Aug 13:
The research done by IOC R&D Centre on use of hydrogen in the transportation sector in India has become recognized worldwide 8Current Indian cost of production of hydrogen using naphtha fuel from Panipat refinery is US$ 4-5/kg, but delivered cost (with all infrastructure) is expected to be in the range of US$ 12/kg. 8Incidentally, this is comparable to current global costs, which range from US$ 14 in US; US$12 in Europe and US$8 in Japan. 8At this cost, hydrogen is not competitive with conventional fuels (1 kg of hydrogen is equal to roughly 3.8 litres of petrol. 8But fuel-cell technology is much more energy efficient than combustion engine using conventional fossil fuels (Roughly you get 14 km/kg in fuel cell against 8 km/litre in conventional). 8So, it is possible that this advantage, combined with economies of scale will bring costs down in the near future. 8The focus has now shifted to H-CNG, with IOC setting up a natural gas compact reformer for H-CNG production (H-compactor) at its facility in Faridabad. 8The comparison with BS VI norms also shows that H-CNG will improve the performance of CNG in all respects. The fuel cost is estimated to increase by Rs 0.75/km compared to ‘neat’ CNG. 8The estimates are that to fuel 5,500 buses (current fleet) it would require some 400 tonnes of H-CNG per day. 8As it is important to set up infrastructure to dispense H-CNG in different locations it would require 4 plants of 100 tonnes per day. 8The capital cost of these 4 H-Compactor plants is estimated to be Rs 330 crore. The fuel cost is estimated to increase by Rs 0.75/km compared to ‘neat’ CNG. 8Now all of this can be a reality if a court-induced order for use of H-CNG can be procured Click on Reports for more