Will hydrogen gas become a home cooking fuel?

As it is already being considered for certain heating programs, will it be piped in for cooking too?

Millions of people around the world rely on natural gas piped into their homes as the fuel for their stoves, but will hydrogen gas replace it as the planet decarbonizes?

Cooking with fossil fuels is bad for the environment and people’s health

To help reduce emissions, pollution, and reduced household air pollutants many now wonder if hydrogen gas could function as a safe and realistic alternative to what is currently piped into their homes.

This curiosity has only strengthened as the price of conventional fuels has been skyrocketing in recent years.

Hydrogen gas for cooking at home

There are already several types of design for using hydrogen gas for cooking.  These primarily include those in the form of catalytic H2 combustion cookers, direct H2 combustion cookers, or hybrid systems.

Direct H2 combustion cookers

This type of hydrogen gas cooking system uses a conventional flame combustion design, using H2 as the fuel.  The temperatures produced by this type of system range from 1,200ºC to 2,100ºC (2,192ºF to 3,812ºF). In this type of cooker, the H2 is combined with oxygen from the air. The only emission produced is water vapor.

This type of design differs from a conventional natural gas stove in that it requires a flame arrestor to be built in to stop flashbacks.

Catalytic H2 combustion cookers

Catalytic H2 combustion cookers operate through a complete oxidation reaction (which is a form of flameless combustion) that uses a heterogeneous catalyst and lower temperatures than the direct H2 combustion cookers described above. This form can be safer if only because of its lower temperatures at around 500ºC (932ºF) and because flashbacks are not an issue.

Hybrids

The design and safety of these cookers differ widely, with some involving the use of conventional stoves that run on a mixture of natural and hydrogen gas, and others operate under completely different designs.

Will you use a hydrogen gas stove one day?

Overall, many researchers are pointing to hydrogen gas as an appealing cooking fuel that can be effectively and safely used.  That said, they have also pointed out that before this can become commonplace, new appliance models will need to be developed and tested to ensure that they are indeed appropriate for widespread household use.