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https://www.motorship.com/news101/alternative-fuels/supply-chain-dynamics-in-optimal-choice-of-hydrogen-carrier

Toggle search input Toggle navigationSUPPLY CHAIN DYNAMICS IN OPTIMAL CHOICE OF HYDROGEN CARRIERPreviousNext1234INDUSTRY DATABASEABSThere’s no clear winner when examining the most cost-effective chemistry for shipping hydrogen long distances, and a growing number of studies are indicating business goals are as important as any advantages offered by the specific chemistries of the carriers.Several options are being evaluated for long distance transport including compressed hydrogen (C-H2), liquid hydrogen (L-H2), ammonia (NH3) and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs).LOHCs store hydrogen in molecules via covalent bonds. They differ from carriers such as ammonia and methanol in that their sole purpose is to transport hydrogen, and the dehydrogenated carrier is usually liquid.Their primary advantage is that little boil-off occurs, so hydrogen losses during transport are small. After transportation, the hydrogen is released via an endothermic reaction, and the LOHC is returned to the point of production. Ideally, LOHCs are non-toxic and have similar properties to crude oil-based liquids such as diesel and gasoline so they can potentially use existing ship and terminal infrastructure with little modification.No one carrier has emerged as the best choice, partly because the different model parameters and assumptions set by the various studies makes direct comparisons difficult and partly because of the uniqueness of potential supply chains they have targeted.Grand ambitionsSaudi Arabia aims to be the world’s largest hydrogen supplier. The nation’s large natural gas reserves enable it to produce blue hydrogen via natural gas reforming, with the CO2 byproduct captured.Last year, Aramco demonstrated the production and shipment of blue ammonia from Saudi Arabia to Japan. Explaining the focus on ammonia, a spokesperson for Aramco said: “Ammonia is one of the leading hydrogen carrier candidates. It is a widely and internationally traded commodity. The production and global distribution networks are in place. In addition, SABIC - in which Aramco owns a majority stake - is one of the major producers and suppliers in the global ammonia market. Due to these reasons, ammonia is the hydrogen carrier of choice for Aramco.”The Japan demonstration spanned the full value chain including the conversion of hydrocarbons to hydrogen and then ammonia, the capture of associated CO2 emissions and the shipment of the blue ammonia to Japan for use in power plants. 30 tons of CO2 was captured during the process and designated for use in methanol production at SABIC’s Ibn-Sina facility, and another 20 tons was used for enhanced oil recovery at Aramco’s Uthmaniyah field.Saudi Arabia has already signed hydrogen-related MoUs with the UK, Germany and South Korea, and the world’s first large scale green hydrogen plant is currently under construction in the new clean-energy-powered megacity of NEOM on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast.C-H2 simplicityAustralia has also announced plans to be a world leader in the supply of hydrogen, and the nation is partnering green exports with green industry at home.A study undertaken by Australian-based Global Energy Ventures (GEV) evaluated exporting green hydrogen volumes of 50,000; 200,000; and 400,000 tonnes per annum, to market distances of 2,000; 4,000; and 6,000 nautical miles. Production of these volumes would require very large-scale renewable energy generation, such as the Asian Renewable Energy Hub located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, one of the world’s top 10 renewable energy projects. Here, solar and wind power will be used to generate cheap clean energy that will enable new and expanded mines, downstream mineral processing and large-scale production of green hydrogen products for domestic and export markets.GEV’s scoping study highlighted that compression is an integral component in the design and engineering of C-H2, L-H2 and NH3 supply chains, with L-H2 and NH3 also compressing the gaseous hydrogen prior to their respective transport processes. The company has determined that its compressed hydrogen supply chain will be competitive at distances up to 4,500 nautical miles and very competitive for distances of up to 2,000 nautical miles. GEV has therefore resolved to focus on export projects located in the mid-west of Western Australia (Geraldton) across to Queensland (Brisbane) with target markets being Singapore, Japan and South Korea.GEV’s analysis assumed a stable and continuous base load supply of green hydrogen for export. This was viewed as challenging in reality, given both solar and wind have variable and volatile daily generation profiles. C-H2 was seen as the solution, as it had the ability to “load follow” such profiles, whereas L-H2 and NH3 could not. Additionally, says GEV, the development of a C-H2 supply chain benefits from being a simple and energy efficient process along with having minimal technical barriers for commercialisation in the next five years.Like Aramco, another critical benefit of the chosen carrier for GEV is its synergies with the company’s existing business, with the application and equipment required for compression in the C-H2 supply chain the same as its CNG Optimum supply chain for natural gas. The one exception is its new C-H2 ship design. However, this potential barrier has now been removed, because ABS granted approval for the ship’s cargo containment system in March this year based on a cargo capacity of 2,000 tonnes of hydrogen stored in two onboard 20-metre diameter tanks at 250 bar and at ambient temperature.