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The Hydrogen fuel economy will not be viable.

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BrianHG:

--- Quote from: TimFox on January 14, 2023, 07:05:56 pm ---It's an engineering problem, with quantitative answers.
One feature of the problem is that pumping light gases through pipelines can be more efficient than long-distance transmission of electrical power.
Another place where detailed mathematical calculation is required, rather than hand-waving.

--- End quote ---
No.  Because of pressures needed for effectively transporting hydrogen and it's molecular size, both continuous leaking plus the hydrogen embrittlement problem, you will be continuously replacing your piping structure.  Also, there still is restive friction in the piping and if your distance elevation is higher in altitude than the source, you will still be fighting gravity.
If you do not pipe/pump with significant pressure, then at every destination, like a car's hydrogen tank, you will need energy and a capable pump to pressurize the hydrogen into that gas tank.  That is a lot of those high pressure hydrogen gas grade pumps whose compressors and piping are all susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement.

If you are making green hydrogen, then just HV feed electricity to your destination use it to make your hydrogen locally with fuel cells running in reverse.  You are still stuck with the hydrogen embrittlement problem locally, but you do not have to worry about thousands of miles of new piping infrastructure.

Infraviolet:
For all the inefficiencies, I'd say that for any powered transport H2 is a better power source than batteries. The energy density will always be superior, and there are now lotsof novel storage methods developed (such as Toyota's idea for a plug-and-play hydrogen cartridge to avoid having to pump the material. For any decent future energy infrastructure we are going to need an awful lot of electrical production capacity (fusion, fission and renewables... too cheap to meter), the idea would be to cleanly produce far more energy than we need, at which point some inefficiency is making H2 from electricity becomes irrelevant.

As far as I can see, the hydrogen fuel cell is almost a mature technology, the problem, ofcourse, is nobody wants an H2 car until there are H2 filling stations, and nobody will build a filling station until there are far more H2 cars around.

Hydrigen cars are already an infrastructure and scale problem, not an automotive technology problem.

TimFox:
Hydrogen embrittlement is a well-researched problem.  For example, it was a serious limitation to pressure and temperature in steam locomotive boilers. 
From a general article:  "Hydrogen is normally only able to enter metals in the form of atoms or hydrogen ions. Thus, gaseous hydrogen is not absorbed by metals at ambient temperatures, as it is in molecular form, in which pairs of atoms are tightly bound together. However, as the temperature rises, the molecules tend to dissociate into individual atoms allowing absorption at temperatures which, for example, are associated with petroleum refining or heat treatment procedures. Higher rates of absorption are experienced in molten material and this means that casting and welding operations can provide particular opportunities for the entry of hydrogen into metallic materials. Hydrogen ions are also produced by reactions associated with processes such as corrosion, electroplating and cathodic protection. Consequently, there is ample opportunity for the entry of hydrogen into metallic components."
Note that this is not generally a problem at room temperature.
Modern high-technology hydrogen storage at high pressures usually involves a relatively-thin non-embrittled liner inside an outer layer of higher-strength steel that resists the pressure.

tom66:
Or, indeed, plastic piping.  It's one reason, among others, the local grid operator for the town I used to live in replaced several major gas mains with plastic pipes. These should last about 50 years, and are not embrittled by hydrogen, so if it is used in the future there is compatibility there.

sleemanj:
https://youtu.be/MgmBkvrO0Dg

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