated from different sources. The
project seeks to demonstrate sustained biological hydrogen production at a pre-commercial level, study
and optimize various parameters and prepare documentation for commercial exploitation of the technol-
ogy for treatment of industrial biological effluents. The research group at BHU, Varanasi, is also devel-
oping a laboratory scale bio-hydrogen production plant for producting hydrogen form bagasse.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, (Chennai) is engaged in developing a hydro-
gen storage device based on indigenous Mischmetal-based alloys. A hydrogen storage device using
special SS tubes, filter and 100 g of AB alloy has been designed and developed and its working perform-
ance has been studied. Design aspects of a larger hydrogen storage device using special SS tubes, heat
exchanger and flow meter with alloys have been studied. Four Mischmetal-based AB and Ab alloys,
which have reasonable plateau pressure at room temperature, have been used in the hydrogen storage
device.
Another research group at IIT, Madras, Chennai has studied the design aspects of the novel metal
hydride reactors for environment-friendly energy conversion devices. A concept has been devised for
preliminary screening and selection of metal hydrides for specific energy conversion devices. Various
energy conversion systems with suitable metal hydrides such as Zr-based hydrides and carbon nanotubes
are being analyzed. Transient heat and mass transfer analyses are being done. Design aspect of the
reactor bed are also being studied.
It is proposed to demonstrate and field test 5 hydrogen fueled two-wheelers at BHU, Varanasi,
under the MNES-funded project. Each vehicle will require about 20–25 kg of hydrogen storage material
to cover a distance of up to 100 km. BHU has synthesized new composite materials for storing hydrogen
under this project. Procurement orders have already been placed for the purchase of material and equip-
ment including 5 motorcycles. IIT, Kharagpur, is to design and develop a compressor driven metal
hydride system for cooling and heating applications. The design optimisation of a working prototype of
1 kW space coolong system based on compressor driven metal hydride systems, using hydrogen as the
working fluid has been completed. Different components including compressors have also been se-
lected.
With MNES support for the development of low polluting hydrogen-diesel dual-fuel engine. IIT,
Delhi has successfully operated an engine (125 KVA) in the hydrogen-diesel dual fuel mode. Different

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POWER PLANT ENGINEERING
parameters have been studied including the engine performance and exhaust emission characteristics of
this system. MNES propose to initiate Technology Mission on Hydrogen Energy during the Tenth Plan.