Reforming Of Natural Gas Research Articles

Comparative Hydrogen Production Routes via Steam Methane Reforming and Chemical Looping Reforming of Natural Gas as Feedstock

Hydrogen production is essential in the transition to sustainable energy. This study examines two hydrogen production routes, steam methane reforming (SMR) and chemical looping reforming (CLR), both using raw natural gas as feedstock. SMR, the most commonly used industrial process, involves reacting methane with steam to produce hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. In contrast, CLR uses a metal oxide as an oxygen carrier to facilitate hydrogen production without generating additional carbon dioxide. Simulations conducted using Aspen HYSYS analyzed each method’s performance and energy consumption. The results show that SMR achieved 99.98% hydrogen purity, whereas CLR produced 99.97% purity. An energy analysis revealed that CLR requires 31% less energy than SMR, likely due to the absence of low- and high-temperature water–gas shift units. Overall, the findings suggest that CLR offers substantial advantages over SMR, including lower energy consumption and the production of cleaner hydrogen, free from carbon dioxide generated during the water–gas shift process.

The importance of both catalyst and process design in unlocking sustainable carbon feedstocks through syngas

As part of its move towards net zero, the chemical industry, over time, will transition away from fossil-based chemical feedstocks towards more sustainable, ‘green’ carbon—biomass, recycled waste and captured carbon dioxide. One gateway to transforming these feedstocks into the vital chemicals and fuels society relies on is via synthesis gas or ‘syngas’—a gaseous mixture of chemical building blocks (H 2 , CO and CO 2 ). While today the majority of syngas is produced via steam reforming of natural gas, commercially available technologies are enabling syngas production and transformation from sustainable feedstocks. The optimization of sustainable syngas technologies would not be possible without the integrated development of both catalyst and process technology and the associated skills in chemistry and chemical engineering. This paper covers three example technologies that are unlocking the role of syngas as a gateway to sustainable fuels and chemicals and highlights the innovative developments in catalyst and process design that have enabled their optimization and commercialization. This article is part of the discussion meeting issue ‘Green carbon for the chemical industry of the future’.

Bimetallic Ni‐Co Supported on Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Nanotubes For Prox Reaction

AbstractHydrogen is a key component for a successful energy transition on a large scale since it boasts remarkable energy efficiency. Currently, H2 is mainly obtained through steam reforming of natural gas or hydrocarbons and low‐carbon alcohols but contains approximately 2 % CO, a contaminant detrimental to H2 fuel cells. Herein, an N‐doped carbon nanotube was prepared via the soft nitriding method to support nickel and cobalt for the PROX‐CO as the main reaction for hydrogen purification. The most efficient condition was achieved when the reaction temperature reached 250 °C and the Ni and Co loading rate was 7.5 %. In this situation, the CO2 selectivity reached almost 33 %, and CO conversion was 61 %. Regarding CO conversion among bimetallic catalysts at 250 °C a minimal variation occurred and the catalyst 10Ni/N‐CNTs slightly outperformed (64.4 %). The effect of N‐doping on the carbon nanotube's structure was also revealed. Nitrogen atoms incorporated into the lattice of carbon nanotubes impart an electron‐donor character. Consequently, Co oxide reduction to the metallic phase occurred at significantly lower temperatures compared to other supports such as SiO2, Al2O3, and graphene. For the bimetallic catalysts, the strong metal‐support interaction facilitated obtaining different oxide and metallic phases at milder temperatures.

