CalStateLA Hydrogen Station Tour with Dr. David Blekhman

Summary

The video discusses the importance of hydrogen as a renewable energy source, addressing issues like climate change, fossil fuel dependency, and pollution from transportation. It explains how hydrogen can be produced through electrolysis, using renewable electricity to generate hydrogen from water. The video also details how hydrogen fueling stations work, focusing on the process of fueling hydrogen-powered vehicles, storage, and safety measures. The advantages of hydrogen vehicles, such as fast refueling compared to electric cars, are highlighted, along with the technical aspects of hydrogen compression and communication between vehicles and stations.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The first issue discussed is climate change, largely caused by the continuous use of fossil fuels like gas and oil, which release CO2 and thermal energy.
• 💨 CO2 creates a greenhouse effect, trapping heat in the Earth's atmosphere, which leads to gradual warming.
• 🔋 Dependence on fossil fuels, pollution from transportation, and air quality issues like smog in cities such as Los Angeles are major concerns.
• 🚗 Hydrogen is considered a potential alternative fuel for transportation due to its ability to store and transport energy efficiently.
• 💧 Hydrogen production can be achieved through a process called electrolysis, which uses renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
• ⚡ Electrolysis requires clean water, cooling systems to manage heat, and converters to turn alternating current into direct current.
• 🛢️ The station in the video compresses hydrogen to high pressures and stores it in tanks for fueling vehicles, with 60 kg of hydrogen produced and stored daily.
• ⛽ The hydrogen fueling process is similar to traditional gas stations, with users paying and connecting the nozzle, though the hydrogen must be chilled to avoid overheating the tanks.
• 🚙 Hydrogen cars can fuel up quickly, in a matter of minutes, compared to the longer wait times associated with electric cars.
• 📡 The fueling station uses a communication protocol where the car sends signals to the station, providing pressure and temperature details, and can abort the fueling if necessary.

Q & A

What is the main reason we are interested in hydrogen as a fuel source?

The main reason is to address climate change caused by the continuous use of fossil fuels, which release CO2 and create a greenhouse effect. Hydrogen is a clean energy source that can help reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

How does CO2 contribute to the greenhouse effect?

CO2 traps heat by absorbing energy radiated from Earth and emitting some of it back, which causes a gradual warming of the planet, similar to how a greenhouse traps heat using glass or plastic.

Why are fossil fuels considered finite resources?

Fossil fuels, like gas and oil, were formed from the Sun's energy accumulated over millions of years. We are releasing that energy quickly by burning fossil fuels, and since these resources are limited, they will eventually run out.

What are the environmental impacts of transportation based on combustion engines?

Combustion-based transportation emits pollutants that contribute to air quality issues, such as smog, particularly visible in cities like Los Angeles. It also releases CO2, contributing to global warming.

How is hydrogen produced at the station described in the video?

The hydrogen is produced using a process called electrolysis, where renewable electricity is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. It takes 9 kg of water to produce 1 kg of hydrogen.

How efficient is hydrogen as a fuel for vehicles?

1 kg of hydrogen can allow a fuel cell vehicle to travel 50 to 60 miles, making it an efficient energy source for transportation.

What is the role of the electrolyzer in hydrogen production?

The electrolyzer splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using direct current electricity. It has three main sections: power, cooling, and water intake, ensuring the water is clean and excess heat is rejected.

How is the hydrogen stored after it is produced?

After production, hydrogen is compressed to 400 atmospheres and stored in tanks. The station can store up to 60 kg of hydrogen, spread across multiple storage tanks.

What is the process for fueling a hydrogen vehicle at the station?

Fueling begins by connecting the vehicle to a dispenser. The hydrogen is cooled and compressed before being pumped into the vehicle's tank. The process is fast, taking only a few minutes.

What safety features are in place during the fueling process?

There is a communication protocol between the vehicle and the station that monitors pressure and temperature in the vehicle's hydrogen tank. If something goes wrong, an abort signal can be sent, stopping the fueling process.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Understanding the Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change

This paragraph introduces the topic of climate change and the negative impact of fossil fuels. The speaker explains how the accumulated solar energy in gas and oil is being released over a short period of time, contributing to global warming. The greenhouse effect is compared to a plant enclosure, where CO2 traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere, preventing it from escaping. The rise in CO2 levels exacerbates this effect, making the Earth warmer over time. Additionally, the paragraph highlights the growing concern about the finite nature of fossil fuels and their role in transportation-related pollution, particularly smog in cities like Los Angeles.

