WO2013093461A1 - Hydrogen quality monitor - Google Patents

Hydrogen quality monitor Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2013093461A1
WO2013093461A1 PCT/GB2012/053189 GB2012053189W WO2013093461A1 WO 2013093461 A1 WO2013093461 A1 WO 2013093461A1 GB 2012053189 W GB2012053189 W GB 2012053189W WO 2013093461 A1 WO2013093461 A1 WO 2013093461A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
hydrogen
fuel
fuel cell
purity
source
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/GB2012/053189
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Christopher James KIRK
Simon Edward Foster
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Intelligent Energy Ltd
Original Assignee
Intelligent Energy Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority to AU2012356446A priority Critical patent/AU2012356446B2/en
Priority to BR112014015251A priority patent/BR112014015251A2/pt
Priority to CN201280063909.0A priority patent/CN104115320B/zh
Priority to EP12815752.6A priority patent/EP2795706B1/en
Priority to DK12815752.6T priority patent/DK2795706T3/en
Priority to SG11201403461VA priority patent/SG11201403461VA/en
Priority to MX2014007738A priority patent/MX2014007738A/es
Priority to KR1020147020139A priority patent/KR102024108B1/ko
Priority to CA2860121A priority patent/CA2860121C/en
Application filed by Intelligent Energy Ltd filed Critical Intelligent Energy Ltd
Priority to RU2014129811A priority patent/RU2014129811A/ru
Priority to US14/367,453 priority patent/US9726635B2/en
Priority to JP2014548189A priority patent/JP6139560B2/ja
Publication of WO2013093461A1 publication Critical patent/WO2013093461A1/en
Priority to PH12014501433A priority patent/PH12014501433A1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Priority to ZA2014/04979A priority patent/ZA201404979B/en
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • GPHYSICS
    • G01MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01NINVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N27/00Investigating or analysing materials by the use of electric, electrochemical, or magnetic means
    • G01N27/26Investigating or analysing materials by the use of electric, electrochemical, or magnetic means by investigating electrochemical variables; by using electrolysis or electrophoresis
    • G01N27/416Systems
    • G01N27/417Systems using cells, i.e. more than one cell and probes with solid electrolytes
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01DSEPARATION
    • B01D53/00Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols
    • B01D53/22Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols by diffusion
    • B01D53/228Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols by diffusion characterised by specific membranes
    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C01INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
    • C01BNON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C
    • C01B3/00Hydrogen; Gaseous mixtures containing hydrogen; Separation of hydrogen from mixtures containing it; Purification of hydrogen
    • C01B3/50Separation of hydrogen or hydrogen containing gases from gaseous mixtures, e.g. purification
    • C01B3/501Separation of hydrogen or hydrogen containing gases from gaseous mixtures, e.g. purification by diffusion
    • C01B3/503Separation of hydrogen or hydrogen containing gases from gaseous mixtures, e.g. purification by diffusion characterised by the membrane
    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C01INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
    • C01BNON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C
    • C01B3/00Hydrogen; Gaseous mixtures containing hydrogen; Separation of hydrogen from mixtures containing it; Purification of hydrogen
    • C01B3/50Separation of hydrogen or hydrogen containing gases from gaseous mixtures, e.g. purification
    • C01B3/56Separation of hydrogen or hydrogen containing gases from gaseous mixtures, e.g. purification by contacting with solids; Regeneration of used solids
    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C01INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
    • C01BNON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C
    • C01B3/00Hydrogen; Gaseous mixtures containing hydrogen; Separation of hydrogen from mixtures containing it; Purification of hydrogen
    • C01B3/50Separation of hydrogen or hydrogen containing gases from gaseous mixtures, e.g. purification
    • C01B3/56Separation of hydrogen or hydrogen containing gases from gaseous mixtures, e.g. purification by contacting with solids; Regeneration of used solids
    • C01B3/58Separation of hydrogen or hydrogen containing gases from gaseous mixtures, e.g. purification by contacting with solids; Regeneration of used solids including a catalytic reaction
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04082Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration
    • H01M8/04089Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04298Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems
    • H01M8/04313Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems characterised by the detection or assessment of variables; characterised by the detection or assessment of failure or abnormal function
    • H01M8/0444Concentration; Density
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04298Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems
    • H01M8/04313Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems characterised by the detection or assessment of variables; characterised by the detection or assessment of failure or abnormal function
    • H01M8/04537Electric variables
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04298Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems
    • H01M8/04313Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems characterised by the detection or assessment of variables; characterised by the detection or assessment of failure or abnormal function
