Hydrogen is happening in Canada. The Hydrogen Strategy for Canada was released in 2020 and regional and provincial strategies are following behind. The challenge is not in the ambition, but in the implementation and the timeline. How do we get from hydrogen on the horizon to hydrogen in our homes, businesses, and transport system? Some other countries have more defined policy and are further along with strategies to support their emerging hydrogen economies including demand, supply, and technology development. How can we use the conclusions drawn, lessons learned, and strategies developed in other parts of the world to help our emerging hydrogen economy? And how do we need to do things differently? Two case studies will be presented: 1. Integrated Report on the Role of Hydrogen in Norway DNV mapped the role that it is realistic to assume that hydrogen can play in Norway as part of a transition to a low carbon future towards 2030, and to provide an objective, neutral and up- to-date description of the market and technology status for hydrogen including limitations for hydrogen as a low and zero emission energy carrier in Norway from a value chain perspective. A National Plan for 2. Decarbonizing Gas Networks in Australia DNV supported Energy Networks Australia’s (ENA) demonstration on how it will enable the blending of renewable and decarbonised gases into its networks by 2030, and de-risk conversion of the networks to 100% renewable and decarbonized gas by 2050.

There is an important potential in Canada to develop a diverse and reliable clean energy economy, based on a variety of low carbon systems. Although hydrogen will be an expensive fuel, there are several high value applications of hydrogen that will be needed over the coming decades, complementing most types of renewable energy, storage and efficient natural gas systems for industries and cities. A major part of this clean portfolio will include innovative hybrid and flexible industrial gas turbine systems. These have already provided a diverse range of solutions, using a combination of fuels and high pressure airflow, that provide reliable power and efficient thermal energy. High value applications of hydrogen-based fuels and gas turbine energy applications will involve systems that demonstrate a low carbon footprint, flexible integration with renewable energy and storage, reliability and resilience, as well as energy efficiency. Peak and standby power generation, industrial processes and cogeneration, commercial district energy, advanced cycles, and integration with public transit are some of those opportunities. New public policy, regulatory initiatives, safety standards and workforce capacity will be important considerations in developing a comprehensive set of solutions. This paper and presentation will summarize previous applications of gas turbine energy systems, and highlight new approaches to take advantage of hydrogen-based energy opportunities, including; - examples of industrial gas turbine systems in Canadian power, cogeneration and pipeline applications in Western Canada - review of international research and testing for hydrogen combustion in new gas turbine systems - the potential for resilient H2 energy to deal with extreme conditions, with low GHG and air pollutant solutions, integrated with complementary systems (renewables, storage, fuel cells, etc) - public policy, business and regulatory considerations to advance these objectives - developing ISO standards for industrial hydrogen systems - examples of industry outreach and training opportunities.

The drive for energy transition is currently underway, with many projects looking to convert or develop new facilities for integration into existing infrastructure. Canada is proceeding to develop the regulatory framework to support this transition. CSA Z662 has proposed a different approach to ASME B31.12. CSA Z662 is expected, based on details presented in the recent public review, to provide an open ended assessment process to complete any repurposing whereas ASME B31.12 provides prescriptive approaches that can be used to confirm system suitability. This paper presents a roadmap to repurposing and the potential blockers with respect to current code compliance based on inhouse study of international code requirements and recent repurposing study work with particular focus on North American requirements. Case studies will be presented looking at the different approaches and how the requirements can be achieved for conversions of NG to H2. Other options for the conversion, such as reduction in Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure (MAOP) as per ASME B31.12 will also be explored. Based on rudimental calculations, comparing both energy NG and H2 carriers, repurposed pipelines can be capable of achieving circa 70-80% of the energy flow rate if MAOP can be maintained, or 50-60% if the MAOP is de-rated. If other operational restrictions are considered, such as flow velocity it can potentially have additional knock-on effect on the achievable flowrate and consequently to energy ratio.

