Back to list of projects

Project Title:

Methods for Hydrogen Purification and Its Application in Small Fuel Cells

Ref.No.: 205

Project Type and Category:

Basic research

Project Duration:

1996

Project Participants:

Bavarian Ministry for Industry, Transport and Technology, LBST

Sponsor:

Bavarian Ministry for Industry, Transport and Technology

Project Budget and
Funding:

#

Project Description and Objectives:

Purification methods are needed to to produce high grade hydrogen for the operation of small fuel cells (10kWtotal class) with carbon based fuels. For this purpose various reforming processes are used today. Especially PEM fuel cells require very high quality hydrogen. To provide an optimum performance of the anode catalyst the PEMFC CO-concentrations have to be lower than 10-100 ppm. Furthermore, an undisturbed operation of the steam reformer and the CO-shift-reaktor-catalyst requires a sulphur contents of less than 1 ppm in a natural gas feed.

Technical Goals:

This study presents an overview of the main natural gas reformer and gas purification processes. As a result it is found that the majority of the physical and chemical processes used by the chemical industry today are not economic to be applied to very small applications, especially in mobile use. Often multiple processes have to be combined, such as selective CO-methanisation following CO2-scrubbing.

Project Status

Finalized

Preliminary or Final Results:

Nonporous Pd/Ag-membranes are a means to lower the CO-contents of a reformer product stream to less than 1 ppm. Because the Pd prices are high and the raw material resources are limited current successful efforts are aimed at reducing the membrane layer to a minimum. A miniaturized ZnO-absorption process is apt for desulphurizating natural gas feedstreams with very low sulphur concentrations.

Related Reference Papers and Other Publications:

#

Back to list of projects

Project Title: Methods for Hydrogen Purification and Its Application in Small Fuel Cells		Ref.No.: 205
Project Type and Category:	Basic research
Project Duration:	1996
Project Participants:	Bavarian Ministry for Industry, Transport and Technology, LBST
Sponsor:	Bavarian Ministry for Industry, Transport and Technology
Project Budget and Funding:	#
Project Description and Objectives:	Purification methods are needed to to produce high grade hydrogen for the operation of small fuel cells (10kWtotal class) with carbon based fuels. For this purpose various reforming processes are used today. Especially PEM fuel cells require very high quality hydrogen. To provide an optimum performance of the anode catalyst the PEMFC CO-concentrations have to be lower than 10-100 ppm. Furthermore, an undisturbed operation of the steam reformer and the CO-shift-reaktor-catalyst requires a sulphur contents of less than 1 ppm in a natural gas feed.
Technical Goals:	This study presents an overview of the main natural gas reformer and gas purification processes. As a result it is found that the majority of the physical and chemical processes used by the chemical industry today are not economic to be applied to very small applications, especially in mobile use. Often multiple processes have to be combined, such as selective CO-methanisation following CO2-scrubbing.
Project Status	Finalized
Preliminary or Final Results:	Nonporous Pd/Ag-membranes are a means to lower the CO-contents of a reformer product stream to less than 1 ppm. Because the Pd prices are high and the raw material resources are limited current successful efforts are aimed at reducing the membrane layer to a minimum. A miniaturized ZnO-absorption process is apt for desulphurizating natural gas feedstreams with very low sulphur concentrations.
Related Reference Papers and Other Publications:	#