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High TemperatureElectrolysis Test Stand PI: James O’Brien

Idaho National Laboratory April 30, 2019

Project ID # TA018

This presentation does not contain any proprietary, confidential, or otherwise restricted information

Overview

Timeline Project Start Date: 4/1/2017 End Date: currently planned through FY20; Project continuation and direction determined annually by DOE

Budget FY17 DOE Funding: $1.49M FY18 DOE Funding: $800k FY19 DOE Funding: $800k

Barriers This project addresses the following technical barriers from the Technology Validation section of the FCTO MYRDD Plan:

• (G) Hydrogen from Renewable Resources • (H) Hydrogen and Electricity Co-Production

Partners • US DOE: Project Sponsor and Funding • NREL: Power converter and front-end

controller integration • PNNL: HTE stack design and fabrication • SNL: front-end controller development and

testing with respect to grid interactions

Relevance Overall Objective: Advance the state of the art of High Temperature Electrolysis (HTE) technology while demonstrating grid and thermal energy integration and dynamic performance characteristics • Support HTE research and system integration studies • Support transient and reversible operation for grid stabilization studies; characterize

dynamic system behavior • Demonstrate integrated operation with co-located thermal energy systems including a

high-temperature, high-pressure water flow loop and a thermal energy distribution and storage system

• Operate the HTE test station with co-located digital real-time simulators for dynamic performance evaluation and hardware-in-the-loop simulations

• Develop infrastructure to support integrated HTE operations up 250 kW scale

Impact to date vs Barriers • Facility has been commissioned for HTE hydrogen production

up to the 25 kW scale 25 kW HTE test station hot zone and steam generator

• Initial testing at the 5 kW scale is under way

Approach • Deploy, integrate, and operate flexible 25 kW and 250 kW (long-term) HTE test

facilities in the INL Dynamic Energy Transport and Integration Laboratory (DETAIL)

– Promote wider use of carbon-free renewable and nuclear energy in coordinated configurations

– Demonstrate and characterize simultaneous coordinated multi-directional transient distribution of electricity and heat for multiple industrial process heat applications

– Characterize system performance under flexible operating conditions – Simulate broader systems through the use of real-time digital simulators with

hardware-in-the-loop – Document HTE operational and performance characteristics in a grid-dynamic

environment • Evaluate the potential of HTE systems to achieve efficient, low-cost hydrogen

production with optimized operational profiles designed to take advantage of intermittent low-cost electricity and integrated process heat

– Document overall stack performance, degradation rates, and mechanisms – Document performance characteristics associated with intermittent HTE operations – Investigate the impacts of grid instability on HTE operations – Demonstrate the utility of HTE thermal integration with co-located systems

Approach Milestone Date Status FY19 Q1. Establish Consortium of HTE technology developers, utility partners, nuclear reactors companies, and hydrogen users

12/23/2018 complete

FY19 Q3. Demonstrate HTE module response rates to support grid net load generation curtailment

6/30/2019 On schedule

FY19 Q4 Conduct an HTE stack degradation test with real-time measurement of stack performance

9/30/2019 On schedule

FY20 Q1. Characterization of HTE performance under dynamic grid conditions based on coupling with the DRTS as Hardware-In-the-Loop.

10/31/2019 On schedule

Go/No-Go Decision Date Status

Successful initial setup of the flexible HTE 25 kW station

12/30/18 complete

Accomplishments and Progress

• Completed Design and Installation of FacilitySupport Infrastructure

– Power, DI water system, drain lift station, enclosure, ventilation system, H2 vent, gasmonitoring, safety interlocks, fire protection, structural support systems

• Completed Design and Installation of 25 kW HTE Test Facility

– Steam generation and supply system – High-temperature furnace – High-temperature air supply for sweep gas – N2 purge systems – Hydrogen recycle and gas dryer system – Gas monitoring system with interlocks – Instrumentation

• Initial testing is currently under way

Accomplishments and Progress25 kW HTE Research Facility Process Flow Diagram

T

T

N2

H2O (liq)