Almost every country worldwide is talking about electrification, and markets in Europe are quickly taking to powering a variety of vehicles with hydrogen fuel cell technology. The increase in demand not only means the industry must ramp its efforts to scale supply, but it also paves the way for added incentives bringing welcome investment, infrastructure and technology development. Ultimately, this benefits consumers who will begin to see improved accessibility and affordability of hydrogen and fuel cell technology. Loop Energy President & CEO, Ben Nyland will explore how Loop Energy views this growth in demand and why this is an opportunity to produce better performing and cost-effective hydrogen fuel cells for commercial vehicles.

Objectives/Scope: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the greenhouse gas mitigation potential in scenarios where conventional vehicles transition to low carbon vehicles (battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell). Factors such as refuelling infrastructure and vehicle and energy costs of low carbon vehicles play an important role and can impact the time required for this transition. Methods, Procedures, Process: The passenger and freight road transportation sector of Alberta was modelled using a bottom-up approach in Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP). A system-wide analysis to include the upstream emissions associated with the supply chains of fuels was done. Adoption of low carbon technology vehicles including battery electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles was considered based on capital costs, operating and maintenance costs, carbon price and other macro-economic factors. The cost of ownership and market share for all categories of the road transportation sector has been projected up to 2050. Several scenarios were analyzed to explore the extent of the adoption of low-carbon technology vehicles resulting from varying the carbon price. The system-wide greenhouse gas emissions and GHG intensity for each scenario were calculated and compared. Results, Observations, Conclusions: The results show that battery electric vehicles will have the highest share in the fleet by 2050. The higher costs of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles will slacken its share as compared to battery electric vehicles in all the categories of the road transportation sector. The emission factor for battery electric vehicles is initially higher than hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles but becomes the lowest by 2030 in $50/tonne and by 2040 in $170/tonne and $350/tonne carbon price scenarios. Emission factor for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are comparably higher with being lowest in case where hydrogen is produced using auto-thermal reforming. These are found to be comparable with battery electric vehicles emission factor. The potential for minimizing greenhouse gas emissions was found to be 16.5% and 12.5% for passenger and freight sectors. The maximum potential was calculated with high sensitivity to cost scenarios where the potential was found to be 41.9% and 36.5% for passenger and freight sectors. Novel/Additive Information: To the best of our knowledge, it is the first study that considers hydrogen production by auto-thermal reforming with carbon capture in a long-term greenhouse gas emissions analysis. We analysed the potential of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for all the categories of the road transportation sector and calculated the sector-wide greenhouse gas emissions. The results indicates the potential of these vehicles and provide insights for policymakers to transition to low-carbon technology vehicles.

Novel Steam Non-Methane Reformation of ethane, NGLs, and ethanol feedstock for the production of low-cost, low-carbon intensity hydrogen. Modular systems for reforming midstream ethane/NGLs and ethanol at regional process plants allow for production flexibility for transportation H2, direct H2 pipeline injection, and H2 gas to power applications. Known technologies like amine systems, PSAs, and SNG reactors are leveraged with patented and digitally controlled heavy hydrocarbon reformers (HHRs) to produce low-cost hydrogen from abundant low-cost feedstocks in a distributed H2 production format.

The urgency of reaching net-zero emissions has never been greater. As Canada transitions towards a clean energy future, hydrogen can be safely blended into the natural gas supply to help reduce overall GHG emissions. Pipelines are now looking to blend 5-20% of Hydrogen into natural gas systems. Hydrogen presents several challenges when it comes to instrumentation and measurement. Instrument devices like pressure transmitters and flow meters need unique material considerations, different analytical techniques are required to provide accurate purity measurements, and different BTU analysis techniques are required for hydrogen and natural gas blends. These challenges manifest differently at various stages of production of hydrogen and its various downstream uses. Quantification and measurement of Hydrogen during production is paramount. Depending on the production method the measurement of Hydrogen requires the ability to deal with wet, and sometimes hot gases. Hydrogen that is purified and sold to market requires may require quantification of trace impurities, such as ensuring it meets purity requirements for fuel cell use. Standard metering technologies in natural gas systems need to change to accommodate the introduction of Hydrogen. Accurate control of the blending process is required to provide the precision necessary for custody transfer. This presentation will cover a number of new measurement solutions across a variety of Hydrogen applications.

