Humboldt State’s concept for a drop-in hydrogen fueling station first gained attention in the scientific community when the design was presented last spring, along with proposals submitted by teams representing universities from seven countries. Since then, momentum has built, culminating in the webinar’s wider audience. An audio/slide recording of the session will be available soon on the Hydrogen Student Design Contest website.
“Industry professionals have already reached out to our team, asking for some clarifying points,” said Julian Quick, HSU Environmental Resources Engineering student and team member. “Because of this competition, I’m now interested in a career in the hydrogen industry.”
Humboldt State Mobile Hydrogen Fueling Station Design Proposal
The 2014 award recipients have revitalized HSU’s history of recognition through competition. In 2004, HSU’s student team created the university’s first contest entry, a design of a stationary hydrogen refueling station that earned third place. In 2005, another HSU team submitted the grand-prize winning design of a hydrogen power park—a facility that produces transportation grade hydrogen, industrial grade hydrogen, electricity, and process heat.
One of that team’s participants was Douglas Saucedo, who along with nine other students saw their idea become reality when it led to the 2008 creation of the Schatz Energy Research Centers’ hydrogen fueling facility on the HSU campus. Saucedo, a 2005 Environmental Resources Engineering graduate, currently serves as a lecturer in the ERE department and is the current student design team’s advisor.
“The students must consider the environmental safety, social, and economic implications of their design,” Saucedo said. “This competition really provides opportunities for students to get involved in the work of rolling out hydrogen infrastructure—from engineering to marketing.”
Key to getting back into competition this year was the efforts of the Renewable Energy Student Union, a group spearheaded by Quick, who serves as president. The group’s research efforts will be recognized again when its paper, “Design of a Mobile Hydrogen Fueling Station for a Gaseous Hydrogen Supply Chain,” is published in the “International Journal of Hydrogen Education,” a rare accomplishment for undergraduate students.
Along with Solomon Clark, Andy Eggink, and Matthew Nyberg, Quick detailed the team’s design during the Department of Energy webinar, breaking down information including storage, cooling, safety factors and costs. The project focused on using technology and off-the-shelf components that would allow the facility to be built immediately.
Another member of the award-winning team was Matthew Collins, who also helped create Thursday’s presentation. Also participating in the project were team leader Luke Halonen, Akira Brathwaite, Kevin Brenes-Melger, Grant Goddard, Lori Jones, and Arrow Walker.
“As an energy-focused Environmental Resources Engineering student, I was waiting for such an opportunity to come around, but energy based-competitions are few and far between,” Halonen said. The common competitions for engineering students are in wastewater treatment or mathematical modeling. So when the Hydrogen Student Design Contest was announced I was eager to contribute and take the reigns.”
“Students who participate in the competition are exposed to the real-world challenges involved in designing, siting, and permitting hydrogen infrastructure,” Saucedo said.
“Following this competition, we’re all enthusiastic about the future of the hydrogen industry,” Quick told Thursday’s audience.
Next year’s contest features the theme “Development of Innovative Hydrogen Fueling State Business and Financing Models.” Quick said an HSU team is actively recruiting members to work on a submission.