Summary
In the
HyInnoSep project, an electrochemical separation process is being developed for
the selective separation of hydrogen from gas mixtures. Within the overall
value chain of a closed hydrogen economy, a functioning separation process is
the link between hydrogen supply and hydrogen use by the end user.
One
possibility for hydrogen distribution is to feed it into the already existing
natural gas grid. In order to extract the hydrogen from the natural
gas/hydrogen
purity from
the natural gas/hydrogen mixture at the end user, a separation module based on
electrochemical hydrogen
separation
module based on electrochemical hydrogen splitting will be developed and
tested.
The natural
gas/hydrogen mixture is added to the anode side of the reactor, where the
hydrogen contained in the mixture oxidizes to protons. The protons can
selectively migrate via the
cation
exchange membrane to the cathode where they are reduced to hydrogen. One
challenge
in this project is the development of catalysts and processes that are tolerant
of
tolerant to
impurities in the natural gas network (e.g. CO2, CO or H2S).
Furthermore,
operation of the reactor under the transient conditions of the natural gas grid
will be tested to prove its applicability in a fluctuating renewable energy
system.