It is established now that hydrogen can play a significant role in progressing the world to net-zero objectives. It is no longer a question of why hydrogen, but more around how and when hydrogen. Participants across the energy value chain see new opportunities but also barriers for investment in hydrogen economy. It is natural to look towards governments to develop policies that de-risk these investments. But it is not just the role of the policymakers. The participants across the value chain have ‘skin in the game’ and hence a role to de-risk.

Investors exploring hydrogen investments are interested in factors such as – technology maturity; project complexity; facilitating policies; offtake arrangements and market attractiveness. This presentation will provide an overview of the key risks/barriers holding back the much-needed investments. First, the expected interventions of the governments. Then, look at how key participants like – technology providers, operators, industrial users and investors can mitigate the investment risks.

The policy interventions could be in various forms, including - carbon price; programs for hydrogen infrastructure; private & public sector collaboration on R&D; and sector specific programs. In the near-term, all forms of low carbon hydrogen production options need to be included in the policies.

Participants across the value chain, can contribute to mitigating the investment risks.

• Economic and technical regulators can enable regulations for infrastructure investment for transportation.
• Technology provider can improve performance through R&D investments
• Project developer/operator can assume development/operating risk through an operating model integrating upstream, midstream and downstream processes.
• Financial institutions can design innovative financial instruments
• Industrial off-takers can decarbonize their operations through long term contracts.
• Participants can share the risk through minority stake and/or co-investment

The investment attractiveness and de-risking approaches will vary by the regional emission reduction objectives, by the complexity of the project and by the segment of the value chain under consideration. Investment progress could be very different – investments could flow first to projects aimed at replacing current ‘fossil fuel’ based hydrogen; followed by industrial off-takers substituting fuels with hydrogen; and then could be to storage and transportation infrastructure. There will be some challenges encountered along the way, but the sector needs to monitor, evaluate and adapt.

Net zero targets will only take to a certain point of progress. Decisive actions are required by all stakeholders involved to de-risk investments and grow the hydrogen economy, with policymakers in the lead.

Hycamite TCD Technologies (Thermo-Catalytic-Decomposition) produces clean hydrogen (H₂) and value-added, solid carbon by splitting methane (CH₄), the main component of natural gas and biogas. Our innovation is within the catalyst design which enables our reactor to split methane with less energy and zero CO2 emissions. Based on this approach of low energy in, value-added carbon output, we can provide hydrogen at an affordable price for industrial purposes. Hycamite’s TCD Process is scalable and robust, so production meets a range of demanding industrial requirements. The catalyst design is our core innovation and Intellectual Property (IP). The technology is based on long-term, applied chemistry research from the University of Oulu. It is environmentally friendly in that the catalyst is recycled sustainably. This technology enables companies to switch fuels to hydrogen and take advantage of existing natural gas distribution networks that are already in place. It also enables companies to make the switch without the gridlock of insufficient clean, affordable hydrogen on the market. Hydrogen can be used as feedstock for the chemical industry, climate-neutral fuel production, or as an emission-free fuel to balance fluctuations in the electricity generated by wind and solar power. The two products ? hydrogen and solid, value-added carbon ?" benefit from each other in terms of lower costs. A range of carbon products is ideal for battery manufacturing, new materials and other industrial uses. These industries are critical for the future of North America and Europe. Carbon products are now imported from Asia ?" we produce them locally, and we produce them cleanly and sustainably. These value-added carbon products include carbon nanotubes (CNT), carbon nanofibers (CNF) and graphite amongst others. Our business model is based on the direct sales of our main end products; value-added carbon and clean, turquoise hydrogen. The TCD facilities can easily and scalably be located close to the hydrogen customers to avoid unnecessary investments into infrastructure. Long-term supply agreements will give security to asset investors financing the plants. The sale of carbon, combined with carbon emissions trading will further enhance the financial viability. The TCD facilities will operate under Hycamite supervision to ensure operational efficiency and optimization. This way the business model can be truly scalable to enable quick internationalization and take advantage of economies of scale. On-site production ensures the reliability of delivery. The privately-held company Hycamite is preparing to begin construction of an industrial pilot plant in the Kokkola Industrial Park (KIP) in Finland next year.

