Listening opportunites on campus

Abstract: Hydrogen, the smallest and most plentiful molecule in the universe, is being evaluated by the energy industry and academic institutions for its potential as an energy carrier. One reason for its popularity is that it can be produced cleanly from the electrocatalytic splitting of water, ammonia, or methane. Another attractive aspect is that it has the highest gravimetric energy density (LHV = 120 MJ/kg) compared to traditional fuels like gasoline (44 MJ/kg). However, there are challenges to the full-scale deployment of hydrogen as a fuel. Hydrogen, on a volumetric basis and in its most dense liquid phase (8 MJ/L) has one of the lowest energy densities compared to fossil fuels ( ranging from 30-38 MJ/L). Furthermore, the thermodynamics associated with hydrogen’s two spin isomers of orthohydrogen and parahydrogen complicate the liquefaction process. This seminar will discuss the opportunities and challenges for using hydrogen as an energy carrier and explain how catalysis can be used as a tool to enable liquefaction at the commercial scale. It will also provide insights for students into how corporate R&D is approached at an integrated energy company.