Flexible and synergistic methanol production via biomass gasification and natural gas reforming

Sustainable liquid fuels are essential for decarbonization of various means of transportation which are challenging to address through electrification or hydrogen use. A possible method for producing low-carbon liquid fuel is through the thermochemical biomass to liquid (BTL) process. In this study, we conduct a technoeconomic-environmental analysis of two processes which take advantage of integration of natural gas reforming and biomass gasification, with the objective of improving the economics. By integrating H2-rich syngas (a mixture of H2/CO) obtained from natural gas reforming with carbon-rich syngas from biomass gasification, we harness synergistic effects. This combination allows us to achieve the optimal H2/CO ratio required for methanol synthesis, while also ensuring efficient carbon utilization. In the first design, natural gas is reformed in an autothermal reformer (ATR) to produce syngas. A Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) is utilized to supply the O2 for both gasification and reforming processes. The H2 produced by the SOEC adjusts the H2 content in the syngas before the methanol synthesis reactor. In the second design, natural gas is reformed in a gas-heated-reformer (GHR) before an ATR, while an Air Separation Unit (ASU) produces the O2 for the process. As a benchmark, the economics and flexible operation of both processes are compared to a conventional BTL process. In addition, the techno-economic impact of operating in biomass-only or natural gas-only modes are investigated. For a 134 MWth plant with 50 % of entering carbon from biomass, the levelized cost of methanol (LCOMeOH) of ATR+SOEC case is 34 % higher than the BTL reference case, while that of ATR+GHR case is 24 % lower than the BTL reference case. A lifecycle analysis (LCA) is conducted for these designs. Utilizing renewable electricity and 50 % biogenic carbon, the ATR+SOEC case emits 908 kgCO2e /tonne MeOH for a 100-year Global Warming Potential (GWP), while the ATR+GHR case emits 721 kgCO2e /tonne MeOH. For a 20-year GWP, these emissions are 1055 and 915 kgCO2e /tonne MeOH, respectively. These emissions correspond to more than 50 % reduction in LCA emissions when compared to natural gas based LCA emissions.

Techno-Economic Optimisation of Green and Clean Hydrogen Production

AbstractEnergy is typically generated from fossil fuels, leading to significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, cleaner energy needs to be used to reduce GHG emissions in the energy sector. Hydrogen (H2) is identified as a potential resource suitable for replacing fossil fuels as H2 burns with oxygen to produce water (H2O) and generates no emissions as a result of this. However, H2 is normally produced through steam reforming of natural gas, which is a fossil fuel. Clean H2 can be produced if its derived from renewable pathways, such as solar powered water electrolysis, gasification of biomass, etc. However, determining a feasible renewable pathway is challenging. In addition, storage of H2 is another challenge as the energy density of H2 is considerably low. To increase the energy density, H2 must stored at high pressure and low temperature. This causes high storing costs for H2 before being transported to the end-users and high energy consumption requirements. H2 production from renewable sources is also lower in efficiency when compared with conventional production technology. Thus, it is critical to develop a systematic optimisation tool to analyse and optimise the production of clean H2 to overcome the abovementioned challenges. This work presents an optimisation model to optimise the production of clean H2 based on total annualised cost, yield, efficiency, storage and energy consumption of each technology. To illustate the proposed model, a case study with several scenarios, such as an economically feasible and clean H2 process and optimal H2 production and storage technologies in terms of energy consumption, is solved.

Achieving net-zero U.S. ammonia: Technology and policy options and their emissions, investment, and cost tradeoffs

Ammonia production is responsible for around 35% of the CO2 emissions associated with the global chemical sector. In this study, a bottom-up model with high technical and economic resolution is implemented to assess potential least-cost pathways to achieve a net-zero U.S. ammonia industry by 2050. Results indicate that natural gas reformers equipped with carbon capture technologies may play a key role in decarbonizing U.S. ammonia production in the near term, while water electrolysis will be required in the long term to achieve net-zero emissions. Technical improvements and cost reductions in electrolyzers and lower-cost renewable electricity will be needed to accelerate the adoption of water electrolysis. Furthermore, two key policy interventions were investigated (carbon pricing and production tax credits) and were found to hold significant potential for accelerating low-carbon ammonia production technologies and for further reducing the cumulative carbon emissions. The methodology and analyses presented in this study provide important insights into available transition pathways to decarbonized U.S. ammonia production, providing fundamental insights for policy makers on required actions and investments to achieve the net-zero emissions targets.

