2003 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 23-28
When available hydrogen production capacity of the petroleum and ammonia industries as well as unused by-product gas of petrochemical industries and soda industries is fully utilized, hydrogen balance in the petroleum and chemical industries in Japan will be the surplus of 9.8 billion Nm3 /year. Taking into consideration the loss caused by refining the surplus hydrogen to a purity level of 99.99% as well as the future outlook for the industries, the amount of high purity hydrogen supply available from the petroleum and chemical industries is expected to increase from the current 6.6 billion Nm3/year to 6.8 billion Nm3/year in 2010 and to 7.2 billion Nm3/year in 2020. (The amount available by using existing facilities and with a little additional investment.) The hydrogen demand of 5 million FCVs is estimated to be 3.8-6.2 billion Nm3/year in 2020. Therefore, the surplus hydrogen from the petroleum and chemical industries could satisfy the hydrogen demand in 2020 fully.
On the other side, the petroleum industry already has a completely established infrastructure for supplying oil energy, for example oil tanks, gas stations and distribution systems. We think that the petroleum industry has a major role as we shift into the hydrogen economy. The petroleum industry should be actively involved in the research and development initiatives for establishing the infrastructures necessary for supplying hydrogen energies.