I propose to discuss how a deeply decarbonized power market will differ from the system we have today and the potential role of blue and green hydrogen in such a system. Much of my presentation will be based on research from the Roosevelt Project, an effort within the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology “to provide an analytical basis for charting a path to a low carbon economy in a way that promotes high quality job growth, minimizes worker and community dislocation, and harnesses the benefits of energy technologies for regional economic development.” To be clear, I am making my own argument on the role of hydrogen and using the research materials to support my case. Providing reliability to a deeply decarbonized power system is difficult and costly, but the cost of unreliability is far greater, as witnessed in Texas with the natural gas well freeze offs of early 2021. I will share some work that shows how the loss of reliable base load generation affected the system and the implications for future markets. Hydrogen is not the only alternative. Natural gas, small nuclear and electricity storage can also provide reliability to power markets. I will share recent research on these sources and how they compare with blue and green hydrogen.

Scope: HTEC has been developing and operating a network of stations since June 2018 in the Metro Vancouver region, in partnership with vehicle manufacturers, retail stations owners, provincial and federal government agencies. During this time, HTEC has learned much about the integration of equipment and dispensers into existing stations, fuel supply and delivery approaches, and station operation. HTEC proposes to provide a snapshot of the current network, delivery approaches and the associated advantages and disadvantages. Challenges in the field will also be presented. Methods, procedures, process: HTEC will provide insights into what it takes to be operating Canada’s First Hydrogen Fueling Station Network. The presentation will demonstrate how HTEC works with its partners and suppliers to provide fueling solutions that take into considerations consumer experience, site constraints and fuel delivery options. HTEC monitors key performance indicators that are used to adjust operating procedures and guide equipment selection. The company also had to learn to operate in particularly hot, cold and wet operating environments throughout 2021, allowing for further understanding and adaptation. For fuel supply and distribution, HTEC evaluated and experimented with different approaches ?" each of which hold advantages and disadvantages. These learnings and consequent solutions will be discussed in HTEC’s presentation. Finally, operating and growing this network comes with several challenges such as extreme weather, predicting growing customer usage, educating customers about new fueling nozzles and different interfaces, to name a few. The presentation will delve on the various solutions adopted by HTEC ranging from installation to maintenance to storage resolutions to reviewing interfaces. Results, observations, conclusions: While building hydrogen capacity and growing the fueling station network is not devoid of challenges, HTEC has carefully assessed and formulated various solutions to address these. HTEC’s presentation will provide insights into how we are effectively supporting a sustainable transportation future. Novel/additive information: The presentation will showcase how HTEC is the ‘glue’ of the clean hydrogen value chain, integrating technologies, systems, people, and partnerships, for hydrogen’s role in our zero-emission future. Using on-ground experience and learnings, HTEC will discuss novel approaches and solutions that can help the industry collectively grow and compete on a global scale.

ALBERTAH2 CORPORATION (AH2) has developed a patent-pending system for generating hydrogen (H2) that does not require high purity water for operation. The process was designed to enhance and supplement existing oil and gas assets in Western Canada and will be of primary interest to producers interested in reducing their carbon emission intensity (CI). The key component of this modular system is the Produced Water Electrolyzer (PWE), which employs a unique two-step method to avoid the issues associated with oxygen (O2) generation at the anode of other electrolyzers. The PWE employs a simple, bipolar design for H2 generation in the electrolyser cell, followed by a downstream reactor for O2 generation. Resistance to the effects of both sour and hard water components have been addressed by this unique two step design. Appropriately configured, component change-out is readily and efficiently carried out on-line. Target hydrogen costs are expected to fall between those of Blue and (currently) Conventional Green Hydrogen. This technology will act as a “battery” for solar and wind installations and, as such, there has been strong support for this technology from renewable energy developers for both stand-alone and grid-based installations.

