The use of hydrogen combustion for power generation

The use of hydrogen as a fuel in the transportation industry is receiving increased attention, primary because hydrogen provides a means for energy storage and subsequent conversion into power with reduced, or no pollutant emissions. These issues have a significant impact on reduced consumption of fossil fuels and pollutant formation in the energy conversion and transportation industries. An approach to use hydrogen as fuel to produce power is to use it in combustion systems as opposed to the widely touted fuel cells. The use of H2 in combustion systems is attractive because it has a very wide flammability limits, it is easy to ignite, and has a large flame propagation velocity and small quenching distance. The heat of combustion of hydrogen per unit mass is higher than that of hydrocarbons and so is its adiabatic flame temperature. Another advantage is that it can be used almost directly in systems that are well developed and reliable (engines, catalytic combustors, etc). The disadvantage is the difficulty in controlling the combustion process, and the potential production of NOx, a byproduct of the high combustion temperature. The issues related to hydrogen combustion, and its application in combustion systems to produce power, are discussed in this work.