Design of a Laboratory Setup for Water Electrolysis. Joonas Koponen and Antti Kosonen

Transcription

1 Design of a Laboratory Setup for Water Electrolysis Joonas Koponen and Antti Kosonen

2 / Aim of E-to-H laboratory system at LUT Test facility for research and demonstration Power electronics, control, and dynamics System energy efficiency in conversion Operation with renewable energy systems (solar and wind) Hydrogen production, storage, and distribution

3 / Aim of E-to-H laboratory system at LUT Experimental environment with lab-scale system Household size: 5.5 kw PEM kw el CHP (tendering procedure starting) HIL-test system for power electronics (Master s thesis project starting) Designing and verification of simulation models (co-operation with VTT) Industrial environment technology: 50 kw alkaline in the future (possible ERDF funding) Part of power-to-gas or other systems Can be connected to a methanation plant First step to industrial size power-to-gas demonstration EU H2020 demo-project call

4 / Visits to hydrogen production plants Fig. 9 MW alkaline electrolyser in Woikoski, Kokkola, Finland. Fig. One 2 MW alkaline electrolyser in Audi plant. Fig. Demo plant for powerto-liquids in Sunfire. SOE.

5 / Hydrogen production laboratory system to LUT Main specifications Everything inside a container From tap water to hydrogen storage All-in as far as possible Safety issues guaranteed by the manufacturer Commercial devices (CE marked) Minimized designing time External controllability of electrolyser DC power supply Dynamics, response time, etc. Measurements LabVIEW system Voltage, current, and power (power analyzer) Flow measurement (water, hydrogen, oxygen) Temperatures Pressure Table Water conductivity. ISO Conductivity (ms/m) Water Grade1 Grade 2 Grade3 Deionized Tap 5 50 Sea 5000 Fig. What kind of room required?

6 / Hydrogen safety ISO/TR 15916:2004 Basic considerations for the safety of hydrogen systems ISO :2008 Hydrogen generators using water electrolysis process

7 / Hydrogen safety: the physical properties of hydrogen Hydrogen is colourless, odourless, and tasteless Hydrogen gas permeates through materials, passes through small leak paths, diffuses rapidly in surrounding media, and has a greater buoyancy than other gases The flammability range for hydrogen in air under ambient conditions is 4-75 % volume fraction

8 / Hydrogen safety: the physical properties of hydrogen Hydrogen gas expansion produces heat The materials used in vessels and other components can lose their structural strength when exposed to hydrogen Aluminium, copper, and stainless steel are highly resistant to hydrogen embrittlement The unique properties of hydrogen should be acknowledged to eliminate and minimize the risks associated with the use of hydrogen

9 / Hydrogen safety: basic considerations Isolation of hydrogen from oxidizers and ignition sources Ventilation guarantee in confined spaces where hydrogen leaks could potentially occur Installation of hydrogen and fire detectors and associated alarm devices Equipping hydrogen storage vessels with vent and pressure-relief systems Placement of emergency stop switches and auto-triggering of an emergency stop by alarm devices

10 / Directives and legislation Prevention of fire and explosion risks ATEX Directive 94/9/EC on equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres ATEX Directive 1999/92/EC on minimum requirements for improving the safety and health protection of workers potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres (applicable from 20 April 2016) Seveso II (Directive 96/82/EC) on prevention of major accidents involving dangerous substances, to be overwritten by Seveso III (Directive 2012/18/EU) on Safety of pressure equipment Directive 97/23/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning pressure equipment Safety of machinery Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC Electrical safety Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive EMC-D 2004/108/EC Source: Nissilä, M & Sarsama, J 2013, Polttokennosovellusten ja vetytankkauksen turvallisuuden varmistaminen, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, T112.

11 / Definition of Ex zones for gases Zone 0: An atmosphere where a mixture of air and flammable substances in the form of gas, vapour or mist is present frequently, continuously or for long periods (> 1000 h/a). Zone 1: An atmosphere where a mixture of air and flammable substances in the form of gas, vapour or mist is likely to occur in normal operation occasionally ( h/a). Zone 2: An atmosphere where a mixture of air and flammable substances in the form of gas, vapour or mist is not likely to occur in normal operation but, if it does occur, will persist for only a short period (< 10 h/a).

12 / Commissioning of the hydrogen generator Conduct an assessment of explosion risks (SFS handbook no. 59) Create an explosion protection document Account for the safety of workplaces (e.g. indicate potentially explosive atmospheres, create a code of conduct, and brief personnel accordingly) Documents from:

13 / Categorization of potentially explosive atmospheres

14 / Hydrogen generator container layout

15 / Hydrogen generator container layout Fig. Hydrogen detector. Fig. Outdoor container solution. Fig. Indoor view of the container. The PEM electrolyser produces 1 Nm3/h at 50 bar. The area in question is not categorized as an Ex zone. Fig. Composite cylinder storage for hydrogen gas (350 liters) max. 250 bar.

16 / IRD PEM water electrolyser data sheet Source: IRD 2015, Electrolyzer system data sheet, IRD, viewed 15 March 2015, <

17 / LUT E-to-Gas plant