As one of the world’s leading industrial gases and engineering companies, Linde covers the full spectrum of the hydrogen value chain and has many decades of expertise in producing, processing, storing, and distributing hydrogen. Hydrogen has been one of Linde’s fastest growing molecules for the past 10 years. Today Linde generates approximately US$ 2.2 billion per year of global revenue through hydrogen. Linde has a long history as a leading industrial gas supplier in Canada and we are uniquely positioned to leverage our local capabilities and our global expertise to help customers and industry stakeholders navigate through the complexities of the transition to a zero-carbon economy. One important problem to address is developing the infrastructure required to make hydrogen widely available. A dedicated H2 pipeline network would be ideal for broad distribution ? similar to the way that natural gas is distributed across networks of pipelines today. But the costs are prohibitive to build a network of H2 pipelines from scratch. One near term solution is to inject and co-mingle H2 into existing natural gas pipeline networks. There are projects already underway in Canada and elsewhere around the world to demonstrate the technical viability for hydrogen to displace natural gas displacement up to 20% or 30%. But there are some customers ?" for example in mobility ?" that will require very high purity hydrogen for use in their applications. This presentation will describe the unique combination of membrane and pressure swing adsorption technologies Linde has developed to capture low concentrations of hydrogen in natural gas pipelines and efficiently make a hydrogen product at 90% or even >99.99% purity at the point of consumption. Linde has started up the world’s first full-scale pilot plant in Dormagen to showcase this technology. This effort, complemented by the build-out of new hydrogen distribution infrastructure over time, could provide an innovative answer to the need for broad, high-volume pipeline distribution for users requiring a wide range of H2 quality for their applications.

Green hydrogen is one of the technologies with highest expectations to support clean power generation in the path to net zero. To scale this technology to the level needed for the desired impact, green hydrogen needs to grow at a rapid pace. Elements such as production cost, technology maturity, reliability, and others make green hydrogen more expensive than its blue or gray counterparts. One of the key elements for the green hydrogen economy is electrolyzer technology. Many questions are posed regarding manufacturers, types of electrolyzers, efficiencies, reliability, risk, and maturity. DNV conducted a review of 20 of the top electrolyzer manufacturers worldwide to assess and compare currently available electrolyzer technologies and models. To establish a common ground for comparison, an analysis was done to identify the common characteristics of commercially available, and select pre-commercial, electrolyzer models. Information collected included power rating, minimum load, stack and system power consumption, production capacity, and water usage. Of the models reviewed, Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzers are slightly more common than alkaline electrolyzers. Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) and Solid Oxide electrolyzers are rare and are still in the pre-commercial stage for a couple of manufacturers. Both PEM and alkaline electrolyzer models are commercially available up to the 20 MW range, which can then be combined to form large projects in the 100+ MW range. Pressurized alkaline electrolyzers have become more common in the market and operating pressures are now converging on those of the PEM electrolyzers reviewed. The stack power consumption of models available in the market is generally equivalent between PEM and alkaline at approximately 50 kWh/kg; however, the system power consumption varies, especially for electrolyzers with smaller capacity/lower power rating where it tends to be much higher in comparison to the stack power consumption than for larger capacity electrolyzers. DNV proposes to present the results of the review conducted to provide an overview of the current state of the electrolyzer market and electrolyzer models available, including the variations in power consumption, operating pressure, production capacity, minimum load, and water usage by technology type.

