H2Tech - Q2 2022 - 5

TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT
H2 PRODUCTION
Capillary-fed electrolysis (CFE)
technology for high
electrolysis efficiency
capillary-fed electrolysis cells exhibit
electrolysis performance exceeding
commercial electrolysis cells, with a
cell voltage at 0.5 A cm−2
and 85°C of
only 1.51 V, equating to 98% energy
efficiency, with an energy consumption
of 40.4 kWh/kg H2
(vs. ~47.5 kWh/kg
in commercial electrolysis cells). The
new technology promises high energy
efficiency, combined with a simplified
balance-of-plant, potentially making
cost-competitive renewable H2
to reality.
closer
" Gold Hydrogen program "
for subsurface
biomanufacturing of H2
of its H2
Hysata's team has published results
electrolyzer technology
research, which confirms its " capillaryfed
electrolysis cell " can produce green
H2
from water at 98% cell energy
efficiency. The high electrolysis efficiency
is well above International Renewable
Energy Agency's (IRENA) 2050 target
and, according to the company, is
significantly better than existing
electrolyzer technologies and likely
to enable H2
production cost well below
AUS$2/kg (US$1.50/kg).
The technology was invented
by scientists at the University of
Wollongong and is now being
commercialized by Hysata, with backing
from IP Group and the Clean Energy
Finance Corporation (CEFC). Hysata is
on a clear pathway to commercialize its
electrolyzer and reach gigawatt (GW)
scale H2
production capacity by 2025.
Hysata says the overall design of
its electrolyzer system is simpler than
existing technologies. The electrolyzer
system is designed for ease of
manufacturing, scaling and installation,
delivering 95% overall system efficiency,
equivalent to 41.5 kWh/kg, compared
to 75% or less for existing electrolyzer
technologies. For H2
producers, this will
significantly reduce both the capital
(CAPEX) and operational (OPEX) costs
to produce green H2
.
The capillary-fed electrolysis
technology involves the supply of water
to H2
- and oxygen-evolving electrodes
via capillary-induced transport along
a porous inter-electrode separator.
The design leads to inherently bubblefree
operation at the electrodes and
hence reduced resistance. Alkaline
The Gold Hydrogen Program, a
coalition of organizations seeking to
support the scale of this clean energy
resource, announced its launch, as well
as the debut of a pilot microbial Gold
Hydrogen process. As part of the joint
industry partnership to commercialize
clean, gold H2
, the program's founding
members include Cemvita Factory and
Chart Industries Inc. Other collaborators
include EXP and The Center for
Houston's Future.
Found naturally deep in the Earth,
" gold H2 " is an unparalleled resource
that, until now, has been cost-prohibitive
to extract and not commercially viable.
However, this could change with
new subsurface biomanufacturing
techniques, spearheaded by Cemvita,
that hold the promise for an efficient
and clean extraction.
With the potential to revitalize
and remediate thousands of depleted,
abandoned oil and gas reservoirs around
the country, the extraction techniques
meld existing infrastructure with
cutting-edge microbiology to scale
clean energy solutions quickly while
creating new revenue streams for heavy
industry companies.
According to Cemvita, gold H2
presents a unique opportunity for
innovative companies that would like
to lead the energy transition, especially
S. SHARMA, Technical Editor
legacy oil and gas companies with
existing assets and infrastructure,
skilled workforces and global footprints.
Reservoir microbiology has incredible
potential for unlocking the promise of
gold H2
in a clean, efficient way.
Catalyst-coated membranes
for efficient and low-cost
green H2 production
Honeywell has developed a new
production
catalyst-coated membranes (CCMs)
technology for green H2
and will further test the technology
with electrolyzer manufacturers. The
new technology focuses on CCMs for
proton exchange membrane (PEM)
electrolyzers and anion exchange
membrane (AEM) electrolyzers.
Honeywell's latest CCMs have been
shown in lab testing to enable higher
electrolyzer efficiency and higher
electric current density enabled by a
proprietary high-ionic conductivity
membrane and high-activity catalyst.
This is projected to provide a 25%
reduction in electrolyzer stack cost,
based on a polymer electrolyte
membrane water electrolysis system
using renewable power to produce
2,300 metric tpy of H2
with 5,000
operating hr/yr.
Honeywell's green H2
program
leverages decades of R&D and
manufacturing experience in developing
and manufacturing membranes and
catalysts for the gas processing, refining,
steel, and petrochemical industries, as
well as the experience in the most recent
development of novel membranes for
battery and power applications.
According to Honeywell, the new
technology has been validated in lab
tests by third-party H2
technologists.
electrolyzer
H2 STORAGE AND
TRANSPORT
Tenaris line pipe technology
for H2
transportation
Tenaris's line pipe technology team
has carried out an experimental activity
to qualify medium- and large-diameter
pipes of up to X70 grade for highpressure
gaseous H2
transportation
with a H2 content of up to 100% at
200 bar pressure.
H2Tech | Q2 2022 5
H2Tech - Q2 2022

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