Energy Consumption and Saved Emissions of a Hydrogen Power System for Ultralight Aviation: A Case Study

The growing concern about climate change and the contemporary increase in mobility requirements call for faster, cheaper, safer, and cleaner means of transportation. The retrofitting of fossil-fueled piston engine ultralight aerial vehicles to hydrogen power systems is an option recently proposed in this direction. The goal of this investigation is a comparative analysis of the environmental impact of conventional and hydrogen-based propulsive systems. As a case study, a hybrid electric configuration consisting of a fuel cell with a nominal power of about 30 kW, a 6 kWh LFP battery, and a pressurized hydrogen vessel is proposed to replace a piston prop configuration for an ultralight aerial vehicle. Both power systems are modeled with a backward approach that allows the efficiency of the main components to be evaluated based on the load and altitude at every moment of the flight with a time step of 1 s. A typical 90 min flight mission is considered for the comparative analysis, which is performed in terms of direct and indirect emissions of carbon dioxide, water, and pollutant substances. For the hydrogen-based configuration, two possible strategies are adopted for the use of the battery: charge sustaining and charge depleting. Moreover, the effect of the altitude on the parasitic power of the fuel cell compressor and, consequently, on the net efficiency of the fuel cell system is taken into account. The results showed that even if the use of hydrogen confines the direct environmental impact to the emission of water (in a similar quantity to the fossil fuel case), the indirect emissions associated with the production, transportation, and delivery of hydrogen and electricity compromise the desired achievement of pollutant-free propulsion in terms of equivalent emissions of CO2 and VOCs if hydrogen is obtained from natural gas reforming. However, in the case of green hydrogen from electrolysis with wind energy, the total (direct and indirect) emissions of CO2 can be reduced up to 1/5 of the fossil fuel case. The proposed configuration has the additional advantage of eliminating the problem of lead, which is used as an additive in the AVGAS 100LL.

Towards zero carbon hydrogen: Co-production of photovoltaic electrolysis and natural gas reforming with CCS

Although low emission hydrogen has the prospect of huge growth in the future, the cost challenge hinders the deployment and makes it weak in the global market share. Green hydrogen has the advantage of zero carbon emission and has achieved rapid development with the support of renewable energy. Limited by investment, electricity and technology, the large-scale application of green hydrogen faces challenges in the short term. Blue hydrogen comes from natural gas reforming, and its output is guaranteed. However, its production reaction requires high energy consumption and additional carbon emission treatment, resulting in insufficient sustainability. To solve the problem of high-efficiency and large-scale production of low emission hydrogen, a hydrogen co-production scheme combining photovoltaic electrolysis and natural gas reforming with CCS was proposed in this study. Electrolytic hydrogen production, natural gas autothermal reforming, CO2 sequestration and saline purification in the cogeneration hydrogen production system are coupled by energy and materials such as electricity, O2, CO2 and water. The scheme is applied in Sichuan-Chongqing region to verify the feasibility and effectiveness. The results show that the proposed hydrogen co-production scheme can achieve cost reduction of up to 16.4%, and has long-term development prospects.

Natural gas reforms in India: analysis of the neoteric approach towards environment sustainability