    • H01M8/04537Electric variables
    • H01M8/04544Voltage
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04298Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems
    • H01M8/04313Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems characterised by the detection or assessment of variables; characterised by the detection or assessment of failure or abnormal function
    • H01M8/04537Electric variables
    • H01M8/04574Current
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04298Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems
    • H01M8/04313Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems characterised by the detection or assessment of variables; characterised by the detection or assessment of failure or abnormal function
    • H01M8/04537Electric variables
    • H01M8/04604Power, energy, capacity or load
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04298Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems
    • H01M8/04694Processes for controlling fuel cells or fuel cell systems characterised by variables to be controlled
    • H01M8/04858Electric variables
    • H01M8/04925Power, energy, capacity or load
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/06Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues
    • H01M8/0662Treatment of gaseous reactants or gaseous residues, e.g. cleaning
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/06Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues
    • H01M8/0662Treatment of gaseous reactants or gaseous residues, e.g. cleaning
    • H01M8/0687Reactant purification by the use of membranes or filters
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01DSEPARATION
    • B01D2256/00Main component in the product gas stream after treatment
    • B01D2256/16Hydrogen
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02EREDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/30Hydrogen technology
    • Y02E60/32Hydrogen storage
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02EREDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/30Hydrogen technology
    • Y02E60/50Fuel cells

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to apparatus and methods for monitoring the quality of a hydrogen supply.
  • the present invention provides a hydrogen purity monitor comprising:
  • a first fuel cell configured to generate electrical current from the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxidant, having a first fuel inlet configured to receive hydrogen from a first hydrogen source;
  • a second fuel cell configured to generate electrical current from the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxidant, having a second fuel inlet configured to receive hydrogen from a second hydrogen source;
  • the hydrogen purity monitor may include a first hydrogen source comprising a hydrogen source of known purity.
  • the known purity hydrogen source may be a hydrogen tank containing a reference gas.
  • the hydrogen purity monitor may include a hydrogen purification device coupled between the first fuel inlet and the second fuel inlet to receive hydrogen from the second hydrogen source, and to provide hydrogen from the second hydrogen source to the first fuel inlet via the purification device as the first hydrogen source.
  • the hydrogen purification device may include a catalytic purifier.
  • the hydrogen purification device may comprise a palladium membrane.
  • the comparator may be configured to determine a rate of change of voltage and / or current for each of the first and second fuel cells over a period of time.
  • the second hydrogen source may be a steam reformer.
  • the first fuel cell may comprise a plurality of series-connected fuel cells in a stack and / or the second fuel cell may comprise a plurality of series-connected fuel cells in a stack.
  • the first fuel cell and the second fuel cell may form part of a single fuel cell stack.
  • the first fuel cell and the second fuel cell may each be of the proton exchange membrane type.
  • the hydrogen purity monitor may be integrated into a larger primary fuel cell stack.
  • the present invention provides a method of monitoring hydrogen purity, the method comprising:
  • Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a fuel cell based hydrogen quality monitor
  • Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of an alternative fuel cell based hydrogen quality monitor
  • Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of an alternative fuel cell based hydrogen quality monitor.
  • a convenient hydrogen purity monitoring system described here uses fuel cell technology in order to monitor hydrogen quality.
  • the purity monitoring system provides contamination detection and can be used at hydrogen fuelling stations in order to assess fuel purity before it is delivered to customers.
  • the purity monitoring system can also be used to monitor the hydrogen supply being fed to an operational fuel cell being used as an electrical power supply for a building or vehicle, for example (referred to herein as a primary fuel cell).
  • the purity monitoring system can be used as a periodic testing system or as an "in-line", continuously-operating fuel monitor.
  • the purity monitoring system uses a configuration of at least two fuel cells in order to monitor hydrogen purity.
  • An advantage of using fuel cells to perform the hydrogen purity monitoring is that it is relatively inexpensive compared to existing elemental analysis apparatus and methods.
  • Another advantage of a fuel cell based purity monitoring system is that, by their very nature, the fuel cells performing the purity monitoring can readily be configured to be sensitive to exactly the same contaminants that are harmful to operation of a primary fuel cell stack with which the purity monitor can be associated.
  • FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating the principles of operation of a first configuration of hydrogen purity monitor 10.
  • the purity monitor 10 includes a first fuel cell 11 and a second fuel cell 12.
  • the first fuel cell 11 is a reference fuel cell and may further comprise a number of individual fuel cells disposed in series-connected configuration as a reference fuel cell stack 1.
  • the second fuel cell 12 is a test fuel cell and may further comprise a number of individual fuel cells disposed in series connected configuration as a test fuel cell stack 2.
  • the reference cell 11 has a fuel inlet 13 and the test cell 12 has a fuel inlet 14. In this arrangement, the fuel inlets 13, 14 are both supplied from a common hydrogen source 5.
  • Hydrogen source 5 may be any form of hydrogen source including, but not limited to, any form of storage tank or vessel, a continuous piped supply, or a hydrogen generator such as a steam reforming system.
  • the fuel inlet 13 is connected to the hydrogen source 5 by way of a purifier 16.
  • the purifier 16 may be any form of filter capable of removing contaminants that would degrade the electrical performance of the reference fuel cell 11 and the test fuel cell 12.
  • a preferred purifier is a palladium membrane.
  • the purifier is preferably situated between the inlet 13 and the inlet 14 and the hydrogen source 5.
  • Any suitable purifier or in-line gas purification method may be used, such as those based on an adsorption method using porous media or pressure swing adsorption.
  • a range of possible hydrogen purifiers are commercially available, such as the icroTorr ® range from SAES Pure Gas Inc.
  • the hydrogen source 5 may also include an output 6 which is common to that supplied to fuel inlet 14, and which is coupled to a primary fuel cell stack power source for electrical power generation (not shown).
  • the reference fuel cell 11 has an electrical output 17 and the test fuel cell 12 has an electrical output 18. Both electrical outputs 17, 18 are connected to a controller 20. Controller 20 is configured to apply an electrical load (not shown) to each of the fuel cells 11 , 12 and to monitor the electrical outputs 17, 18 of the fuel cells 11 , 12. The controller 20 also includes a comparator (not shown) which compares the electrical outputs 17, 18 of the fuel cells 11 , 12. The controller 20 also provides a purity monitor output 22 configured to give an indication of hydrogen purity of the hydrogen source 5 based on an output of the comparator.
  • the hydrogen source 5 supplies hydrogen fuel to the reference fuel cell 11 via the purifier 16, but supplies hydrogen fuel directly to the test fuel cell 12 without purification.
  • performance metrics from the reference fuel cell 11 and from the test fuel cell 12 it is possible to test for the presence of contaminants in the hydrogen fed to the test fuel cell that are specifically harmful to fuel cell operation and which degrade electrical performance of the test fuel cell.
  • the controller 20 may be configured to carry out performance metrics continuously, periodically or intermittently.
  • the performance metrics may include measuring fuel cell voltage at a constant output current and / or output current at a constant voltage for each of the reference cell and the test cell.
  • the rate of any voltage loss 26 in the test cell 12 compared to the reference cell 11 is related to the quantity and type of contamination in the hydrogen source fuel.
  • the comparison with the reference cell 11 provides normalization of the measurements for environmental changes, such as temperature, humidity, air contamination and other factors that affect fuel cell performance.
  • Any suitable algorithm may be used for monitoring and comparing the relative performance of the reference and test cells 11 , 12.
  • An exemplary algorithm may determine a rate of change of voltage output for each of the reference and test cells and determine a purity level based on the difference in the respective rates of change.
  • An exemplary algorithm may determine a purity level based on an absolute difference in the voltage outputs of the reference and test cells.
  • the controller may be configured to trigger an alarm condition when the difference established exceeds a predetermined maximum, either transiently or over a defined period of time.
  • a rate of change of voltage output may give an indication of the severity of contamination of the hydrogen supply.
  • Discrimination between different contaminants could be made by providing additional reference fuel cells that are each supplied with hydrogen from the hydrogen source 5 by way of different purifiers or contaminant filters, each filter configured to remove specific contaminants.
  • discrimination between different contaminants could be made by providing further reference and test fuel cells with cells that have different catalysts, membranes or other features that are sensitive to different specific contaminants.
  • the hydrogen purity monitor 10a is provided with a separate high purity hydrogen source 27 instead of a purified supply from the main hydrogen source 5.
