(635a) Department of Energy Hydrogen from Coal Program

Since FY2004, the Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Fossil Energy's Hydrogen from Coal Program has focused RD&D efforts on hydrogen production from coal as part of the DOE Hydrogen Fuel Initiative to reduce reliance on energy imports and environmental impact. The Program's activities are focused on two production pathways – the central production pathway and the alternative production pathway.

The central production pathway produces hydrogen from coal and coal-biomass mixtures at a large, centrally-located facility. This pathway relies upon gasification of the coal with steam and oxygen to produce synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and trace amounts of other components. The synthesis gas is further processed to remove impurities and produce additional hydrogen. Central production also offers the opportunity for coproduction of hydrogen and electric power and capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2).

RD&D activities on the central production pathway are developing new advanced technologies for water-gas shift (WGS), membrane separations, adsorption/solvent separation systems, polishing filters (for high hydrogen purity) and advanced concepts such as chemical looping and process intensification. Process intensification is the concept of developing novel technologies that combine multiple processes into one step, use new control methods, or integrate alternative energy technologies with hydrogen from coal technologies.

The alternative production pathway investigates the production of hydrogen-rich liquid fuels and substitute natural gas (SNG) from coal and coal-biomass mixtures that have the advantage of not requiring a new delivery and distribution infrastructure. These fuels will be able to use the existing petroleum product and natural gas delivery and storage infrastructures with little to no modification. Liquid fuels and SNG can be delivered either to individual filling stations where they can be reformed on-site, or to sub-central hydrogen production locations to produce pure hydrogen.

The program conducts appropriate systems analyses to measure program progress and identify RD&D needs to address key technical, economic, and environmental barriers. The areas of systems analysis include:

• Techno-economic analyses to assess and define the state of technology and RD&D progress and needs and the potential capital and product cost reductions which are achievable through the use of advanced technology;

• Resource and infrastructure analysis to identify and define the critical “readiness” issues – availability of engineering and design firms, skilled labor, railroad and other transportation capacity, mining capability, and other critical needs – to determine where bottlenecks in the system may occur and to develop strategies to appropriately address them;

• Benefits analysis to determine the Program benefits to the nation of introduction of technologies developed in the Fuels Program;

• Market analysis to evaluate commercial application of technologies developed by the program; and

• Risk analysis to identify, characterize, and evaluate the risks associated with coal conversion technologies and to formulate strategies to reduce the impacts of these risk factors.