A process systems engineering perspective of the hydrogen role in the transition away from carbon

Excerpt

Science has shaped policy on issues of great relevance to society, changing upon the emergence of new evidence, which has preserved its reliability in the search for truth over time (Douglas 2009). On the other hand, technology is the result of combining scientific knowledge with engineering skills to produce goods and services. Technologies have specificities that are pulled by demand, made possible by scientific advancements and bounded by economic feasibility. Although decarbonization is the target of climate change mitigation, environmental and social changes are triggered by climate policies to phasing out fossil sources. Since energy has the largest share of carbon emissions, policymakers are employing cascade control strategy (Franks and Worley 1956), in which a control loop (slave) has its set point remotely changed by the control action of another (master) controller. To accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy, energy policy is guided by the master climate goal (Boa Morte et al., 2023). The system responds with the reduction of the slave variable (carbon intensity, with faster dynamics) while the primary control variable (global warming) changes with slower dynamics. Other system responses, notably energy prices and energy security, must not be ignored and should be considered when tuning control actions. Clearly, process systems engineering has strategies to guide the operation and control of the complex industrial metabolism that is being heavily challenged by stringent decarbonization targets. …