GrInHy. Green Industrial Hydrogen via Reversible High-Temperature Electrolysis

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1 DELIVERABLE REPORT GrInHy - Green Industrial Hydrogen via Reversible High-Temperature Electrolysis Initiative: Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH2-JU) Grant agreement No: Start date: Duration: 36 Months Project Coordinator: SZMF WP No: 1 Task No: T1.1 Deliverable No: D1.2 Title: Periodic Report 1 Lead beneficiary: Dissemination level: SZMF Public Due date of deliverable: Month 18 Actual submission date: 2017/10/27

2 Table of Content Table of Content... 2 Table of acronyms Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far Progress beyond the state of the art, expected results until the end of the project and potential impacts... 5 Acknowledgement This project has received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and Hydrogen Europe and N.ERGHY. Table of acronyms FCH2-JU HPU HTE LCA LHV P&ID RES RSOC SoA SOEC SOFC Fuel Cell and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking Hydrogen Processing Unit High-temperature Electrolysis Life Cycle Analysis Lower Heating Value Piping and Instrumentation Diagram Renewable Energy Sources Reversible Solid Oxide Cell(s) State of Art Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell(s) Solid Oxide Fuel Cell(s) 2

3 1 Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project High-temperature electrolysis (HTE) is one of the most promising technologies to address the European Commission s roadmap to a competitive low-carbon economy in The decarbonization of Europe s industry, transport and energy sector by higher shares of renewable energy sources (RES) requires a high flexibility in energy production, load management and large-scale storages. In this context, a reversible HTE providing green hydrogen to mobility, industry and the energy sector is a possible solution as a cross-sectoral technology. Since a significant share of energy input is provided as heat, HTE achieves outstanding electrical efficiencies resulting in an electricity demand of 3.7 kwh instead of kwh per Nm³ H 2 in SoA low-temperature electrolysis. Central element of GrInHy is the manufacturing, integration and operation of the worldwide most powerful reversible HTE at an integrated iron-and-steel works. The project s main objectives are either directly related with the call or are additionally objectives, congruent with the Multi Annual Work Plan of the FCH2-JU. Call related: Proof of reaching an overall electrical efficiency of at least 80% LHV (ca. 95% HHV) Scaling-up the SOEC unit to a power input of 150 kw AC Reaching a lifetime of greater than 10,000 h with a degradation rate below 1%/1,000 h Operation for at least 7,000 h meeting the hydrogen quality standards of the steel industry Additional objectives: Elaboration of an Exploitation Roadmap for cost reducing measures Development of dependable system cost data Integration of a reversible operation mode (fuel cell mode) The proof-of-concept takes place in the relevant environment of an integrated iron-and-steel works. Its existing infrastructure and metallurgical processes which provide the necessary waste heat increase the project s cost-effectiveness and minimize the electrical power demand. The reversible HTE system consists of an optimized multi-stack module design with six stacks modules in parallel (total capacity: 150 kw AC). Whereas the objectives regarding the upscaling and electrical efficiencies during commissioning have been reached, the second half of the project is dedicated to the longterm (7000 h) testing under different steady-state and dynamic operation conditions including reversibility. Another main project part is related to the improvement of robustness and durability of Reversible Solid Oxide Cell (RSOC) stacks. The proof will be performed in ongoing 10,000 h performance testing at stack level. Further activities comprise the investigation of business cases, techno-economic and life cycle analyses (LCA). This will be used for the elaboration of both an exploitation roadmap and dependable system cost data. 3

4 2 Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far In the first 18 months of GrInHy all WPs were progressing according to the work plan and all objectives have been addressed. Focus was on the design, manufacturing and commissioning of the reversible HTE with a nominal power of 150 kw AC (40 Nm³_H2/h). The HTE unit has been connected to a customized Hydrogen Processing Unit and integrated into the infrastructure of the iron-and-steel work in Salzgitter. The system commissioning already proved its reversibility by producing hydrogen from steam and electricity in Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) mode and generating electricity and heat using either hydrogen or natural gas as fuels in Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) mode. Process simulations and the commissioning have shown electrical efficiencies above 80% LHV (ca. 95% HHV) in SOEC mode by integration of industrial steam from waste heat. The operability in SOFC mode with both hydrogen and natural gas has been demonstrated while reaching the efficiency targets. The over-load capacity of 200 kw AC (50 Nm³_H2/h) represents the world-wide highest reported HTE capacity. The Hydrogen Processing Unit (HPU) contains a Pressure Swing Adsorption and a compressor to meet the hydrogen quality of 3.8 purity at 10 bar(g). All development steps from flow charting and simulation, P&ID development, safety analysis up to detailed mechanical design, electrical planning and software development have been performed. Stacks have been tested to tackle challenges of the reversible operation. So far, 8,500 hours of accumulated testing showed degradation rates well below 1 % / 1,000 hours, and no additional degradation has been determined after 30,000 on/off cycles. New materials and design optimization are investigated and continuously improve the next stack generations. The technical work has been complemented by investigations of promising business cases and elaboration of future cost potentials for the RSOC technology. Techno-economic and life cycle analyses have been started and will support the system upscaling activities and exploitation plan. GrInHy achieved a high-level of public awareness during scientific conferences, fairs, dedicated hydrogen technology workshops. Main target groups consisting of researchers, political decision makers and possible costumers have been addressed. 4

5 3 Progress beyond the state of the art, expected results until the end of the project and potential impacts The consortium is working on a reversible HTE system that is world-wide leading in terms of scale, efficiency, operation and fuel flexibility and first-time integration in an industrial environment. As unique feature, the HTE system operation is able switch from electrolyser to fuel cell mode using either natural gas or hydrogen as fuel. Even the feasible usage of process gases from steel production processes is investigated. Low temperature electrolysers are the standard in hydrogen production from RES. First results indicate that GrInHy s HTE technology is able to achieve 25 % higher electrical efficiencies. The efficiencies of 80%_LHV that has been demonstrated during commissioning haven t been shown before at a prototype of this size. Most of previous long-term operations in SOEC mode were limited to steady-state operations at cell or short-stack level. In GrInHy, fast load cycling capabilities with more than 30,000 cycles have been investigated. Material improvements and optimization of stack integration are ongoing. It is targeted to operate a full-size stack (30 cells) for more than 10,000 h at degradation rates of below 1%/1000 h by the end of the project. Similar durability proofs will be performed at system level during its operation of at least 7,000 h under pre-defined operation regimes (steady-state, SOEC and RSOC load cycles). HTE has the potential to reach electricity consumptions of below 40 kwh/kg hydrogen if operated with steam from waste heat. Since electricity costs have a share of about 80 % of total costs in the long-term, HTE is a promising key technology to achieve economic feasibility for hydrogen production from RES. Further business cases regarding the reversibility to improve economics are currently under investigation and will be included into a detailed techno-economic analysis. The main impact of GrInHy will be to significantly advance the HTE towards a marketable product, ensuring a world leading competitive European FCH industry. In addition to that, SZFG and SZMF investigate different steel production pathways that directly avoid CO 2 emissions (Carbon Direct Avoidance). A very promising approach is the substitution of carbon with hydrogen as a reducing agent. In this context, GrInHy is a technological preliminary study of an energy efficient hydrogen production providing green hydrogen for the steel industry in the future. 5