The development of liquid hydrogen will be a key solution for the decarbonisation of the transport sector, according to panellists speaking on a PE Live roundtable hosted in association with Air Liquide titled Hydrogen Mobility – Moving forward into a low-carbon world.

Because hydrogen is such a light gas, its density must be increased for it to be stored and transported practically. 

Most car manufacturers have opted for the solution that consists of storing hydrogen in its gaseous form at high pressure. But that could change in the future, according to Erwin Penfornis, vice-president of the Hydrogen Energy World Business Line at industrial gases group Air Liquide.

“We have come a long way already on the development of hydrogen and development of liquid hydrogen,” he said. “It is going to be a key solution for the supply chain to deliver hydrogen to refuelling stations in the road sector, for storing energy within aircraft, within shift ships and also within trucks directly.”

Air Liquide is developing the largest ever liquefaction plant dedicated to mobility markets in California. The plant will produce 30t/d of liquid hydrogen.

Air Liquide Japan and trading firm Itochu have also signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the development of a hydrogen mobility market in Japan.

Hydrogen aircraft

Storing hydrogen in liquid form is the only real option for powering aircraft, according to Glenn Llewellyn, vice-president of zero emissions aircraft at aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

“That is why we are excited to see the development of an ecosystem where the transportation of hydrogen is done in liquid form, because that is cost-competitive,” he said. “We can see various developments going in that direction, and that is super.”

Projects in Scotland, Norway and the US are planning to use liquid hydrogen to power ferries. 

And in Germany, Air Liquide is working with vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck to supply liquid hydrogen and an enhanced mobile refuelling system for fuel cell trucks.

Using liquid hydrogen is also one of a number of options—alongside ammonia, compressed hydrogen and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs)—for shipping hydrogen to other markets overseas, seen as a key development in the move to a global hydrogen market.

Conversion to, and cracking from, ammonia is currently the most developed technology used to ship hydrogen, and an international ammonia trade already exists. But this is an energy intensive process today, according to Penfornis.

“Ammonia makes sense if you want to use this hydrogen at the end of an industrial application. But in the mobility sector, based on what we see today, if your end-use is liquid hydrogen the best way to transport it is liquid hydrogen,” he said.

“This is why we are convinced that liquid hydrogen international transport is going to be the prevailing solution for all the transport sectors.”

Firms such as Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries have started to develop vessels to transport liquid hydrogen, but they have yet to reach wide levels of adoption.

Vehicle manufacturer Toyota also hopes to use its fuel cell system for maritime applications. Its European R&D team helped to create and install a fuel cell module in the Energy Observer, the first vessel in the world to both generate and be powered by hydrogen, using components first introduced in the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car which were fitted into a more compact module suitable for marine applications. Toyota is also working with other maritime and railway manufacturers to expand fuel cell applications.

The firm is keen to explore how it can use its technology in as wide a variety of applications as possible, according to Didier Gambart, vice-president of sales, marketing and customer experience at Toyota Motor Europe.

“We see moving forward a very strong potential In the maritime sector,” he said.

The PE Live roundtable, Hydrogen Mobility – Moving forward into a low-carbon world, hosted in association with Air Liquide, is now available on demand.

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Author: Tom Young