Japan project trials international hydrogen supply chain

[ceo_energemsier + 1,818]

Japan project trials international hydrogen supply chain

 

A Japanese consortium has started a power generation plant running on hydrogen imported from Brunei.

The so-called AHEAD project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of an international hydrogen energy supply chain. The government-backed initiative is led by Chiyoda, Mitsubishi, Mitsui & Co and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha.

Hydrogen is produced in Brunei and transported to Japan in ISO tanks. At a dehydrogenation plant in Kawasaki, hydrogen is separated from methylcyclohexane (MCH) and supplied to the Mizue thermal power plant at the Keihin refinery.

Another chemical, toluene, is separated from MCH and is returned to Brunei where it is integrated again with hydrogen and transformed back into MCH. Toluene will be repeatedly used as a means of transporting hydrogen in the future supply chain, AHEAD said on Tuesday.

Under the government plans, Japan will set the commercialization of hydrogen-based electricity by 2030 as part of its energy transition plans and low carbon future.

“The supply of hydrogen to gas turbines marks the first consumption of foreign produced hydrogen for power generation in Japan, leaving a significant footprint towards mass consumption of hydrogen in the electricity sector,” AHEAD said.

The Asian country is the world’s No. 1 importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and still heavily relies on coal-fired power plants.

[footeab@yahoo.com + 2,194]

So, head to Japan/Brunei in case you need some paint thinner... OR just want racing fuel.  😃

Hrmm what is the ship energy density of transport compared to LNG?  IT has to be VERY low one would think.  So transportation costs just went WAY up.  Energy Supply chain vulnerability just went WAY up.  This makes the transportation of Ammonia look sane. 

[Sebastian Meana + 278]

On 5/29/2020 at 8:45 PM, footeab@yahoo.com said:

Hrmm what is the ship energy density of transport compared to LNG?  

Awful, LH2 is 45% the volumetric energy density of LNG, the only good thing is because is very light you can make the ship's tanks veeery large, which is something you will need in a LH2 ship, but again you missing slightly the point, the idea of Hydrogen isn't so much replicating what LNG did in the last years, and if you decide to make it from LNG is going to cost at best case scenario 60% more than Natural Gas

1KG of Methane has a energy of 55MJ, contains 0.75KG of Carbon with an energy of 24.5MJ, and another 0.25KG of Hydrogen with 35.5MJ, so to separate 0.25KG of hydrogen and get 35.5MJ of energy you need 5MJ of energy, so you are more or less going to pay at least 60% more

Of course if you can sell them hydrogen at the same price of LNG because your gas production cost are low they would rather import Hydrogen than gas 

You may not need a to import Hydrogen in the first place, you can produce it from any cheap energy source like Geothermal (which japan has) or nuclear (which japan has) and they are taking the idea of building large nuclear reactors for 1100U$S/KW in 2.5 years, with a expected lifecycle of 80 yers, and 40% efficiencies to replace their current fleet, they can, very likely in that case produce electricity for hydrogen at around 15-20U$D/MWh, and in that case they can make hydrogen for a competitive price as their LNG imports... 


Since most of energy consumption is largely for heating purposes, you can indirectly electrify it with hydrogen, and instead use Natural gas for synthetic fuels displacing oil that you can then use for chemicals 
 

Edited June 12, 2020 by Sebastian Meana