Objectives/Scope: Interest in hydrogen as an energy carrier is growing as countries look to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in hard-to-abate sectors. Current research into hydrogen has focused on production and well-to-wheel analysis of fuel cell vehicles. Research on Hydrogen transportation has either focused on vehicle refueling stations, or approximate hydrogen as natural gas to estimate pipeline emissions. In this work. Hydrogen transportation emissions and costs are relevant to natural gas rich regions who are looking to export hydrogen. This work performs an Alberta based techno-economic analysis on long-distance high-capacity hydrogen transportation systems. In this work, we assess and compare the unit costs and emission footprints (direct and indirect) of 32 systems for hydrogen transportation. Pathways include pure hydrogen, hythane (natural gas hydrogen blend), ammonia, and liquid organic hydrogen carrier. Pipeline, truck, and rail systems are assessed for the relevant fluids. Methods, Procedures, Process: Process-based models were used to examine the transportation of pure hydrogen (hydrogen pipeline and truck transport of gaseous and liquified hydrogen), hydrogen-natural gas blends (pipeline), ammonia (pipeline), and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (pipeline and rail). Alberta specific inputs are used as a case study, but the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis examine a range of input values that are relevant to other areas. Analysis was performed for distances between 1,000 to 3,000 km and a capacity of 607 tH2/d. Models previously developed for crude oil and natural gas pipelines are adapted for the various fluids assessed. Our results are used to create correlations for costs and emissions as a function of distance so that others can use this work for their specific scenarios. Results, Observations, Conclusions: At 1,000 km, the pure hydrogen pipelines are the best option with a levelized cost of $0.66/kg H2 and a GHG footprint of 595 gCO2eq/kg H2. At 1,000 km, ammonia, liquid organic hydrogen carrier, and truck transport scenarios were more than twice as expensive as pure hydrogen pipeline and hythane, and more than 1.5 times as expensive at 3,000 km. The GHG emission footprints of pure hydrogen pipeline transport and ammonia transport are comparable, whereas all other transport systems are more than twice as high. These results may be informative for governments agencies, internationally, developing policy around clean hydrogen. Novel/Additive Information: This work uses process modeling to get a detailed breakdown of costs and emissions for multiple transportation pathways rather than using high level estimates. Our work was able to ensure all pathways are modeled using the same regional data and model boundaries for a consistent comparison.

Canada has been a world leader in alkaline and PEM electrolyser technologies for low volume hydrogen production over several decades. With the advancements in high-volume manufacturing capacity and decreasing cost of electrical power from renewable sources, these technologies are experiencing renewed interest for large scale hydrogen production. In parallel, globally, other advanced technologies requiring significantly lower power consumption due to thermodynamic benefits of high temperature operation have been under development. Luckily, Canada has been in the forefront in some of these developments as well ? namely the moderate temperature Copper-Chlorine (Cu-Cl) hybrid thermochemical cycle (~530°C maximum temperature requirement) and the High Temperature Steam Electrolysis (HTSE), operated at about 750°C. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories in Ontario has built and operated successfully a laboratory-scale Cu-Cl unit. Versa Power in Alberta is a leading manufacturer of HTSE systems. At the current status of technological development of the HTSE technology, it can be conveniently integrated with concentrated solar power (CSP) and/or nuclear energy because of the availability of thermal as well as electrical energy from these sources. Use of hydrogen produced from HTSE using a clean source of power, instead of hydrogen from a Steam Methane Reformer, provides an opportunity to reduce the carbon intensity of many processes, including synthetic fuel production, towards meeting Governments’ Net Zero Emission target. An application of HTSE technology is proposed for a Feasibility and Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study for the production of synthetic fuels from biomass in collaboration with Expander. In this proposal, not only the hydrogen, but also the oxygen is made effective use to render the whole process economical with significantly reduced carbon intensity, for synthetic diesel production as drop-in fuel for heavy duty transport sector. The concept is amenable for a wide range of scale of production of synthetic diesel depending on the availability of biomass and the type of energy source. Also a modular concept for the integration of the different technologies will be employed so that the plant can be part of a hub with hydrogen production as the main binding technology. A derivative of the HTSE technology, namely High Temperature CO2 co-Electrolysis (HTCE) is advancing rapidly around the world to capture and utilize CO2 in emissions from various sources to produce syngas. The H2 to CO ratio in the syngas can be easily tailored to the requirements of the downstream processes yielding synthetic fuels or a range of chemicals. Discussion will include the current capabilities at CNL and Canada to enable Net-Zero demonstration opportunities for Canada.

