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July/August 2020
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Tank containers ship the MCH from the AHEAD hydrogenation plant
in Brunei to a dehydrogenation plant in the Keihin Refinery, Kawasaki
(pictured at foot of page)
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Tanks behind landmark
hydrogen chain project
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Tank containers are at the core of what is being hailed as
the world’s first international hydrogen supply chain for
power generation.
At the end of May an important milestone was reached for Japan’s
Advanced Hydrogen Energy Chain Association for Technology
Development (AHEAD) project.
AHEAD announced that it had started supplying hydrogen
separated from methylcyclohexane (MCH) to fuel gas turbines run by
Mizue Power Station.
Tank containers are used to ship the MCH from a hydrogenation
plant built by AHEAD in Brunei. From Brunei the tanks are carried by
container vessel to port of Kawasaki, Japan, and then transported to
a dehydrogenation plant in the Keihin Refinery of Toa Oil, also in
Kawasaki, which is midway between Tokyo and Yokohama.
At the supply end, the Brunei plant takes liquefied natural gas
(LNG) from Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd. The hydrogenation plant then
produces hydrogen and repackages it in the form of MCH, a stable
compound used in applications such as correction fluid, which can
be transported over long distances using conventional commercial
shipping.
Currently, five ISO tanks are shipped every week, each carrying
20,000 litres of MCH.
The main advantage of converting hydrogen to MCH is that it can
be transported in commodity tanks rather than more expensive gas
or cryogenic units. In addition, shipping the product in containerised
form obviates the need for dedicated loading and unloading
infrastructure associated with parcel tankers. The tanks can be
simply offloaded at any standard quayside that has container
handling equipment, even just a mobile harbour crane with a
spreader under the hook.
AHEAD was launched in 2017 by a consortium between Japanese
plant engineering firm Chiyoda, shipping line NYK and trading
houses Mitsui and Mitsubishi, with the aim of building an
international supply chain of hydrogen to fuel thermal power plants
in effort to combat global warming.
AHEAD receives a subsidy from Japan’s New Energy and Industrial
Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
As part of the project, Chiyoda developed its SPERA technology
which allows hydrogen to be handled in a liquid state at ambient
temperature and pressure. This is done by chemically fixing
hydrogen to toluene allowing it to be converted to MCH. And in a
classic example of a circular economy, toluene separated from MCH
is returned to the hydrogen supply location, where it is reintegrated
with hydrogen and transformed once more into MCH. The same
toluene can be used repeatedly as a hydrogen carrier.
A Strategic Roadmap for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells established by
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in March 2019
states the importance of hydrogen-fuelled power generation, along
with the transition to renewable energy, setting the
commercialisation of hydrogen-based electricity as a goal to be
achieved in 2030 in its Basic Hydrogen Strategy and Fifth Basic
Energy Plan.
The supply of hydrogen to gas turbines marks the first
consumption of foreign-produced hydrogen for power generation in
Japan, raising the potential for mass consumption of hydrogen in
the electricity sector.
At a press conference in June, AHEAD president Takakazu
Morimoto told reporters: “We want to use hydrogen extracted from
renewable energy in the future and establish a strong supply chain.
Our aim is to transport 350,000 tonnes of hydrogen a year to power
a 1-gigawatt hydrogen-fired power plant in 2030.”
NYK said it will not only transport hydrogen but will also work to
develop technology for using the element as a marine fuel. “The
company will also seek to grasp business opportunities related to
hydrogen, which is said to be the ultimate clean energy, and be
involved in the entire supply chain,” a spokesperson said.
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