Chemical engineers say hydrogen is ‘essential’ to the future energy mix at IChemE conference

Hydrogen is an inextricable component in decarbonising the world’s energy systems. But despite its varied uses case for power and heavy industries, it does not come without trade-offs in cost and technical readiness.

More than a hundred academic and industry leaders confronted the complexities of hydrogen at IChemE’s new Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Conference in Manchester.

Engineering professionals from the likes of ExxonMobil, Johnson Matthey, WSP and the UK government delivered around 40 presentations covering the investment needs of the hydrogen industry, current innovations in generation and transportation, and the policies and standards that must be implemented to secure a solid foundation for hydrogen demand to thrive.

Joan Cordiner, co-chair of the conference and president elect of IChemE, said: “There has been a lot of debate about hydrogen and where it fits in our world. I want to foster good discussions on the reality of this resource. As chemical engineers, the one thing we know we are good at is solving problems, so please ask questions, even if they seem stupid – those are the questions which push innovation.”

Building an industry

One of hydrogen’s major bottlenecks is in its applications, particularly in which areas of decarbonisation it could create the most value. With ambitions of domestic heating and chemical feedstock very much in trials around the world, and with much progress in Scandinavia with the NORHyWAY hydrogen valley, the most interest has been found with heavy industry.

Paul Henderson, who leads the UK government’s strategic approach to hydrogen, explained how there is "no one-size-fits-all” approach to the power source.

"The overarching principle we are working with is electrification first as the most low-cost solution for decarbonisation, and for everything after that, specifically in heavy industry, hydrogen is part of the solution.”

The UK's new Andy Burnham-led government, which is focused on bringing down energy costs for consumers, has yet to release a dedicated hydrogen strategy to follow up the 2021 report. However, Henderson says the government is very much working with industry to develop strong policies and resources around the understanding and implementation of hydrogen in the UK. He gave an update to the conference on the government's first Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR1), which has several projects that have now reached final investment decisions.

Government support is essential for industry to progress with hydrogen projects and innovation, as ambiguity around regulation and funding can hinder, and even cancel delivery. Earlier this year, Scottish Energy firm SSE decided to pause several ambitious hydrogen projects, including its blue hydrogenH2NorthEast project in Teesside, due to policy delays and a lack of project support in the UK.

Emma Guthrie, the CEO of the Hydrogen Energy Association, said: "As we go through decarbonisation, we do need to consider the role of molecules like hydrogen, as well as electrons."

She added: "Though the ball is starting to roll again now, industry does struggle when the government is inconsistent."

Cost-efficency

Cost was an unavoidable conversation at the conference. Hydrogen of all colours, including renewable-backed green hydrogen to natural-gas powered grey hydrogen, all come with their varying funding needs, as with developing new technologies, investment is needed for new equipment, modifications, pipelines, and transportation.

Another setback for investment comes with the safety of hydrogen. As hydrogen is a much smaller and lighter molecule compared to gas, there is a risk of it escaping when in storage or when moving through pipelines. This risk is a worry for investors, who must ultimately have to manage the risk and take a chance on the technology for demand to grow.

Elizaveta Kovaleva from Oxera Consulting LLP, discussed what private investors need when investing in hydrogen, and why many can be reluctant.

"Investors need a balance of risk and return. They need to know what cash flow they will get and the risk affecting it. And this includes volume risk, construction risk, regulatory and political risk, and operating risk."

She adds: "Investors need a balance of risk and return, and with where hydrogen is at the moment, there should be more focus on de-risking hydrogen to attract investors."

The role of chemical engineers

Despite this skepticism, chemical engineers have been working to build safe and efficient processes for handling hydrogen which are both financially feasible and scalable.

Gemma Simpson, the live trial operations manager for the LTS Futures project from gas distributor SGN, shared the lessons learned from the scheme, based in Grangemouth, and how it has built a "blueprint" for companies looking to safely and efficiently utilise existing gas pipelines for hydrogen transportation and generation.

Through rigorous pipeline and workforce testing and training, the plan showed that hydrogen could be transported safely, and has developed a set of parameters operators must take into account when it comes to modifications and selecting the most effective pipelines for hydrogen.

In parallel, Rob Crane, technology, scouting and venturing manager at ExxonMobil, and director of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), discussed Exxon's development of methane pyrolysis-produced hydrogen, and its scale opportunities.

For legacy oil and gas firms like ExxonMobil, methane pyrolysis is a competitive route to hydrogen production, as the company has decades of expertise in hydrocarbons, and they will know how to further process the byproduct of solid carbon. ExxonMobil has a sharp scaleup plan for methane pyrolysis hydrogen, already running a pilot plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany, with BASF, which produces around 10 t/y of hydrogen and 30 t/y of carbon.

Hydrogen need

With various cases made for different types of hydrogen production and its circulation, all attendees agreed that it was needed for global decarbonisation.

Ollie Folayan, president of the IChemE, said that the hydrogen industry could not grow without the expertise of chemical engineers, who know the industry better than other experts as it is based in learned principles and systems thinking.

"The last 6 years working in the hydrogen sector have been the most enjoyable of my career as I have worked on projects which I never have experienced before, but I know exactly how to do. With hydrogen, you are working with old technologies and applying them to new situations."