Hydrogen Gas Separation from Hydrogen/Natural Gas Mixtures by High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Electrochemical Hydrogen Pump

eScholarship, University of California 2024-01-01

The proliferation of variable renewable energy resources that generate electrical power from solar and wind is a critical step in achieving a climate neutral and sustainable energy system. The successful implementation of these electrical power generators is limited due to the uncontrollable nature of their availability to produce electrical power. One method by which to shift this energy production temporally and spatially to the time and place of its demand is the production of hydrogen as a chemical energy carrier. However, this approach would require large-scale infrastructure investments to produce, store, and transport hydrogen gas. One proposed strategy for the storage and transport of hydrogen is to blend with natural gas and inject it into pre-existing natural gas infrastructure. Hydrogen gas blended into natural gas in this way can contribute to the decarbonization of the natural gas system, however it is not as valuable in terms of its economic and carbon reduction potential. This value could be recovered if the separation of high-purity hydrogen gas from a blended gas system is done in an efficient manner. Electrochemical hydrogen separation is a well-established technology for efficient hydrogen separation, which can be accomplished by electrochemical hydrogen pump (EHP) based on a proton conducting membrane (PEM). The EHP works to separate hydrogen by facilitating the electrochemical process of oxidation of hydrogen at an anode and subsequent evolution of hydrogen gas at a cathode, while other gaseous impurities are ideally unable to permeate through the membrane. The goal of this work is to investigate the potential of electrochemical separation as a highly efficient means of separating trace volumetric quantities of hydrogen gas from natural gas by using high-temperature proton exchange membrane (HT-PEM). To investigate the efficacy of this approach, a high temperature proton exchange membrane electrochemical hydrogen pump (HT-PEM EHP) based on phosp

Mechanical engineering; Chemical engineering; Climate change; Electrochemical Hydrogen Pump; Hydrogen; Natural Gas; Phosphoric Acid; Proton Exchange Membrane; publication

Open access content. Open access content
public

application/pdf
English

CDLER oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt5414p5vw
qt5414p5vw
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5414p5vw
https://escholarship.org/content/qt5414p5vw/qt5414p5vw.pdf
https://escholarship.org/
1449593533

UC MASS DIGITIZATION
From OAIster®, provided by the OCLC Cooperative.

edsoai.on1449593533