Abstract: Wars in Europe and Middle East has posed serious challenges for developing economies like India and other South East Asian nations in terms of energy fulfilment and energy security. Evolving policy approach of exploring other energy reserves has become imminent than ever before. The Government of India, accordingly, has approved the ‘Natural Gas Marketing Reforms’ with a major objective to move towards Gas-based economy. The consumption of natural gas in India presently is hovering around 6% gradually moving upwards. Whereas, the Government of India has set an ambitious target of reaching 15% by 2030. The statutory framework in India for the upstream sector was established back in the year 1948 with Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Act, and Rules framed thereunder. Whereas, for the Downstream sector an established framework is already in place through the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006. The recent policy shift by the Government of India through Natural Gas Marketing Reforms, is move towards gas based economy and it arose out of the obligations imposed under the Paris Agreement. The Government of India ratified the Agreement which obligates members to reduce carbon emissions by the year 2030, by meeting energy requirements with renewables and natural gas. European energy consumption trend offers an insight on further reducing carbon emissions, as approximately 23% of Europe’s energy comes through natural gas. Excessive emissions from burning of coal and petroleum products, depleting fossil reserves and abundant gas reserves provide an opportunity for growing economies to shift from coal-based to gas-based economies. This requires augmentation and expansion of natural gas supply, distribution and uninterrupted global supplies and a rationale policy framework. The focus of the article is two-pronged, focusing on the impact of the Natural Gas Marketing Reforms as a policy and the Environmental and health concerns relevant from this perspective. Resumen: Las guerras en Europa y Oriente Medio han planteado serios retos a las economías en desarrollo como India y otras naciones del Sudeste Asiático en términos de satisfacción energética y seguridad energética. El planteamiento político de explorar otras reservas energéticas se ha hecho más inminente que nunca. En consecuencia, el Gobierno de India ha aprobado las “Reformas de comercialización del gas natural” con el objetivo principal de avanzar hacia una economía basada en el gas. El consumo de gas natural en India se sitúa actualmente en torno al 6%, con un aumento gradual. Sin embargo, el Gobierno indio se ha fijado el ambicioso objetivo de alcanzar el 15% en 2030. El marco legal en India para el sector upstream se estableció en el año 1948 con la Ley de Yacimientos Petrolíferos (Regulación y Desarrollo) y sus normas. Mientras que para el sector Downstream ya existe un marco establecido a través de la Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006. El reciente cambio de política por parte del Gobierno de India a través de las Reformas de Comercialización del Gas Natural, se mueve hacia una economía basada en el gas y surgió de las obligaciones impuestas en virtud del Acuerdo de París. El Gobierno de India ratificó el Acuerdo, que obliga a los miembros a reducir las emisiones de carbono para el año 2030, cubriendo las necesidades energéticas con energías renovables y gas natural. La tendencia del consumo energético europeo ofrece una perspectiva para seguir reduciendo las emisiones de carbono, ya que aproximadamente el 23% de la energía de Europa procede del gas natural. Las emisiones excesivas derivadas de la combustión de carbón y derivados del petróleo, el agotamiento de las reservas fósiles y las abundantes reservas de gas brindan a las economías en crecimiento la oportunidad de pasar de economías basadas en el carbón a economías basadas en el gas. Para ello es necesario aumentar y ampliar la oferta de gas natural, su distribución y suministro mundial ininterrumpido y un marco político racional. El artículo se centra en dos aspectos: el impacto de las reformas de la comercialización del gas natural como política y las cuestiones medioambientales y sanitarias pertinentes desde esta perspectiva.

Numerical analysis of transport phenomena in a steam reforming reactor with optimal multi-segments catalyst distribution

The contemporary industrial trends pursue alternative energy sources, to substitute fossil fuels. The current direction is induced by concerns regarding exhausting natural resources and the environmental impact of the technologies rising globally. Conventional technologies have a dominant share of the current energy market. The most crucial issue with current technology is the emission of greenhouse gases and their negative impact on climate. One of the possible approaches to limit the issue of emissions is the steam reforming of natural gas, leading to the production of hydrogen. Fuel cells are a robust technology, able to conduct a catalytic conversion of hydrogen and oxygen, for the direct production of electrical energy. Fuel cells are one of the most environment-friendly technologies to this day, as their exhaust gases mostly consist of steam. Currently, almost 50% of the hydrogen produced is acquired via hydrocarbons reforming. The process described in the presented analysis occurs between methane and steam. The presented numerical analysis regards small-scale reactors, which are more suitable when it comes to the processing of distributed or stranded resources for hydrogen production To optimize the small-scale unit’s performance, the macro-patterning strategy is introduced. Steam reforming has a strong endothermic character and tends to produce unfavorable thermal conditions. The process enhancement is acquired by introducing non-catalytic regions to the catalytic insert geometry. The non-catalytic segments are introduced to suppress the reaction locally, decreasing the magnitude of temperature gradients. Unification of the temperature distribution is proven to increase the reforming’s effectiveness. The presented analysis introduces a new approach to the catalytic insert division, to investigate if a complete temperature field unification is possible. The catalytic insert is simultaneously divided along the reactor’s radius and length, resulting in a set of concentric rings, placed along the reactor’s axis. The calculations are conducted using in-house numerical procedure, coupled with a genetic algorithm. The algorithm optimizes the process effectiveness by modification of the segment’s alignment and porosity.

