DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Record

Record #: 19001 Date: September 9, 2019

Title: Current Status of Hydrogen Liquefaction Costs

Originators: Elizabeth Connelly, Michael Penev, Amgad Elgowainy,

Chad Hunter
Peer Reviewed By: Al Burgunder, 1 Andrew Martinez, 2 Satish Tamhankar 3

Approved By: Neha Rustagi, Fred Date:

Joseck, Sunita Satyapal August 6, 2019

Item
The total cost of hydrogen liquefaction plant facilities in current markets is estimated to range from $50
million to $800 million for capacities ranging from 6,000 kg/day to 200,000 kg/day, respectively. 4 This
DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Record uses recent public information on the cost of new
liquefaction plants to validate national laboratory cost models. In this case, the cost models estimate a
capital cost of $160 million for a 27,000 kg/day plant, which is only about 7% higher than the industry
estimate. The entire liquid hydrogen supply chain (production, liquefaction, delivery, and dispensing)
associated with this capacity level (i.e., 27,000 kg/day plant) was also modeled, estimating a dispensed
cost of $14.25 per kilogram of hydrogen at the pump (including production, delivery, and dispensing,
untaxed) for fueling commercially available fuel cell cars.
Background
Demand for hydrogen in emerging and growing sectors, such as light-duty fuel cell electric vehicles
(FCEVs) and material handling equipment, will require construction of new large-scale hydrogen
production and distribution infrastructure. Liquid hydrogen supply is often desired due to its higher
energy density compared to gaseous hydrogen and lower cost at high volumes [1]. 5 To meet the expected
growth in demand, gas supply companies have recently announced plans to develop four new liquefaction
plants [2–5], which are expected to increase the U.S. liquid hydrogen production capacity by at least 40%
[6].
Recent public information on the cost of new commercial liquefaction plants provides a useful benchmark
to validate results from national laboratory models such as the Hydrogen Analysis (H2A) production
model and Hydrogen Delivery Scenario Analysis Model (HDSAM). For example, one of the planned

1
Praxair, Inc.
2
California Air Resources Board
3
Retired—Linde
4
This total capital investment includes land and equipment associated with a steam methane reformer for hydrogen,
production, the hydrogen liquefier, and terminal required for distributing the hydrogen once liquefied.
5
For instance, estimates of the cost of hydrogen delivery and dispensing from 1,000 kg/day fueling stations indicate
that, at delivery distances above ~400 miles, use of liquid tankers is more cost competitive than use of gaseous tube
trailers [1].

1
liquid hydrogen production plants has been publicly reported to cost $150 million for a capacity of 27,000
kg/day serving the California market [2]. This industry value was used to validate and refine national
laboratory cost models, and results were peer-reviewed by industry and national laboratory experts.

I. Hydrogen Liquefaction Process and Cost Estimation

Once hydrogen is produced, the conventional hydrogen liquefaction process follows the following three
steps [6]:
1. Compression
2. Cooling
3. Expansion.
After compression, the temperature of the hydrogen stream is cooled to approximately 300 K. There are
two steps involved in cooling. First, the hydrogen must be cooled to below its inversion temperature,
approximately 80 K. This precooling step is necessary so that the temperature will decrease during
expansion, which can only occur below the inversion temperature. 6 The initial cooling step typically (for
capacities >3 tons/day) employs the Claude cycle with a liquid nitrogen bath and a heat exchanger. 7
As the warm hydrogen stream flows through the nitrogen bath, the nitrogen vaporizes, cooling the
hydrogen to approximately 80 K. Subsequently, the hydrogen is further cooled and ultimately liquefied
through the Joule-Thomson expansion process. A second heat exchanger is used to drop the temperature
of the hydrogen stream to approximately 40 K and the hydrogen is eventually expanded again to low
pressure (~1.3 bar) via a throttling process.
During the throttling process, the hydrogen cools to 20 K and partially liquefies. Modern process designs
use catalysts inside the heat exchangers to accelerate the ortho-to-para 8 conversion required for hydrogen
liquefaction. A phase separator vessel separates the liquid from the vapor. The cold vapor is redirected to
the heat exchangers to cool the inlet stream before being recycled back through the process. Figure 1
portrays the process described above.

