An Integrated Decision Support Framework for the Assessment and Analysis of Hydrogen Production Pathways

详细信息    查看全文

• 作者：F. Chui ; A. Elkamel ; and M. Fowler
• 刊名：Energy & Fuels
• 出版年：2006
• 出版时间：January 2006
• 年：2006
• 卷：20
• 期：1
• 页码：346 - 352
• 全文大小：204K
• 年卷期：v.20,no.1(January 2006)
• ISSN：1520-5029

文摘

As fossil fuel reserves become depleted, alternative energy sources will be required. One of the preferredoptions for an energy vector for the transportation sector is hydrogen. Hydrogen is considered as a clean fuelsince its end use in fuel cell is virtually emission-free with a resulting significant improvement on urban airquality. However, the life cycle environmental impacts of hydrogen use depend strongly on the primary energyresources used and the process chain between the feedstock and its end use. In this study, an integrated decisionsupport framework that combines the analytic hierarchy process and a life cycle analysis (LCA) criterion isproposed for the assessment and ranking of hydrogen production pathways. The LCA criterion was dividedinto energy consumption, fossil fuel usage, and greenhouse gas emissions. The pathways use electrolysis andsteam methane reforming (SMR) as the technology for the production of hydrogen. A total of 11 hydrogenproduction pathways are compared and ranked using the proposed framework. The overall ranking in thisanalysis was found to be (1) electrolysis using renewable resources as a source of energy, (2) SMR, and (3)electrolysis using electricity mixes or fossil fuel electrical generation. The most preferred pathway was foundto be electrolysis with hydroelectric power as the source of energy.