Simulation of dimethyl ether production as LPG substitute using LNG from Arun terminal with tri-reforming and direct synthesis method

Increased demand for LNG compels Indonesia to import to meet these needs. Substituting LNG with alternative fuel emerges as a strategy to reduce LPG imports. One such alternative can be used for LPG substitution is Dimethyl Ether. Dimethyl ether is a colorless compound possesses a heating value of 30,5 MJ/kg and an energy equivalency with LPG ranging between 1,56 – 1,76. Dimethyl ether can be directly synthesized from synthetic gas produced through natural gas reforming. Production of synthetic gas from natural gas employs the tri-reforming method which integrating steam reforming, dry reforming, and partial oxidation methods in a single reactor offering optimal energy utilization advantages and minimal environmental impact. Dimethyl ether production from synthetic gas is using direct synthesis method, combining methanol synthesis and dehydration in a single reactor providing high conversion advantages compared to indirect synthesis method. Simulation was carried out using process simulator program ASPEN Plus V11. Based on the simulation results, dimethyl ether yield and selectivity is 99.62%.

An overview of hydrogen production via reforming from natural gas

Purpose. To provide an extensive analysis of hydrogen production and the major benefits as well as challenges in the hydrogen production from natural gas. Methodology. The systematic review approach was used in this study. The first stage in a holistic evaluation is to find related significant works and specific concepts, and then apply them to search phrases and syntax. A thorough search is implemented in the Web of Science, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Scopus databases in the English language. Moreover, the publication time of the papers is also limited in the period from 2010 to September 2023. Findings. The literature review revealed that natural gas reforming is the most prevalent technique for producing hydrogen. The obtained results also showed that the approach based on automatic thermal reforming is less common than the one that uses natural gas to create hydrogen by steam reforming. Additionally, natural gas steam reforming has the most harmful environmental influences with regard to abiotic degradation, potential global warming, and other influence types. Originality. This analysis offers an in-depth overview of how hydrogen is produced from natural gas as well as the benefits and limitations of the reforming method for producing hydrogen. Practical value. From the literature review, it was found that the current preferred method for creating hydrogen is steam natural gas reforming. In addition, this review provides a comprehensive and useful resource for study, scientific advancement, and advancement in the disciplines of creating hydrogen.

CO2 Capture and Enhanced Hydrogen Production Enabled by Low-Temperature Separation of PSA Tail Gas: A Detailed Exergy Analysis

Hydrogen from natural gas reforming can be produced efficiently with a high CO2 capture rate. This can be achieved through oxygen-blown autothermal reforming as the core technology, combined with pressure-swing adsorption for hydrogen purification and refrigeration-based tail gas separation for CO2 capture and recirculation of residual hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane. The low-temperature tail gas separation section is presented in detail. The main objective of the paper is to study and quantify the exergy efficiency of this separation process in detail. To achieve this, a detailed exergy analysis is conducted. The irreversibilities in 42 different process components are quantified. In order to provide transparent verification of the consistency of exergy calculations, the total irreversibility rate is calculated by two independent approaches: Through the bottom-up approach, all individual irreversibilities are added to obtain the total irreversibility rate. Through the top-down approach, the total irreversibility rate is calculated solely by the exergy flows crossing the control volume boundaries. The consistency is verified as the comparison of results obtained by the two methods shows a relative deviation of 4·10−7. The exergy efficiency of the CO2 capture process is calculated, based on two different definitions. Both methods give a baseline exergy efficiency of 58.38%, which indicates a high degree of exergy utilisation in the process.

