Techno-economic analysis of green hydrogen transport for long distance pathways

The first part of the thesis provides an insight within the Hydrogen (H2) framework, starting from its main properties and safety-related issues and ending with an introduction to the current and future trends of the Hydrogen market. The following chapters of the analysis (2,3,4) will put a focus on the main supply chain features of three ways of delivering H2: Liquid Hydrogen (LH2), Liquid Ammonia (NH3) and Hydrogen Pipelines. A small introduction regarding properties and market potential is present for each technology at the beginning of every chapter. Afterward, the main components of each system are analyzed and discussed from both an economic and technical point of view, assigning, where possible, cost functions to estimate capital expenditure, and energy consumption functions to estimate operating expenditure. Based on the cost´s projections coming from the previous analyses, the Levelized Cost Of Hydrogen (LCOH), main focus of this master thesis´ dissertation, is obtained. Since the LCOH is not a univocal outcome, but rather it depends on the specifics of every project, a sensitivity analysis accounting for the parameters that affect the LCOH the most is carried out at the end of every technology´s investigation. Once a dynamic model has been developed for all the modalities of transport, a hypothetical scenario where Hydrogen is exported from a country with a forecasted low Renewable electricity´s cost (Casablanca, Morocco) to a potential future hub of Hydrogen (Marseille, France) is taken as a case study. The LCOH is again debated according to the specific input of the case study, highlighting weakness and point of strength of every technology and pointing out at the best design choice of such a system. Finally, the conclusion gathers all the master thesis´ highlights indicating for which range of production and distance of transport LH2, NH3 or Hydrogen pipelines are best suited for the purpose of delivering Hydrogen from one point to another.