UPSS Steam generator/

superheater

Hot zone (800 C)

N2+H2

N2

H2

HTE stack

N2+H2+H2O

Air heater

Condensers

H2 recycle

H2 recycle compressors

T

Insu

late

d

Air

T

Air + O2

to drain

T

T T

T

T

To H2 vent H2/H2O air

coolers

H2 Vent to outside (3" PVC)

H2 recycle

Con trol Signal from gas mo nito ring system

N2/H2 Safe Gas

To H2 vent

100 psig

100 psig

To Permaco n vent

NO

NC

100 psig

H2

Control Signal from gas mo nito ring system

Con trol Signal fromgas monitoring system

DC power to s tacks

Drain (auto)

80 – 140 psig

40 psig

40 psig

40 psig

100 psig 1/4-inch

40 psig

Vent to high bay

Steam superheater

Steam generator HX(thermal network)

HT fluid inlet

HT fluid outlet

T

Heat traced

40 psig

150 psig

40 psig

1/2-inch

1/2-inch

1/2-inch flexible reinforced p lastic tubing (co ld water)

1 -inch

1/2-

inch

1 -in

ch

3/4-

inch

3/4-inch (single)

Insulated

Cooling water (recirculated)

1/4-inch P FA

1/2-inch

Permacon ventilated enclosure boundary

S

1/2-inch

1/2-

inch

1/2-inch

1/2-

inch

175 psig

PRVs exh au st to H2 vent

V

Flow velocityswitch probe

Signal to alarm system

H2 StorageTank

drain

drain

Condenser fill line

Changeover manifold and regulator

T T T T

1/4-inch P FA

T

1 -inch

Phase II

<1 psig, 800 C

<1 psig, 800 C

<0.5

psig

, 120

C

Qu ic k disconnects

T T T

P

H2overflow

Manifolds

P

Air

200 psig

NC S

Cou nterflow SS HX

NO

1/2-inch PFA

P DI Water System T

Flow limiting needle valve

Lo w-Pressure senso r tied to

co mpressor shu toff drain

1/2-inch N2

1/2-inch 1/2-inch

5 0 SL PM

150 SL PM

150 SL PM

2 0 kg /hr

T

T

Permacon ambient T

5 0 SL PM

S

A-BV-01

A-REG-01

H2-3WV-01

H2-SV-01

H2-3WV-04

H2-NV-01 H2-REG-02

H2-REG-01

H2-BV-02

H2-S

V-02

H2-C

HK-0

3

H2-PRV-01

H2-PRV-02

H2-CHK-01

H2-3WV-03 SF-NV-01

SF-REG-01 S

SF-PRV-01 SF-C

HK-0

1

SF-SV-01

N2-REG-01

N2-NV-01

N2-PRV-01

N2-

CHK-

01

H2O

-BV-

01

H2O

-PV-

01

H2O

-REG

-01

H2O-NV-01

H2O-PV-02

H2-S

V-03

H2-PRV-04 H2-PRV-05

H2-PRV-03

10 psig 60 psig

H2O-PV-03 H2O-PV-04 H2O-PV-05 H2O-PV-06

H2O-CHK-01

H2O-PV-07 Chiller

H2O

-NV-

02

A-PRV-01

H2-CHK-02

drain H2O-PV-08

H2-MFC-01

N2-MFC-01

A-MFC-01

H2O-MFC-01

H2-MFM-01

seco ndary

T

humidifier

H2-3WV-02

H2O-PV-09

H2-3WV-05

H2-3WV-06

H2-CHK-04 Hum

id ifi

erfil

l lin

e

H2O-PV-10

H2O-PV-11

to drain

H2O-PV-12

H2O-BV-04

T

T

O2

300 SL PM

Accomplishments and Progress INL Energy Systems Laboratory High Bay showing Thermal Energy Distribution System (TEDS – funded by NE) Co-located with the High Temperature Electrolysis Skid

Accomplishments and Progress

25 kW HTE Test Facility Overview in DETAIL 25 kW HTE Test Facility Control Station within the INL Energy Systems Laboratory