Intensification of a microbial electrolysis cell for biohydrogen production

Hydrogen can be the fuel of the future, and there are multiple approaches for its production and storage. Most hydrogen production comes from non-renewable sources, primarily natural gas reforming, which is efficient but unsustainable. Microbial electrolysis cells (MEC) are alternative developing technologies that exploit conductor-like properties of electrogenic bacteria to both oxidize organic contaminants and get protons reduced in a cathode, thus producing hydrogen. Here, the aim is to design a model-based optimization framework to intensify the MEC efficiency. The constructed process model is proposed by considering transport phenomena, microbial kinetics, and a secondary current distribution model to estimate steady-state reactor performance and electrical efficiency. The results show a value of 25 % for electrical efficiency as hydrogen recovered. Global sensitivity analysis was performed and determined a strong dependency on inlet liquid velocity, and a built-in, gradient-free optimization algorithm was implemented to the model to maximize electrical efficiency under a defined range of inlet liquid velocity, inlet substrate concentration, and applied voltage. The proposed model predicts a maximum increase of efficiency of about 267 % by increasing inlet velocity and substrate concentration. Intensification of the cell's performance can be greatly achieved when halving hydraulic retention time and by having a more concentrated feed.

Risk Identification and Safety Technology for Hydrogen Production from Natural Gas Reforming

AbstractThe hydrogen production from natural gas has advantages of low investment, low carbon emission, and high hydrogen production rate. This paper briefly describes the technical overview of hydrogen production from natural gas reforming and identifies its risk factors. According to the dangerous characteristics of high reaction temperature, easy leakage of reaction medium, flammability, and explosion in the process, the intrinsic safety of the process is discussed in combination with relevant research and industrial experience. The safety requirements of key equipment and materials are introduced in detail, followed by the optimization methods of process safety that can be taken in the engineering process. Besides, the accident prevention measures for emergency shutdown and fire explosion are summarized. Finally, the future research demands are put forward from the perspective of research and development, which is instructive for the safe hydrogen production from natural gas in the future.

Investment of hydrogen refueling station based on compound real options

As the development of hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) is key to the hydrogen industry, it is necessary to study the investment feasibility for potential investors in order to stimulate its investment. We view the HRS investment as a two-stage decision-making process, distinguishing characteristics of off-site HRS from those of on-site HRS. Investors can first decide whether or when to invest in an off-site HRS, and then can accordingly decide whether or when to upgrade from an existing off-site HRS to an on-site HRS, by retrofitting off-site HRS with on-site hydrogen production device. We select natural gas reforming as the technology of on-site hydrogen production device, not only because natural gas reforming is cheaper and maturer, but also because this type of retrofit has been applied in a real case. Since the investment in HRS entails multiple uncertainties, we use a compound real options approach for conducting an appraisal of HRS investment. Accordingly, we use the Chinese case to present a new perspective to the sequential analysis of HRS investment decision-making. Four various scenarios are set for a case study, including one benchmark scenario reflecting the current Chinese hydrogen policies, and three comparative scenarios reflecting potentially improved policies, such as increasing operational subsidy, implementing preferential taxation and stimulating demand. The results show the current scenario is not beneficial to invest in HRS building on the proposed analytical framework and the data collected from the case of China. Furthermore, the increase in demand plays the leading role in improving the probability of HRS investment, followed by the implementation of preferential taxation and increasing operational subsidies. Additionally, the on-site HRS shows its superiority over off-site HRS, because all scenarios suggest upgrading to on-site HRS should be executed immediately once the initial off-site HRS is constructed. Therefore, in the context of Chinese hydrogen market and the selected on-site technology of natural gas reforming, it is necessary to create a more favorable business environment for the layout of on-site HRS.

