Efficient hydrogen production for industry and electricity storage via high-temperature electrolysis

The paper describes the development status of Sunfire's reversible solid oxide cell (RSOC) technology. Here, Sunfire is a pioneer in the field of high-temperature electrolysers (HTE) for renewable hydrogen production which can be operated as a fuel cell for power generation in a reverse mode. The maturity of the technology is improved stepwise so that first applications in the field of hydrogen production for industry and electricity storage can be tackled. Three application examples where larger scale prototype has been installed will be discussed: 1) A power-to-power electricity storage based on hydrogen, 2) a RSOC unit that is installed in an iron and steel works, and 3) a pressurized SOEC prototype which will be integrated with a methanation unit. Results show the potentials of the technology in connection with fluctuating renewable energy sources.     

基于电压前馈补偿算法的小电容电源控制策略

针对小电容电源的控制问题,提出了一种基于电压前馈补偿算法的小电容电源新型控制策略.通过对两级电能变换电路的简化分析后得到了电源系统的动态数学模型,进而分析了直流母线电容和网侧电感引起的共振.基于锁频环算法提取了直流电压脉动的交流分量,从而基于系统简化模型设计了电压前馈补偿控制器,故最大限度地减少了直流母线电压纹波对负载电流的影响.基于5 k W直流电源试验平台开展了对比试验,试验结果验证了新型控制策略的性能.     

THERMOCOUPLE USED FOR TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT OF ALUMINIUM CELLS BY DYNAMIC METHOD

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Design of alkaline electrolyser for integration in diesel engines to reduce pollutants emission

The different methods for the generation of hydrogen are well known, as well as their applications, advantages and complications for their use. Every day it is essential to replace fossil fuels, so it is necessary to improve and take advantage of the different devices that we already have. The alkaline electrolyser is one of the best options, due to the simplicity of its components and its simple assembling; it is a relatively inexpensive device for the production of hydrogen. In this article, three different alkaline electrolyser stacks are presented, ECH-001 model. The difference between them lies in the fact that the configuration of the electrode changes with the number of drill holes. This has the purpose of optimizing the maximum productivity of the oxyhydrogen gas (OH₂G) with respect to input power and the performance with different operation parameters, like the number of serial plates, geometry and the distance between them. The performance curves of parallel and serial arrangements are shown. The performance of a DEK^TM diesel engine (monocylinder of 406 cc) with and without OH₂G was evaluated, with flows of one, two and three sL min^-1. Tests for CO, CO₂, HC and NOx emissions were measured using the exhaust gas analyzer and varying the engine speed. The results show that the electrolyser assembly with four holes electrodes achieved the best performance with an OH₂G productivity of 2 sL min^-1 when using; 7 serial plates at the anode (which is called arrangement 1, 5–10), 3 mm gap and a 5% solution of NaOH. The results also shows a 14% reduction in fuel consumption, 22% reduction in HC, 23% reduction in CO, 7% reduction in CO₂ and 15.5% NOx reduction with 2 sL min^-1 of OH₂G all this for 2500 rpm. The obtained results show a great advantage for the use of dual combustion with the diesel-hydrogen combination.     

电解槽零点电位差短路自切断装置的设想及安全改造思路

介绍电解槽零点电位差检测装置系统架构,分析该系统回路中存在的隐患,并提出改造思路.     

Life cycle cost analysis: A case study of hydrogen energy application on the Orkney Islands

Hydrogen can compensate for the intermittent nature of some renewable energy sources and encompass the options of supplying renewables to offset the use of fossil fuels. The integrating of hydrogen application into the energy system will change the current energy market. Therefore, this paper deploys the life cycle cost analysis of hydrogen production by polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolysis and applications for electricity and mobility purposes. The hydrogen production process includes electricity generated from wind turbines, PEM electrolyser, hydrogen compression, storage, and distribution by H₂ truck and tube trailer. The hydrogen application process includes PEM fuel cell stacks generating electricity, a H₂ refuelling station supplying hydrogen, and range extender fuel cell electric vehicles (RE-FCEVs). The cost analysis is conducted from a demonstration project of green hydrogen on a remote archipelago. The methodology of life cycle cost is employed to conduct the cost of hydrogen production and application. Five scenarios are developed to compare the cost of hydrogen applications with the conventional energy sources considering CO₂ emission cost. The comparisons show the cost of using hydrogen for energy purposes is still higher than the cost of using fossil fuels. The largest contributor of the cost is the electricity consumption. In the sensitivity analysis, policy supports such as feed-in tariff (FITs) could bring completive of hydrogen with fossil fuels in current energy market.     

