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Membranes for water electrolysis and for flow batteries

Bernd Bauer, Tomas Klicpera

FuMA-Tech GmbHHannover , April 13th 2015

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Introduction of Fumatech as part of BWT

Background of decision in participation at energy storage and energy conversion concepts

Membranes for water electrolysis

Membranes for battery systems

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Frischwasser-Stress

Quelle: Assessing Water Risks, WWF 2011, Philippe Rekacewicz, February 2006, http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/water-scarcity-index

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Consumption of water has risen 6-fold in last 100 years and in next 20 years will be yet doubled.

The crisis that concerned only developing countries are affecting even the most developed ones (look at California drought that lasts for 8 months).

Availability of water that is „clean enough“ might likely limit the development of economy regardless the region.

Smaller innovative decentralized system of water treatment will be possibly set as standard one and might become matter of regulation or indirectly matter of lawmaker actions due to the public pressure.

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Facts and possible outcome regarding water consumption

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… and what happens if there is not enough clean water? More energy is

necessary to invest and that could become at certain point critical

Our conclusion: reduction of CO2 footprint and higher utilization of produced

energy has surprisingly more in common with link between energy and water

than what one would expect.

Those two reasons has triggered the interest at Fumatech in the energy-

related matters about 15 years ago.

Fumatech actively follows the power-to-gas (P2G) concept of energy

conversion (= electrolysis) and concept of energy storage (= batteries)

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A said, B follows:

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Approach of Fumatech:

Utilisation and development of our key competences that contributes to both

water treatment and energy storage / energy conversion

Key competence: development and production of membranes plus increasing

their value by an action such as catalyst coating (CCM) for electrolysis or

building membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) for water treatment.

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Our vision

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Portfolio of Fumatech‘s membranes for energy application

LTPEM (50‐90 °C)F‐940‐rfs

SPS‐membranesRedox‐Flow‐BatteriesFAP‐membranes

F‐930‐rfd, F‐1075‐PKHybrid membranes

AEM (50‐75 °C)  FAA‐3

Alk. Water electrolysisFAAM‐75‐rf

PEM‐water electrolysisMembranes: F‐9100‐rf,F‐9120‐rf, F‐9180‐rfCCM: fumea EF‐10

DMFC (50‐80 °C)F‐1850E‐730

HTPEM (150‐180 °C)A‐membrane

MTPEM (90‐120 °C)FS‐720‐rfs

Composite membranes

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PEM water electrolysis membranes

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Request on membrane properties:

Specific resistance of membrane: less than 200 mOhm.cm2

Good mechanical properties: high Young modulus (> 1000 MPa), high tensile

strength

Low Hydrogen permeation

Reinforced membranes preferred

Thickness 75-250 µm; which is depending on application, pressure difference etc.

Remark: The membranes are utilized for production of own CCM fumea©, but all of

them are also freely commercially available

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Membrane Resistance / mOhm.cm2

Thickness / µm Dim. Swelling / %

U @ 2 A/cm2 @ 80 °C in V

F-1075-PK 90 70-75 < 1 1,79

F-10100-PK 125 95-100 < 2 1,84

F-10120-PK 155 115-120 < 2 1,90

F-10180-PK 190 170-180 < 3 2,00

F-9240-PTFE 240 235-245 < 10 2,05

Typical performance of WE membranes

The higher pressure / pressure difference the thicker membrane is necessary.

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Customer‘s durability data

Membrane F-9240-PTFE (fumea© EF-40), idle filtered.

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Membranes for vanadium-redox-flow batteries

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VRB application: one of the technologies that has enjoyed just limited

funding, but it has been brought to commercial scale.

The size of modularly scalable and ranges from 10kW up to 10MW.

The VRB has by far the largest energy efficiency among all

electrochemical processes focused on energy storage and it fits well

to wind/solar renewables

Key components: carbon electrode, carbon bipolar plates and

membrane -> no limitation by precious metals

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Vanadium-Redox-Flow Batteries

-+

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-Cation exchange (abbr. CEM), PFSA-based ones -> electrolyte cross-over direction V(5+)

-Anion exchange (abbr. AEM), proprietary polymers -> electrolyte cross-over direction V(2+)

The choice depends on following factors:-Operation range of current densities-Target efficiencies-Periphery for equalising the electrolytes-Required mechanical robustness-Target price

Membrane‘s types

The decission is based on characterisationof each candidate by defined protocol

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VRB membranes made by Fuma

Membrane Resistance Ohm.cm2

Coul. Eff. / %

EOPµl/(cm2.hr)

OPµl/(cm2.hr)

Cross-overdirection

Changes ofelectrolyteconc.

FAP-450 650 97 10 5 Cathode No

FAP-330 PE

390 93 15 11 Cathode No

FAP-375 PE

630 95 11 6 Cathode No

F-930rfd 520 99 21 1 Anode Yes

F-1070 PK 670 99 21 0,2 Anode Yes

F-1850 1500 99 12 0,1 Anode No

Develop. 250 94 18 3,8 Anode No

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Example of short-time cycling

Cation-exchange membrane F-930rfd: performance loss about 0,3% per cycle

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innovative, ökonomische und ökologische Aufbereitungstechnologien für ein Höchstmaß an Sicherheit, Hygiene und Gesundheit im Umgang mit Wasser

Größtes und innovativstes Produktportfolioder Branche für unsere Partner

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BWT – For You and Planet Blue

For You - unsere Kunden und Partner

Innovative, ökonomische und ökologischeAufbereitungstechnologien für ein Höchstmaß an Sicherheit, Hygiene und Gesundheit im Umgang mit Wasser

IHR PARTNER NR. 1 IN SACHEN WASSER!

ionomer resin as granular polymer, in solution form or in dispersiongranular perfluorosulfonyl fluoride resin for extrusionperfluorosulfonic acid membranes for PEMFChydrocarbon membranes for DMFC and PEMFChybrid membranes for medium temperature PEMFCmembranes for high temperature PEMFCanion-exchange membrane for alkaline DEFCanion-exchange membrane for redox flow batteriesbipolar membraneion-exchange membranes for humidifers, electrodialysis and electrolysiscatalyst coated membranes for water electrolysis

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fumion® FFfumapem® Ffumapem® Sfumapem® FZPfumapem® AMfumasep® FAAfumasep® FAPfumasep® FBMfumasep®

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