Wasserstofflogistik: flüssige organische Wasserstoffträger

Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHCs) represent a promising alternative for the storage and transport of the green energy carrier hydrogen. Compared to conventional methods, such as compression and liquefaction, the LOHC technology offers advantages in terms of safety and loss-free storage at comparable volumetric energy density. Due to reversible chemical bonding of the hydrogen in the LOHC fluid, the latter can be regarded as a liquid returnable bottle. The storage and release take place in each case via a chemical reaction. In this article, various application scenarios of the LOHC technology and related current projects are presented. In summary, it can be stated that the supply of buildings with electricity and heat can be realised by combining LOHC dehydrogenation and a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The climate-neutral supply of industrial parks can be improved by integrating a seasonal LOHC storage system into an existing heating network. The coupling with a combined heat and power plant enables the use of all heat flows and a high storage efficiency. In addition, the LOHC technology can contribute to the realisation of safe, cheap and emission-free rail transport on non-electrified lines. In contrast to the use of gaseous hydrogen as fuel, the existing infrastructure for diesel can be further used for refuelling trains with the liquid LOHC storage medium.