Gas alarm and Interlock System Enclosure Interior View

Accomplishments and Progress SOEC Stack Development – Subcontract with OxEon Energy

OxEon SOEC design (Eon 7130 Electrolyzer Series) • Design collaboration between MOXIE stack team at OxEon and

interconnect mfg, Plansee SE • Captured lessons learned in two iterations of the MOXIE project

(SOXE stack) • 5x scale up from SOXE, the largest interconnect size

producible with commercial yields • Straight-through air channels for terrestrial applications

• Sealed O2 collection perimeter design project awarded for NASA manned-mission SOXE

• Internally manifolded for SOFC fuel ports (anode) – SOEC hydrogen ports (cathode)

• Hermetic seal demonstrated, internal manifold to air channels or stack perimeter (5 psig)

• All 3 stacks and two seal test couples built to date were completely gas tight

• Scale up of flight-qualified SOXE • vibration, pyro-shock, mechanical loading, cold cycling

(-65°C), operation cycles, O2 purity Hermetic CTE-Matched Solid Oxide Electrolysis Stack

OxEon Energy Ruggedized

Accomplishments and Progress SOEC Stack Development – Subcontract with OxEon Energy SOEC Stack Fabrication for INL 5kW SOEC Test Component production

• Interconnects • New interconnect lot prepped for final

coating • Electrolyte

• Needed electrolyte tape casting complete • Electrolyte firing past mid-point

• Cells • All electrode inks produced and qualified • Trial cell fabrication of small cell batch

done Stack Assembly

• Seal application robot validated with short stack builds • Assembly fixtures ready for validation build • Stack test fixtures machined and at finishing stage • Dynamic joining kiln ready for validation stack build

Three stacks built in 2018 • Two 5-cell stacks built and tested, one 10-cell stack built and

awaiting testing at JPL • 30+ operational cycles, and 2,000 operating hours completed

with 5-cell stacks

Reviewer Comments “The approach of developing a 25 kW test stand followed by a 250 kW unit is logical and reasonable.” “There is a bit of concern as to whether the synthetic fuels portion of the project might distract from the more fundamental electrolyzer operation characterization.” • While potential markets include synthetic fuels, efficient hydrogen production is

the primary focus of this project. “The project appears to be on schedule for the 25 kW test unit. It is not clear about the plan for the 250 kW unit.” • We are in the planning phase to develop the infrastructure for large-scale (250

kW) testing and system integration If “Support of the advancement of HTE stack technology....” is one of the objectives of this project, no plans and discussion of approaches were given in the presentation. • The INL collaboration with OxEon supports the advancement of HTE stack

technology. The OxEon ruggedized hermetic stack technology addresses thermal cycling issues that may be required for hybrid energy system applications in which intermittent stack operation will be required.

“No major weaknesses are noted for this project.”

Collaboration and Coordination DOE Partnerships • DOE-NE / DOE-EERE Collaboration

– Nuclear-Renewable Hybrid Energy Systems

Industrial Partnerships • OxEon Energy

– Stack development and testing • Fuel Cell Energy

– Large-scale systems • Exelon

– Grid stability, non-electric markets for nuclear • Small Modular Nuclear Reactor

– Joint-Use Modular Plant

Collaboration and Coordination National Laboratory Partnerships • PNNL

– HTE Stack development • NREL

– Power converter and Front-End Controller testing • SNL

– Front-End Controller development and testing with respect to grid interactions

Remaining Challenges and Barriers

• Long-term performance of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) stacks – Degradation must be ~0.5%/khr or lower for economic viability – Intermittent operation and thermal cycling may accelerate degradation – Reversible operation may improve long-term degradation characteristics – Effects of grid instability on HTE system performance must be determined

• Optimization of HTE operation in dynamic environment for achievement of low-cost H2 production while providing grid stabilization services and new revenue streams

• Reduction of HTE system capital costs • Effective thermal integration and thermal management for integrated

and intermittent/ reversible operation

Proposed Future Work Remainder FY19 • Complete Initial HTE testing in new facility at the 5 kW scale

