Some Technological Aspects of Hydrogen Production and Storage

Provides a brief analysis of the current state of research in the field of hydrogen production and storage for hydrogen energy applications. The conducted analysis shows that the primary industrial method for hydrogen production at the current stage of hydrogen technology development is the classical method of water electrolysis. In this regard, the study examines various types of electrolyzers, comparing them based on operating temperature, stack voltage efficiency, as well as their advantages and disadvantages. It is shown that the reduction in the cost of renewable electricity increases interest in water electrolysis, as this method allows for hydrogen production without emitting carbon dioxide (CO₂). Hydrogen storage mainly relies on traditional technologies such as compressed gas and cryogenic liquid, while for large-scale applications, underground storage is the preferred method. In recent years, there has been rapid development in solid-phase hydrogen storage, which is considered the safest storage method. To store larger amounts of hydrogen in a smaller volume, one solution is to compress it to high pressure. The most common method of hydrogen storage is compression in steel gas cylinders at pressures of up to 700 bar. When hydrogen gas is compressed to 700 bar, its volumetric density reaches 36 kg/m³. This can be achieved using modern lightweight composite steel high-pressure cylinders.