05:02

🔋 The Role of Hydrogen in Energy and Transportation

This section delves into the potential of hydrogen as a fuel and energy carrier. It emphasizes the need for hydrogen stations, such as the one at Calate, to support vehicles and transportation. The process of electrolysis is explained, where renewable electricity is used to produce hydrogen from water. The speaker provides specifics, such as the 9 kg of water required to generate 1 kg of hydrogen, which can power a car for 50-60 miles. The hydrogen station's equipment, including the electrolyzer, cooling system, and the process of converting alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) for electrolysis, is also described.

10:02

🚗 Storing and Compressing Hydrogen for Fueling Vehicles

This paragraph discusses the storage and compression of hydrogen at the station. Once produced, hydrogen is compressed to 400 atmospheres and stored in tanks that hold up to 20 kg of hydrogen each, allowing the station to store 60 kg of hydrogen daily. The speaker explains the process of fueling a car with hydrogen, starting from the storage tanks and leading to the use of compressors to raise the hydrogen's pressure. The importance of cooling the hydrogen to facilitate faster fueling is highlighted, with the hydrogen chiller working at -20°C to prevent overheating of the car's hydrogen tanks during compression.

📡 Communication Protocols for Hydrogen Fueling

This section focuses on the communication between hydrogen-fueled cars and the station during the fueling process. The car sends signals to the station regarding the hydrogen tank’s pressure and temperature, ensuring a safe and fast fueling process. If the car detects any issues, it can abort the fueling automatically. The speaker highlights the three key functions of this communication: monitoring pressure, temperature, and aborting if necessary. Additionally, the paragraph describes the fueling procedure as simple, comparable to a regular gas station experience, with added safety features like rubber mats to prevent damage from dropped nozzles.

Keywords

💡Hydrogen

Hydrogen is presented in the video as a clean energy source and fuel for transportation. The speaker discusses how hydrogen can be produced via electrolysis and used in fuel cells for vehicles. It is portrayed as an important alternative to fossil fuels because it produces fewer emissions, contributing to the fight against climate change.

💡Electrolysis

Electrolysis is the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. In the video, this method is described as a way to produce hydrogen using renewable energy sources. The speaker explains that electrolysis is a key component of creating hydrogen fuel for vehicles, emphasizing its role in producing clean energy.

💡Climate Change

Climate change is a core concern in the video. The speaker mentions how the burning of fossil fuels releases CO2, contributing to the greenhouse effect and global warming. Hydrogen is explored as an alternative energy source to reduce the impact of transportation emissions on the climate.

💡Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels, such as gas and oil, are discussed as the primary drivers of climate change due to the release of CO2 when burned. The speaker highlights the finite nature of fossil fuels and the environmental and air quality problems associated with their use, especially in transportation.

💡Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is described as the process where gases like CO2 trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, contributing to global warming. The video compares this to how glass in a greenhouse traps heat, explaining the warming effect that excess CO2 has on the planet.

💡Fuel Cell

A fuel cell is a device that converts hydrogen into electricity to power vehicles. The video explains that hydrogen fuel cells are used in cars as a clean alternative to traditional combustion engines. The speaker emphasizes the efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells, allowing cars to travel 50 to 60 miles on just 1 kilogram of hydrogen.

💡CO2 Emissions

CO2 emissions refer to the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels. The speaker mentions how these emissions contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming. Hydrogen is presented as a way to reduce CO2 emissions in transportation.

💡Hydrogen Station

A hydrogen station is where hydrogen fuel is produced, stored, and dispensed for vehicles. In the video, the speaker gives a tour of a hydrogen station and explains the various processes involved, including electrolysis, compression, and storage of hydrogen before it's used to fuel cars.

💡Smog

Smog is the visible air pollution caused by the combustion of fossil fuels, especially in urban areas. The speaker mentions Los Angeles as an example, where the burning of fuel in transportation contributes to a brown layer of smog, emphasizing the need for cleaner energy alternatives like hydrogen.

