Development of a national center for hydrogen technology. A summary report of activities completed at the national center hydrogen technology from 2005 to 2010

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, has operated the National Center for Hydrogen Technology® (NCHT®) since 2005 under a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The EERC has a long history of hydrogen generation and utilization from fossil fuels, and under the NCHT Program, the EERC has accelerated its research of hydrogen generation and utilization topics. Since the NCHT’s inception, the EERC has received more than $65 million in funding of hydrogen-related projects ($20 million for the NCHT project which includes federal and corporate development partner funds) involving more than 85 partners (27 with the NCHT). The NCHT project’s 19 activities span a broad range of technologies that align well with the Advanced Fuels Program goals and, specifically, those described in the Hydrogen from Coal Program research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) plan. A number of projects have been completed which range from technical feasibility of several hydrogen generation and utilization technologies to public and technical education and outreach tools. Projects under the NCHT have produced hydrogen from natural gas, coal, liquid hydrocarbons, and biomass. The hydrogen or syngas generated by these processes has also been purified to transportation-grade quality in many of these instances or burned directly for power generation. Also, several activities are still undergoing research, development, demonstration, and commercialization at the NCHT. This report provides a summary overview of the projects completed in the first 5 years of the NCHT. Individual activity reports are referenced as a source of detailed information on each activity