Microwave pyrolysis of natural gas for the production of turquoise hydrogen

微波热解天然气生产绿松石氢

• 批准号: 568662-2021
• 负责人: Bobicki, Erin
• 金额: $ 11.29万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=720378
• 关键词: Microwave; pyrolysis; natural; gas; production

The world is looking to decarbonize transportation and industrial processes, and hydrogen has been identified as an energy carrier with key benefits over electricity in applications where a chemical fuel is desired. Hydrogen plays a vital role in many industrial processes with 70 Mt/yr of hydrogen produced worldwide. At present, hydrogen is primarily made by the steam reforming of natural gas, which results in CO2 emissions. With demand expected to increase dramatically, there is an urgent need to develop new low-cost and low-carbon technologies for hydrogen production. An alternative technology is proposed that uses efficient microwave energy to heat methane in the absence of oxygen and water (pyrolysis) to generate hydrogen and solid carbon with no direct CO2 emissions. The technology is highly scalable and modular, units can be installed anywhere there is natural gas and electricity, and access to H2 and CO2 pipeline infrastructure is not required. The project will involve an extensive bench-scale study designed to develop fundamental knowledge required for successful scale-up and commercialization of the proposed microwave pyrolysis process, and to provide critical design specifications for a pilot plant. Research will be conducted in the areas of reactor, microwave system, and ancillary unit operation design; process analysis and modelling to maximize hydrogen yield and energy efficiency; the role of solid carbon as microwave susceptor and catalyst; and the properties of the carbon product and evaluation of its market potential. Finally, technoeconomic analysis (TEA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) will be completed to determine the cost and environmental impact of producing hydrogen by microwave pyrolysis. It is anticipated that the production of hydrogen by the proposed microwave technology could reduce global CO2 emissions by 0.5 Bt/yr. The technology will be commercialized following pilot testing, and will produce a clean and high-value product from Canada's abundant natural resources, resulting in the creation of jobs, investments, tax revenue, and royalties to ensure economic and social prosperity well into the future.

世界正在寻求交通运输和工业流程脱碳，而氢已被认为是一种能源载体，在需要化学燃料的应用中比电力具有重要优势。氢气在许多工业过程中发挥着至关重要的作用，全球每年生产 70 公吨氢气。目前，氢气主要通过天然气蒸汽重整制取，会产生二氧化碳排放。随着需求预计将大幅增加，迫切需要开发新的低成本、低碳制氢技术。提出了一种替代技术，该技术使用高效的微波能量在没有氧气和水的情况下加热甲烷（热解），产生氢气和固体碳，而不直接排放二氧化碳。该技术具有高度可扩展性和模块化特性，装置可以安装在有天然气和电力的任何地方，并且不需要使用氢气和二氧化碳管道基础设施。该项目将涉及广泛的实验室规模研究，旨在开发成功扩大规模和商业化拟议的微波热解工艺所需的基础知识，并为中试工厂提供关键的设计规范。将在反应堆、微波系统和辅助单元运行设计领域进行研究；过程分析和建模，以最大限度地提高氢气产量和能源效率；固体碳作为微波感受器和催化剂的作用；碳产品的特性及其市场潜力的评估。最后，将完成技术经济分析（TEA）和生命周期评估（LCA），以确定微波热解制氢的成本和环境影响。预计通过所提出的微波技术生产氢气可以将全球二氧化碳排放量减少 0.5 Bt/年。该技术将在试点测试后商业化，并将利用加拿大丰富的自然资源生产清洁、高价值的产品，从而创造就业机会、投资、税收和特许权使用费，以确保未来的经济和社会繁荣。