6
When hydrogen is above its inversion temperature, its temperature increases upon expansion. This phenomenon is
referred to as the Joule Thomson effect.
7
For capacities less than 3 tons/day, a helium Brayton cycle is more economical for cooling than the Claude cycle
due to lower capital costs, though higher energy consumption [7]. Both the Claude cycle and the Brayton cycle use
liquid nitrogen for precooling, but the Brayton cycle uses helium to drive low-cost screw compressors [8].
8
Ortho and para refer to the orientations of the two nuclear spins in the H2 molecule, where ortho is in the same
direction and para in opposite directions. This is significant because normal, gaseous hydrogen is comprised of
approximately 25% para-hydrogen and 75% ortho-hydrogen, whereas liquid hydrogen is over 99% para-hydrogen.
The conversion to para (and liquid) occurs at hydrogen’s boiling point (20 K), but is very slow in the absence of a
catalyst [7].

2
 Figure 1. Joule–Thomson process with liquid nitrogen precooling redrawn based on a figure from
Alekseev (2016).

The theoretical minimum energy requirement to produce liquid hydrogen, in a reversible Carnot process,
is 2.88 kWh/kg, assuming an inlet pressure of 20 bar. 9 Twenty bar is the typical outlet pressure of steam
methane reformers (SMR), which are primarily used to produce hydrogen for current liquefaction plants.
Today’s industrial liquefiers, however, have an energy requirement in the range of 10–20 kWh/kg. In this
DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Record, the Hydrogen Delivery Scenario Analysis Model
(HDSAM) is used to estimate the current capital costs associated with liquefiers of varying capacities.
The range of capacities considered is 6,000 to 200,000 kg/day. For reference, the smallest current U.S.
liquefaction plant has a capacity of about 6,000 kg/day, and the largest a capacity of about 70,000 kg/day
(to date) [9].
HDSAM evaluates the costs of current hydrogen delivery and refueling technologies for various markets
and penetrations of fuel cell electric vehicles, and is updated annually with state-of-the-art performance

9
From HDSAM v3.1, calculated using first principles.

3
and cost data of delivery component technologies. To determine capital costs for hydrogen liquefiers,
HDSAM uses the following formula:
𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼 𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 = 𝑁𝑁 × 1,000,000 × 5.6 × 𝐶𝐶^0.8 × 𝐼𝐼
where,

• 𝑁𝑁 is the number of liquefiers, where each liquefier can be scaled to a capacity of 200,000 kg/day
(i.e., only one liquefier is needed to meet demand of less than 200,000 kg/day).
• 𝐶𝐶 is the liquefier design capacity in MT/day; 5.6 × 𝐶𝐶^0.8 is the curve that best fits the data points
(cost estimates) collected from various sources for different liquefier capacities.
• 𝐼𝐼 is the overall Chemical Engineering Plant Cost Index (I=1.16 for the cost estimates to be
presented in 2016$).10
The following scenario parameters were assumed for the capital cost calculations, selected to represent a
near-term early market scenario.
Table 1. Assumptions in HDSAM to represent an early market scenario.

Liquefier Analysis Period 30 years

Liquefier Lifetime 40 years
Liquefier Discount Rate 7% 11
Production Volume for Cost Estimates Low
Federal Tax Rate 21%

The total land cost 12 is assumed to be $12.35/m2. Land costs vary depending on location. The average
land cost estimate, used here, was vetted by industry. Owner’s costs 13 are assumed to be 12% of the
installed liquefier capital cost. The total capital investment is the sum of installed liquefier capital cost,
total land cost, and owner’s costs.
The model results for early market liquefier capital investment are presented in the following figures.
Figure 2 shows the total capital investment for hydrogen liquefiers range from $30 million to $490
million for capacities ranging from 6,000 kg/day to 200,000 kg/day, respectively. The trend is
approximately linear. On the other hand, the capital investment per kg/day of capacity decreases as
capacity increases. The reduction in capital investment by capacity, however, experiences diminishing
returns with increases in capacity. For example, the cost per capacity decreases by 14% from 50,000 to
100,000 kg/day, but only by 8% from 100,000 to 150,000 kg/day.

