TECHNOLOGIES
Why are we open to technology?
Technological openness is important, as different forms of hydrogen derivatives and hydrogen technologies will have the best combination of sustainability and cost, depending on the application and location. And it is precisely this combination that is important. In principle, this is not so different from our old fossil world, where we also use coal, heavy fuel oil, paraffin, petrol and gas, depending on whether we want to power a container ship or heat a detached house. Equally, we need more than one hydrogen technology given the scale of the task. The future global hydrogen economy will offer space for many different forms of hydrogen supply, as pressurised hydrogen or in the form of liquid organic hydrogen carriers, but also as ammonia, methanol or formic acid.
How do we get green hydrogen to customers?
Chemical hydrogen storage is an important pillar of our future energy system. This involves converting electricity generated from renewable sources into energy-rich molecules that can then be stored for long periods of time, transported over long distances and used in industry or to power large vehicles, for example. The high-energy molecules discussed today are often referred to as hydrogen derivatives because they are created by binding hydrogen to a carrier molecule. Suitable carrier molecules are the air components nitrogen or CO2, but also organic liquids that can be used in multiple loading and unloading cycles – as we know from the principle of the deposit bottle. It is important that all technologies form a sustainable hydrogen cycle. Cycling means, for example, reusing the carrier molecule as often as possible.
The key steps for chemical hydrogen storage are the binding of hydrogen to the carrier molecule at the production site and the release of hydrogen at the customer, for example in an industrial plant, at a hydrogen refuelling station or for feeding into a pipeline. Both processes use reaction accelerators, so-called catalysts. Together with the necessary auxiliary units and hydrogen purification units, the storage and release devices form suitable process solutions. We are working on various projects to optimise catalysts, equipment and the corresponding processes for different storage technologies in order to create attractive products that are in demand in large quantities.
Where is basic research still required?
INW and HC-H2 work with an openness to new technologies. This means that we strive to explore all technologies and ideas and to quickly turn them into applications that will make hydrogen a suitable storage option for everyday use in a climate-friendly energy economy in future. Depending on the carrier used, work still needs to be done on aspects of power density in order to store or release as much hydrogen or energy as possible in the smallest possible space. There is also a great deal of potential for improvement when it comes to aspects of heat integration, for example to supply the heat required to release the hydrogen as efficiently as possible from the process itself in order to increase overall efficiency.
In addition to optimisation in the laboratory, the exchange and networking with industrial partners is crucial for this. By working together, our technologies can be optimally integrated into companies’ systems and concepts. This mutual integration not only results in the solution of a specific problem, but also in an increase in efficiency of all individual components. Following such ‘hand-in-hand’ development, the product can be produced and marketed by the companies immediately after a successful demonstration. This has a significant influence on the speed of the ramp-up.