💡Energy Storage

Energy storage refers to the ability to store energy for later use, which is essential for balancing energy supply and demand. In the video, hydrogen is described as an energy carrier that can store energy produced from renewable sources, such as wind or solar, for use in vehicles and other applications.

Highlights

Climate change and continuous use of fossil fuels are the primary concerns driving interest in alternative energy sources like hydrogen.

Fossil fuels are finite and their combustion releases CO2, contributing to the greenhouse effect, which traps heat and gradually warms the Earth.

Hydrogen is seen as a potential fuel for vehicles and energy storage, offering a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels.

Hydrogen stations are part of the transportation pathway, essential for fueling vehicles that run on hydrogen.

The process of electrolysis is used to produce hydrogen from water, utilizing renewable electricity.

It takes 9 kg of water (about 3 gallons) to produce 1 kg of hydrogen, which can power a fuel cell car for 50-60 miles.

Electrolyzers used in hydrogen production have three main components: power, cooling, and water intake systems.

The electrolyzer splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, releasing oxygen into the atmosphere and storing hydrogen for use.

Hydrogen is compressed to 400 atmospheres and stored in tanks, with the station producing up to 60 kg of hydrogen daily.

Hydrogen fueling is a quick process, typically taking only a few minutes, unlike electric vehicles, which require longer charging times.

Hydrogen fueling stations use a communication protocol where the car communicates with the station, providing data on pressure and temperature.

The fueling station includes safety features, such as automatic shutdown if there is an issue with the car during the fueling process.

Hydrogen chillers are used to cool the hydrogen, making the fueling process faster and safer.

The goal is to develop futuristic, efficient hydrogen dispensers, though current designs resemble standard gas station pumps.

Hydrogen offers a cleaner, faster, and more sustainable energy solution for transportation compared to traditional fossil fuels.