10
Includes cost of land associated with liquefier plant. Land costs do not include cost of SMR or liquid hydrogen
terminal.
11
7% represents the “marginal pretax rate of return on an average investment in the private sector in recent years.”
Source: U.S. Office of Management and Budget,
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/circulars/A94/a094.pdf
12
The land cost in HDSAM is based on a national average. The cost of land is small relative to other costs and, thus,
has a small impact on the levelized cost of hydrogen.
13
An owner’s cost factor is applied for large investments to account for the funds necessary for additional owner’s
engineering, potential construction debt origination and closure fees, and due diligence studies. The 12% estimate is
based on construction experience, as stated in HDSAM.

4
 Total Capital Investment of Liquefier by Capacity
$600 $6,000

Millions

Total Capital Investment per kg/day

Total Capital Investment $500 $5,000
$400 $4,000
$300 $3,000

Capacity
$200 $2,000
$100 $1,000
$0 $0
0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000
Liquefier Capacity (kg/day)

Total Capital Investment (2016$) Cost per kg/day

Figure 2. HDSAM results for the total capital investment of hydrogen liquefiers in an early market
scenario. Results are presented in 2016$.

HDSAM estimates that the capital investment required for a 27,000 kg/day liquefier (comparable to the
size announced publicly) would be about $100 million. Including capital for hydrogen production and a
liquid terminal increases the capital cost to $160 million. This data demonstrates that model results from
H2A and HDSAM are conservative and within 7% of industry estimates. The following section describes
the methodology used to estimate capital cost for an entire liquid hydrogen supply chain, which includes
hydrogen distribution and dispensing.
Figure 3 shows the liquefier capital cost contribution to the levelized cost of hydrogen with liquid
delivery. The capital cost contribution of the liquefier tends to decrease as capacity increases, particularly
when capacity is over 10,000 kg/day. The capital contribution is ~$1.40/kg for a liquefier with capacity of
27,000 kg/day. Additional recurring costs (e.g., electricity) result in an overall levelized cost of ~$2.75/kg
total for a 27,000 kg/day liquefier. It is important to note that there are other distribution costs incurred,
which are associated with the terminal and tankers used to distribute liquid hydrogen to the stations.
The capital contribution of hydrogen production via SMR to levelized cost of hydrogen is approximately
$0.10/kg, and overall levelized cost of SMR is $2.24/kg; the levelized cost of production is highly
dependent on the price of natural gas. 14 Figure 3 shows the calculated liquefaction energy requirement,
which is also estimated to decrease with scale. 15

14
The capital cost contribution of SMR to the levelized cost of hydrogen also decreases as capacity increases (from
$0.12/kg at 27,000 kg/day to $0.09/kg at 100,000 kg/day).
15
This is consistent with the energy requirement range given by Ohlig and Decker (2013) [9].

5
 Average Liquefier Energy Requirement by Capacity
$1.44 14
$1.42 12
2016$/kg
$1.40 10

kWh/kg
8
$1.38
6
$1.36 4
$1.34 2
$1.32 0
0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000
Liquefier Capacity (kg/day)

Capital Cost Contribution to the Liquefier Share of Real Levelized Delivered Hydrogen
Cost ($(2016)/kg)
Calculated Average Energy Requirement (kWh/kg)

Figure 3. HDSAM results for (i) the liquefier capital cost contribution to levelized cost of hydrogen
in an early market scenario (2016$) and (ii) the calculated average liquefier energy requirement
(kWh/kg).

II. Liquid Hydrogen Supply Chain Cost Estimation

The majority of hydrogen production today occurs via natural gas reforming (i.e., SMR). In some states,
industry is required to increase the renewable gas content of the hydrogen they produce, rather than rely
solely on SMR. Industrial gas companies can increase the renewable content of their hydrogen through
several approaches, including acquisition of biogas credits.
Below is an estimate of capital cost, operating expenses, and resulting prices for a vertically integrated
liquefaction supply chain. This supply chain consists of hydrogen production, liquefaction, truck terminal,
liquid truck delivery, and 350-kg/day liquid delivery retail refueling stations. These values were derived
using the H2A model for production and HDSAM 16 for liquefaction, terminal, trucking, and retail
stations. Lastly, the Hydrogen Financial Analysis Scenario Tool (H2FAST) was used to integrate the
financial performance of the supply chain and to estimate the associated dispensed hydrogen cost.
Table 2 describes the capital costs associated with a 27,000 kg/day liquid hydrogen plant, including the
associated terminal and SMR plant. The entire facility is modeled to cost $160 million; for reference, the
industry estimate for the required capital investment for a facility of this size is $150 million. To transport
and dispense this amount of hydrogen, it is estimated that at least nine tractors with liquid trailers will be
needed. 17 This quantity of hydrogen could supply seventy-nine 350-kg/day refueling stations; 350-kg/day
reflects the current typical size of California stations with liquid hydrogen delivery. However, it is