A parametric study of polymer membrane electrolyser performance,energy and exergy analyses

In this paper, a mathematical model is developed to study the performance of a polymer membrane electrolyser (PEM) and the effect of different parameters including operating temperature, cathode pressure, membrane thickness, the width and height of channel and current density on the performance and energy and exergy efficiency of PEM electrolyser are investigated. In addition to the resistance overvoltage of components, the concentration overvoltage is modeled using an accurate equation. The model is validated against experimental data. The results indicate that by increasing current density, the voltage of the electrolyser increases, and energy and exergy efficiencies reduce. Increase of temperature from 313 K to 353 K, and decrease of cathode pressure from 40 bar to 1 bar lead to decrease of voltage of the PEM electrolyser by 8.3% and 4.8%, respectively. Moreover, energy and exergy efficiencies increase between 2% and 6% in the range of working temperature and pressure. It is concluded that decrease of membrane thickness, height and width of channel, and increase of exchange current density of the anode and cathode electrodes lead to decrease of voltage of the electrolyser and increase of energy and exergy efficiencies. However, the effect of temperature and cathode pressure and the exchange current densities is greater than the effect of geometric parameters.     

Performance assessment of a direct steam solar power plant with hydrogen energy storage: An exergoeconomic study

Power generation and its storage using solar energy and hydrogen energy systems is a promising approach to overcome serious challenges associated with fossil fuel-based power plants. In this study, an exergoeconomic model is developed to analyze a direct steam solar tower-hydrogen gas turbine power plant under different operating conditions. An on-grid solar power plant integrated with a hydrogen storage system composed of an electrolyser, hydrogen gas turbine and fuel cell is considered. When solar energy is not available, electrical power is generated by the gas turbine and the fuel cell utilizing the hydrogen produced by the electrolyser. The effects of different working parameters on the cycle performance during charging and discharging processes are investigated using thermodynamic analysis. The results indicate that increasing the solar irradiation by 36%, leads to 13% increase in the exergy efficiency of the cycle. Moreover, the mass flow rate of the heat transfer fluid in solar system has a considerable effect on the exergy cost of output power. Solar tower has the highest exergy destruction and capital investment cost. The highest exergoeconomic factor for the integrated cycle is 60.94%. The steam turbine and PEM electrolyser have the highest share of exergoeconomic factor i.e., 80.4% and 50%, respectively.     

Effect of strontium and zirconium doped barium cerate on the performance of proton ceramic electrolyser cell for syngas production from carbon dioxide and steam

Syngas has been produced from carbon dioxide (CO₂) and steam using a proton ceramic electrolyser cell. Proton-conducting electrolytes which exhibit high conductivity can suffer from low chemical stability. In this study, to optimize both proton conductivity and chemical stability, barium cerate and doped barium cerate are synthesized using solid state reaction method: BaCeO₃ (BC), Ba_0.6Sr_0.4CeO_3-α (BSC), Ba_0.6Sr_0.4Ce_0.9Y_0.1O_3-α (BSCY), and BaCe_0.6Zr_0.4O_3-α (BCZ). The BC, BSC, and BSCY are calcined at 1100 °C for 2 h and BCZ is calcined at 1300 °C for 12 h, respectively. All samples exhibit 100% perovskite and crystallite sizes equal 37.05, 28.46, 23.65 and 17.46 nm for BC, BSC, BSCY and BCZ, respectively. Proton conductivity during steam electrolysis as well as catalytic activity toward the reverse water gas shift reaction (RWGS) is tested between 400 and 800 °C. The conductivity increases with temperature and the values of activation energy of conduction are 64.69, 100.80, 103.78 and 108.12 kJ mol⁻¹ for BSCY, BC, BSC, and BCZ, respectively. It is found that although BCZ exhibits relatively low conductivity, the material provides the highest CO yield at 550–800 °C, followed by BSCY, BSC, and BC, correlating to the crystallite size and BET surface area of the samples. Catalytic activity toward RWGS of composited Cu and electrolytes is also measured. Additional Cu (60 wt%) significantly increases catalytic activity. The CO yield increases from 3.01% (BCZ) to 43.60% (Cu/BCZ) at 600 °C and CO can be produced at temperature below 400 °C. There is no impurity phase detected in BCZ sample after exposure to CO₂-containing gas mixture (600 °C for 5 h) while CeO₂ phase is detected in BSC and BSCY and both CeO₂ and BaO are observed in BC sample.     

Green hydrogen production potential for Turkey with solar energy

The current study develops a hydrogen map concept where renewable energy sources are considered for green hydrogen production and specifically investigates the solar energy-based hydrogen production potential in Turkey. For all cities in the country, the available onshore and offshore potentials for solar energy are considered for green hydrogen production. The vacant areas are calculated after deducting the occupied areas based on the available governmental data. Abundant solar energy as a key renewable energy source is exploited by photovoltaic cells. To obtain the hydrogen generation potential, monocrystalline and polycrystalline type solar cells are considered, and the generated renewable electricity is directed to electrolysers. For this purpose, alkaline, proton exchange membrane (PEM), and solid oxide electrolysers (SOEs) are considered to obtain the green hydrogen. The total hydrogen production potential for Turkey is estimated to be between 415.48 and 427.22 Million tons (Mt) depending on the type of electrolyser. The results show that Erzurum, Konya, Sivas, and Van are found to be the highest hydrogen production potentials. The main idea is to prepare hydrogen map in detail for each city in Turkey, based on the solar energy potential. This, in turn, can be considered in the context of the current policies of the local communities and policy-makers to supply the required energy of each country.