Transcripts

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rooms where are we

going hyrogen

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station

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why are we interested in

hiting first uh issue is climate change

and continuous use of fossil fuels is

creating the climate change so if you

think about gas and oil it is a Suns

energy that was accumulated over

millions of

years and now we are releasing all of

that energy in a very short period of

time over a few hundred

years fossil fuel is been burned CO2 is

released energy is released so thermal

energy is released and then CO2 creates

so-called uh greenhouse

effect a glass or a plastic enclosure

over a plant the sun energy comes in

gets absorbed released and when it's

released back it finally it gets trapped

by glass or

plastic and that creates a hot climate

inside so it's a greenhouse effect and

then CO2 does the same thing when Earth

tries to cool off send energy out CO2

captures some of that energy being

beamed out from Earth actually absorbs

and emit it back to the Earth and so

slight little by little Earth gets

warmer because of that effect of more

CO2 and uh we realize those effects uh

early on maybe 20 30 40 50 years ago and

also the other problem we were realizing

many years ago is uh dependence on

fossil

fuels uh and fossil fuels are not

infinite they're finite and fossil fuels

are harder or harder to get third one

was Transportation because when when you

burn fuels in

transportation we create pollution as

well and if you ever go and drive into

the mountains and look back at Los

Angeles you will see a brown layer over

Los Angeles and that brown layer is smog

and Los Angeles is famous for the smog

so air quality is also a problem with um

transportation based on combustion so as

a scientist we started looking at

potential Pathways all of those kind of

reasons uh make us think about hydrogen

as a fuel for vehicles and

transportation and also as a energy

carrier so we can store energy we can

transport that energy and we can use it

for different processes so hydrogen is

pretty Universal hydrogen station here

is a part of the transportation pathway

so you we need hydrogen stations for uh

fueling Vehicles all right so it goes

into cars our hydrogen station was built

with a process called

electrolysis and electrolysis uh can

take renewable

electricity and then um produce uh

hydrogen from

water and it takes 9 kg of water or like

three gallons or close to 3 gallons to

make 1 kg of hydrogen when you use 1 kg

of hydrogen in a fuel cell car you can

go 50 to 60 miles on 1 kilogram of

hydrogen so it's a a good source of

energy at this point I'd like to take

you inside and show you the equipment

and things well welcome to calate

hydrogen station inside

tour so we have a various equipment here

and I'm going to try to to share with

you how it works

together is the

electrolyzer an electrolyzer has three

sections Power Cooling and water

intake so we need to take in clean water

and when clean water comes into

electrolyzer it makes sure that the

water is super

clean uh cooling system is because when

electrolyzer runs we need to reject some

of the heat and so the cooling system

helps to reject heat and you can see a

big heat exchanger with a fan on top of

this container and so that's part of

that cooling system to reject Heat and

the power is that fuel cells batteries

and electrolyzers work uh work on a

so-called direct current so the current

just go straight but what we have in the

grid is called alternating current so

electrons go this way this way this way

and it's a 60 Herz so it's a 60 times it

goes forth and back 60

Cycles um but we need a direct current

and so uh the converter there will

convert from alternating current into

the direct

current and that direct current will be

going into the so-called electrolyzer

stack so it's kind of like a bunch of

cells

arranged together and we call it a stack

and that's where the magic happens where

electricity goes and works with water

and splits water

apart as I said we need uh 9 kg of water

will pull out 1 kg hydrogen and 8 kg of

oxygen when the electroly runs it

releases oxygen gets vented through that

second te and and then hydrogen in a

small tube there is like a small tube on

the other side that comes out and goes

into this unit it's called Low Pressure

compressor we usually compress hydrogen

to 400 wat 400 atmospheres and then it

goes into the storage tanks and each of

the storage tanks is 20

kgam so Al together we produce and can

store 60 kg every day so the first story

I was telling you is about making

hydrogen and putting it into storage the

second story is about fueling cars the

way fueling starts uh one of these tanks

will open and start flowing of

hydrogen once the pressure in the

vehicle and the tank more or less equal

then you see this two blue compressors

will start pumping hydrogen to higher

and higher pressure so they will be

taking uh hydrogen from these tanks and

put it into vehicles and then we need

one more thing uh you can see this uh

box which is called hydrogen Chiller and

so the cooler we make hydrogen the

faster we can put hydrogen into the cars

so it's one of the requirements of

thermodynamic processes that when we are

compressing hydrogen into the

car uh hydrogen gets hot there

and we don't want those tanks to be hot

because it kind of will affect their uh

strength and so this Chiller works at

minus 20°

C technically it looks like a general

gas pump so if anyone ever fueled the

car it looks very

generic I really hope to get uh a

dispenser of the future something looks

like a rocket ship you know like

and we ended up with a plain looking gas

station

dispenser uh so that my that part of my

dream did not realize but it is a

dispenser and you can fuel vehicles it's

the same procedure you put in your card

you punch in the code you connect the

nozzle and um it just goes in very

normal just like you attach

lock and and you know proceed with the

payment and then uh raise the bar and

it's it and it works and it starts the

fueling well it will tell you ready to

fuel then you then you go with this and

it

starts uh so uh and uh other than that

it's very plain process then you wait a

few minutes and then fueling is done and

that's the advantage one of the

advantages of hydrogen vehicles that the

fueling can be accomplished uh in a few

minutes

versus waiting with electric car for a

long time uh one more detail if you guys

look at that

ring it's like

a a receiver on the TV so if you imagine

this is the

TV and the car is a remote so when you

attach there will be like a little

plastic thing that works like a remote

so it sends

signals um and we call it a commun

iation protocol so then the car talks to

the station station doesn't talk to the

car but the car talks to the station it

sends the signals right and it would

tell us uh the pressure inside of the

hydrogen tank it will tell us the

temperature inside of the hydrogen tank

and so we can fuel it relatively fast so

we know what's happening inside you're

on the same page and uh then it goes

nice and

fast and also if anything goes wrong

with the car

if the car thinks something is not right

within inside of the car it can also

send a board signal and then will'll

stop fuel so there is a so there is this

three functions one is pressure

temperature and abort if

necessary uh other than that then the

fueling is done you just apply here at

this

lever anyone can play with that if you

want and and that's it it's very easy

and then you just

straight

release um we placed a rubber mat so

that just in case if anyone drops it

would be last chance for this to break

right so usually this would be a car and

so if anyone is Clumsy and drops

it hopefully that you know gets uh

survived we usually fuel people and

that's why we have this uh

pressure and it tells us that the car

came

and then we can uh come out and help

with the fueling so it was a

service fuel

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yeah