Reading guide
2022 is the "first year" of the large-scale development of the global hydrogen energy industry, with enthusiasm from all over the world, and direct investment in the global hydrogen energy field reaching 250 billion US dollarsThe next 10 years will be the "first development period" of China's hydrogen energy industry。Hydrogen storage operation is a bridge connecting the upstream and downstream links of the hydrogen energy industry, which has become one of the main problems restricting the development of the hydrogen energy industry. The development of safe and efficient hydrogen storage and transportation technology is the key to realizing the economic development of the hydrogen energy industry。In this article, the author will analyze in detail the problems encountered in the hydrogen storage and transportation link and the technical status, and further explore the potential investment value of this track.
Storage and transportation is an important part of the hydrogen energy industry, and high-pressure gaseous state is the mainstream choice of hydrogen storage technology
Hydrogen storage and transportation refers to the compression or liquefaction of hydrogen produced and stored, and then transported to downstream hydrogen refueling stations, chemical enterprises and other application fields through vehicles or pipelines. Storage and transportation is the key to connecting upstream supply and downstream demand, and is an indispensable link in the entire industrial chain. Hydrogen storage involves not only terminals, but also a series of links such as hydrogen refueling stations, hydrogen transportation and hydrogen production. However, at present, the domestic high-voltage technical route is very simple, and there are problems in various aspects, such as acceptance, safety, cost, performance, etc., which need to be broken through.
At present, the core requirements of the industry for hydrogen storage technology are safety, large capacity, and low cost. High-pressure gaseous hydrogen storageThe operation is simple, the cost is low, and the technology is mature, but there are certain safety hazards due to the high pressure, and the hydrogen storage density is low, which makes the hydrogen storage efficiency low. Cryogenic liquid hydrogen storageIt has advantages in hydrogen storage density, with a bulk density of more than twice that of high-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage at 80MPa, but the refrigeration energy consumption is large and the storage cost is too high. Organic liquid hydrogen storageIt is difficult to developSolid material hydrogen storage technologyIt is still immature and there is still some distance from commercial application. Overall,High-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage technology is the most mature, and there is still a lot of room for improvement, and high-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage will become the mainstream choice of hydrogen storage in the future
High-pressure gas cylinders are developing in the direction of Type IV cylinders, and carbon fiber is the key material for high-pressure hydrogen cylinders
High-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage technology is closely related to high-pressure gas cylinders, and high-pressure gas cylinders are currently developing in the direction of type IV cylinders: national standard on May 23, 2023"Compressed hydrogen plastic liner carbon fiber fully wound gas cylinder for vehicles".It will be officially released and will be implemented on June 1, 2024.
Compared with Type III bottles, Type IV hydrogen storage bottles have more advantages and are the future development direction
InSecurityIn terms of the IV bottle, non-metallic materials are used as the inner tank, which has no crystal lattice, no hydrogen embrittlement and corrosion risk, and has better fatigue resistance and longer service life;
InHydrogen storage densityIn terms of 70MPa-IV bottles, the weight of 70MPa-IV bottles is only 60-70% of that of Type III bottles, and the hydrogen storage density has exceeded 61wt%, type III bottles are only about 5wt%;
InEconomicalCompared with the aluminum alloy liner of Type III bottles, the cost is lower, and there is basically no loss of plastic materials in the processing process (Type III cylinder aluminum tubes generally use die forging, hot extrusion, wide drawing and other processing technologies, the quality of the inner and outer surfaces of the pipes is unstable, and subsequent grinding is required, and the material loss is large), and the large-scale manufacturing cost of Type IV hydrogen storage cylinders is only 70% of that of Type III cylinders.
In addition, the energy consumption of electrolytic aluminum production process is high, and with the approach of the dual carbon goal, considering the increase in raw material costs caused by the reduction of carbon emission quotas and the elimination of backward production capacity in the electrolytic aluminum industry in the future, the cost advantage of Type IV bottles is expected to be further highlighted.
Carbon fiber is the key material in the manufacture of type III and IV hydrogen storage cylinders, which constitute the filament winding layer that bears the pressure on its periphery. Carbon fiber accounts for more than 60% of the cost of Type III and IV bottles, according to GGII citing data from the U.S. Department of Energy. The carbon fiber for domestic type III and IV bottles mainly uses small tows of T700 grade and above specifications, and foreign countries mainly use large tows with complex technology development but lower production costs. At present, Zhongfu Shenying, Guangwei Composite Materials and other enterprises have achieved technological breakthroughs in small tow carbon fiber, with mass production capacity, and at the same time, domestic enterprises are actively laying out large tow projects, which is expected to further realize the domestic substitution of large tow carbon fiber for hydrogen storage bottles.
High-pressure gas cylinder market situation and main entry barriers
Judging from the market share of hydrogen storage cylinders in the past two years, there are only 7 domestic hydrogen storage cylinder companies: Guofu Hydrogen Energy, Sinoma Technology, Tianhai Industry, Aoyang Technology, Ketaike, CIMC Hydrogen Energy, and Slinda, of which the TOP5 market concentration will drop from 96% in 2021 to 85% in 2022, although the number of players is not largeThe intensity of competition in the industry is gradually intensifying
The main barriers to entry for the high-pressure gas cylinder market are as follows:
Hydrogen storage cylinders belong to special equipmentFirst of all, it is necessary to obtain the B3 pressure vessel special equipment manufacturing license, and the premise of obtaining the license is that the company's plant, equipment, production line, personnel ratio and all aspects of qualification have been reviewed and approved by the national regulatory unit;
The manufacturing capacity of the enterpriseMass production can only be carried out after passing the review of the expert group of the evaluation agency designated by the State Administration for Market Regulation, and there will be a special supervision and inspection department to check whether the production process meets the procedures at regular intervals during the production and manufacturing process;
Produced finished productsBefore selling to the outside world, it is necessary to pass a third-party type test institution recognized by the State Administration for Market Regulation to conduct type tests on the hydrogen storage cylinders such as fire, blasting, fatigue, environment, and drop, and obtain a type inspection certificate.
Conclusion
In recent years, as fuel cell systems continue to reduce costs at an annualized rate of 20%-30%, the cost of hydrogen storage cylinders has not decreased, and even increased slightly. The contradiction of the high cost of hydrogen storage cylinders has gradually become prominent, and industry insiders also expect new technological breakthroughs and cost reduction methods to further promote the development of the hydrogen energy industry on hydrogen storage cylinders.
To sum up, the author will continue to pay attention to innovative R&D enterprises for Type IV bottles and V-type bottles: they can use different materials and manufacturing processes, and there is a clear path to reduce costs in the future. Such companies are more likely to gain market recognition, achieve commercial success, and have more investment value.