16
HDSAM accounts for boil-off losses during storage at the terminal and station. All HDSAM assumptions can be
found in the model available at https://hdsam.es.anl.gov/index.php?content=hdsam.
17
The maximum capacity of liquid tankers is approximately 4,000 kg, and is limited by DOT restrictions on the
allowable weight and dimensions of tankers. The number of liquid tankers also depends on the distances that the
tankers are expected to travel. If a conventional liquefaction plant were assumed, rather than one exclusively
supplying local (100 km radius) hydrogen fueling station demand, tankers would be expected to travel several
hundreds of kilometers one-way; in that case, about 15–20 tankers would be expected to serve the plant instead.

6
important to note that liquefaction plants are not currently dedicated exclusively to fueling stations. Cost
estimates for hydrogen delivery and dispensing from seventy-nine (79) 350-kg/day fueling stations are
provided in Table 3, purely for context.
Table 2. Capital cost estimates for a 27,000 kg/day liquefaction plant (results are in 2018$)
Equipment Capital cost, 2018$ % of total Data source
Natural gas reformer $ 32,000,000 20% H2A
Liquefaction $ 104,000,000 65% HDSAM
Terminal total capital $ 24,000,000 15% HDSAM
Total capital cost $ 160,000,000 100%

Table 3. Capital cost estimates for the delivery and dispensing of 27,000 kg/day liquid hydrogen
(results are in 2018$)

Equipment Number of units Capital cost, 2018$ Data source

Tractors and trailers 9 each $ 10,000,000 HDSAM
350-kg/day stations 79 $ 181,000,000 HDSAM
Total capital cost $ 191,000,000

Figure 4 describes the breakdown of the total supply chain capital costs. Within the complete supply
chain, the liquefaction plant represents approximately 45% of the capital investment for light-duty vehicle
retail fueling. The capital costs of the refueling stations represent the majority of the supply chain cost, at
just over 50% of the total capital cost. Increasing station capacity would reduce the number of stations
needed and result in a lower total capital cost.

Breakdown of Liquid Hydrogen Supply Chain Capital Costs

9%

51%
46% 30%

7%

3%
LH2 Delivery: Tractors & trailers Dispensing : 350-kg/day stations
LH2 Production: Natural gas reformer LH2 Production: Liquefaction
LH2 Production: Terminal total capital

Figure 4. Breakdown of total liquid hydrogen supply chain capital costs to support
27,000 kg/day production.

7
III. Case Study: Liquid Hydrogen Supply Chain Cost Estimation for California Market
Additional analysis was performed for the above supply chain for the urban California market. 18 As such,
energy costs for natural gas, electricity, and diesel were calibrated to California values. 19 A renewable
natural gas premium of $2/MMBtu was added to all natural gas used in the plant. 20 This premium is
assumed to be sufficient to secure natural gas credits from renewable sources such as landfill gas or
anaerobic digester gas to address California-specific regulations. The breakdown of capital and operating
costs, as well as competitive value estimates, are shown in Figure 5.
This analysis yields a profited cost of hydrogen production of $2.24/kg. Liquefaction and terminal
profited costs are $2.75/kg and $0.39/kg, respectively, for a plant-gate hydrogen cost of $5.38/kg.
Delivery via liquid trucks adds $0.68/kg to the cost of hydrogen and retail station costs add another
$8.18/kg for a total dispensed profited cost of $14.24. Note that the largest cost component in the supply
chain is the retail station. This is largely due to the relatively small modelled size of 350-kg/day, slow
utilization growth (5 years), and equipment analysis period of 10 years.
A sensitivity analysis was performed to explore the cost reductions associated with assuming a larger
station size. In a case with 1,000-kg/day hydrogen refueling stations, the number of liquid delivery trucks
decreases. The reduction in the number of delivery trucks also reduces operating costs due to: (i) less
travel and off-load time, (ii) less labor hours required, and (iii) slightly less fuel consumed. Larger
stations also means that fewer are required; in this case, twenty-eight (28) 1,000-kg/day stations as
opposed to seventy-nine (79) 350-kg/day stations. As a result, the station contribution to the levelized cost
of hydrogen decreases by greater than $3/kg. As hydrogen infrastructure expands, larger and more
economical stations would significantly reduce the cost contribution for retail stations.

