power2x - reversible sofc and synthetic fuels – linking ...€¦ · fuels – linking the energy...

Power2X - reversible SOFC and synthetic fuels – linking the energy markets of the future

Robert Steinberger‐Wilckens

Centre for Fuel Cell & Hydrogen ResearchSchool of Chemical Engineering

Centre for Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Research Overview

A group of 10 staff and 35 PhD and MRes students working in:

‐ Hydrogen and Synthetic Fuel Production

‐ Low Temperature Fuel Cells & Electrolysis

‐ High Temperature Fuel Cells & Electrolysis

‐ Socio‐economic topics

‐ Educational initiatives

2/25

The primary application is:

‐ Zero net carbon fuels and drive trains for vehicles (road, off‐road, aerial, maritime, rail)

CFCHR University of Birmingham

Great Britain’s Energy Vectors

Non-Daily Metered local gas demand

1st of March Cold Weather Event3.5 times the daily energy than electricity

electricity ~350 TWh/yrgas ~500 (~1,000) TWh/yrtransport ~600 TWh/yr

CFCHR University of Birmingham 3/25

Conventional Energy Infrastructure

natural gasnatural gas (coal) natural gas

(coal) natural gas

oiloil

gas gridgas grid

heatingheating electricityelectricity

electricity gridelectricity grid

mobilitymobility

fuel marketfuel market

Risks: import dependence, loss of GDP to imports, political influencing, very low flexibility wrt. fuel choices and origins


The Original H2 Electricity Storage Concept(HyWindBalance, 2004 - 2007)


• grid support / services• energy storage• security of supply • firm power

nevertheless• low round-trip efficiency

source: PLANET GbR

PLANETPlanungsgruppe Energie und Technik

admixing?

Enter the ‚Hydrogen Economy‘- decarbonisation of transport, electricity, and transport fuel

markets

- also includes decarbonisation of industry

but

- conversion of distribution infrastructure, including organisational, asset destruction, and investment issues

- source of electricity

- use of depletable resources and high cost of waste disposal for NG/CCS schemes

therefore

- a ‚hybrid‘ system in which H2 only plays a partial role might be more intelligent


Future Hydrogen Energy Infrastructure

natural gasnatural gas electricityelectricity biomassbiomass

heatingheating electricityelectricity

hydrogen / SNG

hydrogen / SNG

mobilitymobility

H2 distribution gridsSNG distribution grids

(former natural gas grids)mixtures

Achievements: increase in feedstock flexibility, reduction in import dependencies, re-risking services and avoidance of supply shortages


Biological Conversion

Metabolic Processing

H2 / O2

CH3CH2OH/ CO2

CH4 / CO2

H2 / CO2

Electricity / Heat

Combustion / Co-firing

Fermentation

Photo-biology

Reforming shift

Pyrolysis ~500oC

H2 / C

Gasification >800oC

Injected into Grid

Transport Fuel in Modified Engines

Anaerobic Digestion

CH4Purification

H2 / CO2

H2 / CO

Shift

Bio-shift

Thermochemical Conversion

Biomass Resource


P2G/P2L Product Supply Chain


ren.electricity electrolysis

hydrogen

carbon dioxide Sabatier reactor

syntheticDiesel

water

oxygen

oxygen

hydrogen

SNG

Fischer-Tropsch

9/25

Xη =€ =


Power to Anything

10/25

Fuel Cell Drives for Freight Road Transport (HDV/HGV),Rail, Aircraft, and Maritime Applications

