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The Science Seminar Series: September 13, 2012
Future and Prospects of Hydrogen as an Alternative Fuel
Dr. S.A. Sherif
Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Director Wayne K. and Lyla L. Masur HVAC Laboratory
Director Industrial Assessment Center (IAC)
Co-Director Southeastern Center for Industrial Energy Intensity Reduction (SECIEIR)
University of Florida
Time: 4:00 -5:00pm
Abstract
Five historical ways to solve cubic equations.
The Hydrogen Energy System promises to be a global energy system in which electricity and hydrogen are produced from available energy sources and used in every application where fossil fuels are used today. In such a system, electricity and hydrogen are produced in large industrial plants as well as in small, decentralized units, wherever the primary energy source (solar, wind, nuclear) is available. Both hydrogen and electricity have the potential to complement renewable energy sources well by presenting them to the end user in a convenient form and at a convenient time. Depending on location, electricity may be used directly or transformed into hydrogen. For large-scale storage, hydrogen can be stored underground in ex-mines, caverns and/or aquifers. Energy transport to the end-users, depending on distance and overall economics, can either be in the form of electricity or in the form of hydrogen. Hydrogen may be transported, by means of pipelines or super tankers. It can then be used in the transportation, industrial, residential, or commercial sectors as a fuel. Some of it may be used to generate electricity (via fuel cells) depending on demand, geographical location, or time of the day. Fuel cells may be available in mega-Watt power-plant size or as individual devices (several kilo-Watts) suitable for distributed power generation. Together with renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, electricity and hydrogen have the potential to form a clean and permanent energy system. This lecture presents an overview of the principles of a hydrogen-based economy and the Hydrogen Energy System and discusses the potential and prospects of hydrogen as an alternative fuel.