– Steady-state, baseline testing; long-term degradation – Effects of intermittent operation and thermal cycling

• Complete initial HTE test campaign at 25 kW scale (FY19/20) – Exercise full system capacity – Steady-state, baseline testing; long-term degradation – Effects of intermittent operation and thermal cycling – Operation with variable front-end power profiles

• Thermal integration of 25 kW system with the DETAIL thermal network • Support the advancement of HTE stack technology, working with industry

partners, for robust performance even with the demanding load profiles associated with deployment in flexible hybrid energy systems

FY19/20 • Conduct 25 kW grid demand response exercises, documenting the thermal

energy latency and system electrical characteristics • Establish large-scale (250 kW) test capability at INL

Note: Any proposed future work is subject to change based on funding levels

Technology Transfer Activities • Working with large companies to identify new markets for large-scale

hydrogen production with thermal integration – Direct-reduced iron – Grid stabilization – Enhanced profitability for existing light-water reactor fleet (non-electric

application) – Synthetic liquid fuels

Summary Objective:

Relevance:

Approach:

Accomplishments:

Collaborations:

Advance the state of the art of High Temperature Electrolysis (HTE) technology while demonstrating grid and thermal energy integration and intermittent/reversible operation

The growing contribution of renewable sources of electric power onto the grid requires increased flexibility in dispatchable energy producers. Appropriately staged hydrogen production via HTE provides a potential high-value product for increased profitability Establish a large-scale High-Temperature Electrolysis test capability within the INL Dynamic Energy Transport and Integration Laboratory for demonstration and characterization of simultaneous coordinated multi-directional transient distribution of electricity and heat for multiple industrial process heat applications

Design and installation of a flexible 25 kW HTE test facility hasbeen completed and testing is in progress Collaborations have been established with several National Laboratory and industry partners.

Technical Backup Slides

Nominal operating conditions for full 25 kW testing

Assumptions Acell = 12 cm x 12 cm Ncells = 50 Nstacks = 4 ASR = 0.6 Ω cm2

i = 0.67 A/cm2

steam utilization, U = 0.6 inlet mole fraction steam: 0.7, 0.9 inlet mole fraction H2: 0.1 inlet mole fraction N2: 0.2, 0.0 Air sweep gas, Nstoichs = 0.5

Flow Rates With N2 No N2 units H2 in 32.0 24.9 SLPM H2 Production rate 134.5 134.5 SLPM H2 out 166.5 159 SLPM H2O in (liq) 180 180 gm/min H2O in (liq) 10.8 10.8 kg/hr H2O in (steam) 224 224 SLPM H2O out (steam) 89.6 89.6 SLPM N2 in 64 0 SLPM Total Cathode gas flow in 320.2 249 SLPM Air in 160 160 SLPM O2 Production rate 67.2 67.2 SLPM Air+O2 out 227 227 SLPM

8.03 8.03 SCFM Recycle Flow Rates Recycle compressor flow rating (@150 psig discharge pressure)

6.1 6.1 SCFM

Recycle compressor VFD setting 100 75 % of FS H2 through beds (avg) 1.131 0.879 SCFM H2O into beds (avg) 0.0038 0.0021 SCFM

N2 Through beds (avg) 0.435 0 SCFM H2 through beds (during compressor operation)

4.285 4.221 SCFM

H2O through beds (during compressor operation)

0.014 0.0103 SCFM

N2 Through beds (during compressor operation)

1.648 0 SCFM

N2 added after recycle 1.826 0 SCFM

Stack Electric Cell voltage 1.309 1.302 V Stack voltage 65.5 65.1 V Stack current 96.5 96.5 A Module current 385.9 385.9 A Module Power 25.3 25.1 kW

Hot Zone Operating Temp 800 800 °C

Heater Power Requirements Steam generator (H2O from 20 to 150 C) 8.1 8.1 kW Superheater (H2 +N2 from 20 to 800 C + steam from 150 C to 800 C)

5.87 4.15 kW

Air heater/ superheater 2.87 2.85 kW