Diesel

NG

LNG

SOFC APUinternal

reforming

lower carbon

more storage volumebio-methane

or SNG

full decarbonisation

NG IC Engine

SOFC hybrid drive SOFC

battery main drive


Shipping Emissions Outlook 2050


109 tons CO2/yr

business as usual

zero-carbon in 2050

-50% carbon in 2050

sulfur content of shipping fuels [%]

global

ECAs

data: IMO, UCL12/25

De-Carbonising Large Vehiclesrequires

- a transport fuel to be handled and stored in bulk

- a reasonable volume of storage

- compatibility with certification rules

- compliance with emission reduction targets

CFCHR University of BirminghamSource: Disney

13/25

Zero-Carbon Methane for Electrifying Large Vehicles from biomass and P2G (SNG)

fully compatible with natural gas (NG) grid infrastructure

compatible with NG/LNG trend

zero-carbon fuel with considerable reductions in CO, NOx, SO2, particle and noise emissions


Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Hydrogen and Methane Operation

Ele

ctro

lyte

porousanode

porouscathode

H2

O2 (air)

Surplus air

O--

Ion conductivity = f(T)

T = 650 ... 850°C

CH4, CO,

CO2, H2O


SOFC cell

Reversible Operation on Hydrogen

H2O : H2 = 50:50‘memory’ effect


The BALANCE ProjectIncreasing penetration of renewable power, alternative fuels and grid flexibility by cross‐vector electrochemical processes


• reversibility of SOC for hydrogen well proven• in methane operation more challenging• instead of producing water and carbon dioxide from methane in

internal reforming in an SOFC, use of co-electrolysis to producesyn-gas

• ideally, will want to produce methane directly (integration of methanation reactor into rSOC)

• issues of degradation can be partly balanced by the reversible operation

rSOC: Electrolyser as Reverse Fuel Cell


Reversing: Solid Oxide Electrolyser

Ele

ctro

lyte

porousanode

porouscathode

O2 + air

air

O--

T = 700 ... 800°C

H2, CO

H2O, CO2


SOC cell

CH4

potential of converting100% of electricity input to hydrogen

1

23

4


Power to Gas with SOE

20/25

P2G and SNG sticking points

- input of CO2 required

- ideally, this would be sourced from the atmosphere, but this is costly in energy

- concepts of CO2 capture from various sources need to be explored

- CO2 from fossil fuels will lead to a ‚grey‘ fuel

- CO2 from bio-sources will lead to fully ‚green‘ fuels, if the electricity input is also green

- ‚closed‘ CO2 cycles would be preferred


The Concept of Zero-Carbon Methane

AD SOFCCH4 + CO2electricity(& heat)

NG gridPSA

biomass gasification H2 + CO

methanation

renewableelectricitySOE

dry reforming

H2O + CO2

H2O + CO2

CH4

CH4

supplies synthetic natural gas for stationary applications and transport fuels without any fossil carbon conversion involved


incl. transport fuels & LSNG

22/25

Not Thinking in ‚Energy Vectors‘ but in ‚Energy Supply Options‘

- reducing overall energy demand is key

- delivery of energy through gas vectors to all markets

- compatibility with NG infrastructure

- compatibility with biomass-based fuels & with NG/LNG trend

- compatibility with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and FCEV

- option to transition at any speed via hybrid vehicles with gas internal combustion engine technology

- overall zero emission energy system (apart from recycled CO2 )


Acknowledgements go to

my students: Irving Annan, Sophie Archer, and Samuel Sogbesan, and former student Dr James Watton

The BALANCE project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme (contract 731224), and

EPSRC is funding the CDT in Fuel Cells and their Fuels (contract EP/L015749/1).

Thank you for listening and happy to answer any questions

Prof Dr Robert [email protected]

Chair in Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Research

Upcoming events:

Fuel Cell Systems Workshop – 21/22 May 2019, Bruges, Belgium.

BALANCE Workshop – 22/23 May 2019, Bruges, Belgium.

EFCF 2019 – Low Temperature Fuel Cells, Electrolysers, and Hydrogen Handling – 2 to 5 July 2019, Lucerne, Switzerland.

JESS 2019 – Joint European Summer School, 16 to 20 & 23 to 27 Sept 2019, Athens.

power2x - reversible sofc and synthetic fuels – linking ...€¦ · fuels – linking the energy...

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