18
Analysis used Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim to quantify energy costs and truck delivery distances. In a case
where delivery distance is increased by ~200 miles to account for remote production, the number of delivery trucks
would increase from 9 to 14, and diesel and labor expense would also increase, resulting in an increase in the
levelized cost of dispensed H2 cost of $0.25/kg.
19
U.S. Energy Information Administration, https://www.eia.gov/
20
The cost of natural gas assumes the use of approximately 33% renewable natural gas, as this is one approach to
compliance with California Senate Bill 1505. Senate Bill 1505 requires that 33% of hydrogen fuel dispensed at retail
stations co-funded by the State from renewable sources. The premium for California was estimated to be up to
$2.00/mmBTU to achieve the 33% renewable requirement [10]. It is important to note that this requirement can also
be met through other methods, and that fueling stations located in other states may not be subject to this requirement
at all. The use of renewable natural gas (RNG) will depend on the market being targeted by the liquefaction plant.
Further, this analysis is focused on current scenarios, and thus does not consider future scenarios with higher
renewable requirements.

8
 $14.24
$14

$13

Levelized value (2018$/kg)

$12

$11

Sta ti ons
$10 $8.18/kg

$9

$8

$7
Electricity
Natural gas & RNG premium
Diesel $6 $6.06
Trucki ng
Hydrogen boil-off loss $0.68/kg
Termi nal $5.38
Maintenance $0.39/kg
$5 $4.99
Replacement capital
Labor
$4
General and administrative Li quefaction
Other op. costs 2.75/kg

Cash on hand reserve $3

Property, tax and insurance
Licensing & permitting $2.24
$2
Income taxes payable
Capital Production
Equity financing $1 $2.24/kg

$0
Production Liquefaction Terminal Trucking Stations Total

Figure 5. H2FAST supply chain financial analysis results for vertically integrated infrastructure in
California. Values are reported in 2018$. Analysis assumes low volume of manufacturing of all
components, 90% production utilization, 80% station utilization within 5 years, 21 and 7% rate of return.
Stations are 350 kg/day with LH2 truck delivery using cryogenic pump compression and dispensing at
700-bar for the light-duty vehicle market.

21
Utilization rates vary widely from station to station. While it is assumed that an 80% utilization in 5 years is
feasible, not all real-world stations are expected to achieve this level of growth. The utilization rate achieved per
station will significantly affect the overall levelized cost of hydrogen fueling.

9
References
[1] Elgowainy, A. “Techno-economic Tools to Simulate the Costs of Hydrogen Infrastructure
Technologies.” Fuel Cell Technologies Office Webinar (2018).
https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2018/02/f49/fcto_webinarslides_tea_models_hdsam_hdrsa
m_022718.pdf
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the supply of Hydrogen energy markets.” November 26, 2018.
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plant-dedicated-supply-hydrogen-energy-markets
[3] Praxair. “Praxair to Build New Liquid Hydrogen Plant in La Porte, Texas.” November 7, 2018.
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[4] Air Products. “Air Products to Build World-Scale Liquid Hydrogen Plant at its La Porte, Texas
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air-products-to-build-world-scale-liquid-hydrogen-plant-at-laporte-texas-facility.aspx
[5] Air Products. “Air Products to Build Second Liquid Hydrogen Production Facility in California.”
January 7, 2019. http://www.airproducts.com/Company/news-center/2019/01/0107-air-products-to-
build-second-liquid-hydrogen-productions-facility-in-california.aspx
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