Hydrogen: Properties and its Sustainable Potential

This paper analyzes the thermal properties of hydrogen and its potential as a clean and sustainable energy source. Hydrogen possesses unique characteristics, such as low activation energy, a wide flammability range, high diffusion speed, low density, and high thermal conductivity, all governed by various physical laws. These properties make hydrogen promising for technological and energy applications, with significant implications in terms of safety, economy, and sustainability. In Table 1, we identify the physical and chemical laws that are analyzed and their practical implications for its use in various energy applications, discussing aspects such as storage and safe handling. In Table 2, we indicate the typical values of hydrogen that would allow its use to be optimized and its efficiency maximized in transport, storage, and combustion, mitigating safety and infrastructure risks. In Table 3, we describe the current technologies for hydrogen production, storage, and use, which include methods such as electrolysis, natural gas reforming, and different storage techniques (cryogenic, high pressure, etc.). Subsequently, we identified that the technological influence of hydrogen depends on the nature of its properties, being key factors for optimizing its application and integrating it into a sustainable economy (Table 4). Finally, we indicate the key factors that affect performance and the aspects to optimize to improve the efficiency and viability of hydrogen as a clean energy source, offering a critical assessment of how these properties impact its viability (Table 5). Therefore, hydrogen has emerged as a clean energy source with potential in various sectors, despite the challenges related to safety and infrastructure. A multidisciplinary approach and safety measures are required to maximize its potential and mitigate the risks

The Economic Impact of Natural Gas and Electricity Subsidy Reforms in Bangladesh

The Economic Impact of Natural Gas and Electricity Subsidy Reforms in Bangladesh

Experimental investigation of bio-inspired flow field design for AEM and PEM water electrolyzer cells

Hydrogen is the strongest candidate to become the future fuel of the world to meet net-zero targets while it cannot be found in nature in pure form and the most major occurrence is in water or carbon-based forms. Therefore, external energy is needed to retrieve hydrogen in pure form where natural gas reforming is the most common method for over 90% of hydrogen production worldwide with carbon footprint followed by water electrolysis which is environmentally friendly. As clean methods PEM and AEL electrolysis are mature technologies while AEM takes increased attention with its unique dry cathode technology. This study examines how a nature-influenced (Bioinspired) and a serpentine flow channel design affects PEM electrolyzer and AEM electrolyzer cell functionality. The performance of the electrolyzers is assessed in terms of experimental polarization curves. It was decided to utilize Sustainion® XA-9 Alkaline Ionomer Powder as the ionomer solution and Fumasep FAS-50 as the membrane. The laminar flow analysis is performed using COMSOL Multiphysics. The efficiency of the PEM electrolyzer is 71% with the serpentine flow, while the efficiency is 73% with the biomimetic flow. The efficiency of the AEM water electrolyser is 25% using the same design. The low performance in AEM was interpreted as the inability to distribute the catalyst homogeneously on the membrane surface.

Electrochemical Preparation and Characterization of Gold Coatings on Stainless Steel Bipolar Plates for Corrosion Protection in PEM Electrolyzers

With the increasing demand for CO2 reduction in all industrial sectors, the utilization of renewable energy and a sustainable storage structure plays an essential role to reach a clean energy system. Hydrogen is one of the important elements which can be used as an energy carrier due to its high specific energy density (ca. 40 kWh/kg) and also as a reducing agent in steel production to greatly lower CO2 emissions. Currently, hydrogen is mainly produced via steam reforming of natural gas which produces large amounts of CO2 gas. This can be replaced by a much cleaner process of water electrolysis using a PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) electrolyzer. The projected high demand for PEM electrolyzer stacks urges an industrial scaled-up manufacturing process of the electrolyzer’s components such as the bipolar plates (BPP) and porous transport layers (PTL). To reduce the production costs, an inexpensive base material like stainless steel can be utilized but needs a stable, conductive, and protective thin coating to withstand the highly acidic conditions during electrolysis at the anode.This contribution will discuss recent results on applying a noble metal coating (e. g. Au) to increase surface conductivity and to protect the stainless steel BPP from corrosion. Several electrochemical deposition methods including the pretreatments were investigated to ensure a stable and homogenous coating. Different layer combinations with Ni as an adhesive layer were also tested and compared for their corrosion stability. So far, a single-layer Au coating showed good performance as a protective coating.