Clean Hydrogen Production

Process Description

Steam reforming can efficiently decompose methane (natural gas) to hydrogen with carbon free process in the presence of plasma generated by microwave (mWave) generator, namely Plasma Steam Methane Reforming (PSMR).

With the capability to produce clean hydrogen at an energy requirement of less than 25 kWh/kg hydrogen (~11 kWh/kg), PSMR process can offer substantial economic benefits. In comparison, advanced electrolysis process for large scale applications requires at least 36 kWh/kg with 70% efficiency.

PSMR is suitable for distributed applications with starting capacity of 100 kg/day, scalable to 1,000 kg/day. The process offers reliable operation as there is no requirement to replace the electrodes due to the electrodeless plasma system.

Main Features

Carbon free process, ensuring a safe removal of carbon from gas supplies and sequestering the carbon permanently.
Natural gas and steam are only involved.
Atmospheric process condition.
No catalyst required.
Reliable operation due to electrodeless plasma system.
Easily scalable.
Efficient footprint.
Compatible with pipeline grade natural gas, LNG or renewable natural gas.
Provide flexible and economic hydrogen at existing infrastructures.
24/7 onsite hydrogen generation.

More Details

Current emerging hydrogen economy relies on large-scale production to offer good economic return. Two main commercially available processes of producing hydrogen include steam methane reforming (SMR) and electrolysis. SMR emits at least 7 kg of CO₂ per kg of hydrogen, thus, to be considered clean, the process requires carbon capture technology to offset its emissions, increasing the complexity and the capital cost. Meanwhile, electrolysis demands large scale of footprint due to the wind and solar power installation. Currently, advanced electrolysis process requires at least 36 kWh of energy to generate 1 kg of hydrogen.

Plasma Steam Methane Reforming (PSMR) unit aims at tackling these issues. Using natural gas as the raw material, PSMR will produce hydrogen without emitting carbon emissions. The energy requirement of the process is less than 25 kWh/kg hydrogen at a scale of 1,000 kg/day, making it suitable for distributed applications, including refueling stations, which will be more than enough to fuel 200 hydrogen passenger vehicles. The main equipment includes the microwave PSMR unit, heat exchanger, demister, pressure swing adsorption (PSA) and the hydrogen tank (as shown below).

With the current development (at TRL 8), the unit could produce clean hydrogen, offering a production cost of less than $5.5 per kg hydrogen at 1,000 kg/day. A modular unit with capacity of producing clean hydrogen at 100 kg/day (PS100) is coming soon (as shown below).

Overall, the process offers carbon free, ensuring a safe removal of carbon from gas supplies and sequestering the carbon permanently. With the natural gas and steam as the raw material, atmospheric process condition, and no requirement of catalyst, PSMR will offer substantial economic return. Unlike other plasma systems, microwave plasma is electrodeless, thus, offering reliable operation as replacing the electrodes after certain hours of operation is no longer required. The process is easily scalable, consequently providing an efficient footprint. In addition to natural gas, the process is also applicable with LNG or renewable natural gas, offering flexible and economic hydrogen at existing infrastructures and 24/7 onsite hydrogen generation.

The process has also been evaluated to produce clean hydrogen from ammonia. Here, instead of using natural gas and steam, ammonia is used as the raw material. The conversion process occurred smoothly with stable operation driven by the microwave plasma system.

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