Hydrogen has a high rate of permeation through metallic materials relative to other common fuels, presenting a unique challenge that differentiates hydrogen service from conventional hydrocarbons. Accounting for hydrogen permeation has important implications for safe and efficient design and operation of hydrogen service infrastructure. Permeation is the process by which a fluid or gas passes through a solid, such as the slow leak of air through the wall of a balloon. The relative ease of permeation is known as “permeability.” The permeability of a gas into a metallic material is related to the diffusivity of the gas molecules and the solubility of these molecules in the metallic material. The physical process is often described using a combination of Fick’s First Law of Diffusion and Sievert’s Law of Solubility. However, these fundamental physical laws are commonly implemented with assumptions, such as ideal gas behaviour or diffusion through the metal is the rate-limiting step. It is essential to understand these assumptions and their limitations to ensure that the governing equations are only used where applicable. The influence of temperature and pressure should also be accounted for when evaluating hydrogen permeability. The effect of temperature on hydrogen permeation is often approximated by the Arrhenius equation ? a formulation commonly used to describe the exponential relation between the rate of a physical or chemical process, the process temperature, and a process activation energy. Pressure effects, sometimes resulting in non-ideal gas behaviour, can be primarily accounted for using the Abel-Nobel equation of state. The effect of material properties on hydrogen permeation is another important consideration. Hydrogen permeability in various metals may be quantitatively compared at any given design temperature and pressure to inform material selection. Types of steel, such as carbon steels, micro-alloyed steels, and stainless steels, are particularly important for most applications. Furthermore, the microstructural phases in a steel, such as austenite and martensite, influence hydrogen permeation and may be controlled to produce steels with different levels of hydrogen permeability. Practical design and operation considerations related to hydrogen permeation should also include an evaluation of safety, potential loss of product, and possible material embrittlement. Mitigation techniques, such as the use of low-permeability liners or coatings, may be considered. This presentation will provide an overview of these permeation-related considerations and a practical design example related to hydrogen service with quantitative results to illustrate how this knowledge may be applied.

Increasing Canada’s supply of net-zero hydrogen is critical to meeting both Federal and provincial emission goals. IEPS Canada Ltd. is developing a net-zero hydrogen and oxygen production facility in southern Alberta, with the first phase of the facility expected to be on-line in early 2024. As the market for net-zero hydrogen and oxygen grows IEPS will increase the production capacity in stages and by 2030 the facility will reach its expected full capacity of 50,000 tonnes of hydrogen and 400,000 tonnes of oxygen per year. The facility will use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen is a basic feedstock used in the production of ammonia, petroleum upgrading, and other important basic chemicals used for everything from pharmaceuticals to plastics and may become an important transportation fuel. Oxygen is used in production of chemicals like ethylene oxide and hydrogen peroxide, in sewage and water treating processes and medical treatments. Alberta currently produces 2.4 million tonnes of “grey” hydrogen for industrial purposes and IEPS sees the combination of net-zero hydrogen and oxygen as the basis for a viable new industry in Alberta This paper will explore the issues that will need to be addressed for IEPS to deliver secure, economic net-zero hydrogen and oxygen to market. To date IEPS has secured a license for the water required to reach full capacity and engaged Black and Veatch Canada as its EPC contractor and Siemens Energy Canada as its primary equipment supplier.

The stringent and continuously increasing CO2 emission legislation requests zero-emission powertrains for mobility applications and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) represent a promising solution to achieve these targets. Addressing the technological advantages of fuel cell powertrains necessitates customized solutions for a specific application to achieve lowest fuel consumption and costs. In this work, different hydrogen fuel cell powertrain concepts for mobility applications consisting of a fuel cell system, hydrogen storage system and traction battery are analysed and compared, using a holistic development methodology. The techno-economic key attributes of the powertrain are determined based on system requirements for FC-range-extender, FC-mid-size and FC-dominant topologies, covering the entire range of fuel cell powertrain concepts and identifying the respective advantages and disadvantages. The methodical approach consists of two parts: (1) A comprehensive powertrain simulation model to estimate power, efficiency and range. As simulation input, representative drive cycles based on usage profiles are evaluated to estimate vehicle performance and hydrogen fuel consumption, defining the optimum configuration between fuel cell system, hydrogen storage system and battery size. (2) For the assessment of mass, volume and costs, a virtual generic powertrain model with products off-the-shelf is used. The cost estimation for fuel cell powertrains is based on a calculated bottom-up approach for future market sales figures and validated by several estimates found in literature. The results are based on two vehicle classes, namely all-terrain-vehicles (ATVs) and heavy-duty trucks and evaluate the powertrain concepts with regard to volume, mass and costs by a break-even-point-analysis. With respect to ATVs the results show that the BEV is sufficient for short distances and represents the cheapest option for short ranges below the average usage profile. Whereas the FCEV features the most cost-efficient technology at higher ranges, close to or above typically usage profiles for this application. Thus, the higher the range the higher the cost advantage of FCEV compared to BEV. In terms of total system volume, which is important for system integration to the vehicle body, the powertrain of the BEV needs less space compared to FCEV. In contrary, the FCEV concepts are characterized by a lower total powertrain weight. For heavy duty-trucks, powertrain weight and total costs (manufacture and operation) are decisive and are strongly dependent on the usage profile. The results show that the operation of hydrogen powered trucks will be price competitive compared to the battery-electric technology. Moreover, the efficiency advantage of the purely battery-electric powertrain comes at the cost of system weight, which is crucial for the additional payload of goods. It is also evident, that a higher market penetration is beneficial for FCEVs and leads to further reduction of manufacturing costs (fuel cell and hydrogen storage) due to economies of scale.

Modern society is built on a foundation of petroleum & petrochemical products. From transportation fuels to toothbrushes, cell phones to cosmetics, molecules derived from hydrocarbons are ubiquitous, and often invisible to the consumer. The dominant paradigm for producing most of these products are high temperature processes that depend on fossil fuel combustion, a reality that stands at odds with the threat of climate change. In its 6th assessment report, the IPCC stated that human activity has been the driver behind observed global warming effects over the past 150 years. Broad alignment with this assertion has motivated decarbonization efforts focused on electrification of power and mobility but with few solutions provided for “hard-to-abate” sectors reliant on inexpensive petrochemicals as fuels / feedstocks. These sectors support nearly 30% of GHG emissions1 with 5.8% of global CO2eq emissions directly attributed to refining & petrochemical processes2; for assets responsible for trillions in global GDP, decarbonization is proving to be difficult and expensive. While there is some momentum to decarbonize the feedstocks for chemical processes (recycled materials and bio-based inputs), replacing the combustion fuels is proving to be more difficult. Industrial electric heating technology is costly, and not mature enough to provide sufficient temperatures to power production at scale. Simply put, it is cheaper to combust fossil fuels for heat instead of relying on electricity. To successfully electrify chemical manufacturing, a completely novel solution is required. Houston-based Syzygy Plasmonics, is developing an alternate solution centered around cutting-edge photocatalytic technology with reactors powered by light instead of heat. Together, these technologies enable low-cost reactions under milder operating conditions compared to traditional thermal catalysis resulting in opex and capex savings. Syzygy’s photocatalytic steam methane reforming (P-SMR) process, for example, eliminates combustion emissions and lowers the electricity required to make hydrogen, resulting in a viable low-carbon and cost-effective production technology today. Along with high conversion and energy efficiencies, Syzygy’s P-SMR reactor also produces an ultra-concentrated stream of CO2, allowing for easy utilization or capture. Syzygy’s platform technology can be applied in the same way and achieve similar advantages for other foundational chemical reactions; such broad adoption will enable an orderly and smooth energy transition. As the need for immediate action to ward of the worst effects of climate change grows, Syzygy’s novel photocatalytic platform stands ready to scale and be deployed globally to start reducing emissions and prevent gigatons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.