  • the high purity hydrogen source 27 can be a small storage vessel or tank of known high purity hydrogen reference gas, e.g. hydrogen of at least a known level of purity in a high integrity vessel.
  • the purity monitor 10a operates in the same way as the purity monitor 10 of figure 1.
  • the fuel cells of the hydrogen purity monitor 10, 10a are preferably of the proton exchange membrane type although other fuel cell types capable of generating electrical current from the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen can be used.
  • the reference and test fuel cells 11 , 12 may form part of one or more fuel cell stacks.
  • one or more series-connected reference cells may be coupled to one or more series-connected test cells in a single fuel cell stack.
  • Appropriate voltage monitoring terminals can be provided in known manner in the stack from the relevant cells or groups of cells to provide the requisite outputs 17, 18.
  • the stack would be provided with the necessary separate reference fuel supply for the reference cell or cells and test fuel supply for the test cell or cells. Integrating reference and test cells into the same stack could provide an advantage in that the ambient conditions (e.g. temperature, pressure, humidity etc) for operation of the reference and test fuel cells are more closely matched, thereby reducing any electrical output variation between the cells arising from a difference in ambient conditions.
  • the purifier 16 could also be integrated into the same fuel cell stack as the reference cells, e.g. by having a catalyst surface in a plate adjacent to the reference cell or cells and providing appropriate fluid flow ports for delivery of hydrogen so that the purifier and reference cell or cells are fluidically in series.
  • the hydrogen purity monitor 10 or 10a can be integrated into a primary fuel cell stack that provides power to an external load, e.g. an automotive power unit.
  • Appropriate voltage monitoring terminals can be provided in known manner in the primary stack from cells that are designated as the reference and test cells to provide the requisite outputs 17, 18.
  • the primary stack would be provided with the necessary separate reference fuel supply for the reference cell or cells.
  • the rest of the stack that serves as a primary stack power supply and the test cells would be provided with fuel from the source 5.
  • the hydrogen purity monitoring system could be modular such that reference and / or test fuel cells and palladium membranes could be replaced on a regular basis either after a certain time period or after a contamination event.
  • the purity monitor may be configured to run for a set time period after a fuel delivery to the main fuel storage tank 5. Alternatively, a sample volume of a fuel delivery could be taken prior to filling the tank 5 to avoid dilution of contaminants in a fuel delivery. If the difference in voltage drop between the test and reference cells were to be above a preset value, the system may be configured to trigger a shut down in the delivery station and / or a primary fuel cell operating from a tank, or to trigger an alarm condition for a more detailed analysis of the fuel source.
  • test cell After a contamination event, a test cell could be cleaned with purified hydrogen which could give some indication of the type of contamination. For example:
  • an improvement over time in test cell electrical output could indicate that the contamination event corresponded to a reversible catalyst contamination e.g. with CO;
  • no or little improvement over time in test cell electrical output could indicate that the contamination event corresponded to an irreversible catalyst contamination e.g. with sulphur compounds.
  • the sensitivity of the hydrogen purity monitor to contamination of hydrogen can be improved if required.
  • the impurity level within the hydrogen may be too small to be detectable using the apparatus of, e.g., figure 1 within a reasonable timescale.
  • sulphur-containing species may have a cumulative effect on the test fuel cell 12 and, broadly speaking, the impact on the test cell of exposure to 1 ppm impurities for 100 hours may be similar to that of 100 ppm for 1 hour.
  • the impurities within the hydrogen are concentrated prior to feeding hydrogen to the test fuel cell 12. This can be achieved by using a cross-flow filtration type technique in the purifier 16 and reconfiguring the apparatus according to figure 3.
  • a feed flow is input to the filter and a proportion of this flow is able to pass through the filter membrane to form a filtered or purified output referred to as the permeate flow.
  • Another proportion of the input flow passes along the upstream surface of the filter membrane, effectively washing the membrane, and is passed to a second output referred to as the retentate.
  • cross-flow filtration is often used to reduce filter clogging by relying on the cross-flow to continuously clean the upstream face of the filter medium, in the apparatus described in figure 3 it has an additional benefit. In effect, the difference in impurity concentration between the purified permeate flow and the retentate flow has been increased, the impurities in the input flow having been concentrated into the retentate flow.
  • a hydrogen purity monitor 30 includes a purifier 31 with an input feed flow line 32 coupled to the hydrogen source 5, a membrane 33 having an upstream side 34 and a downstream side 35, a permeate flow line 36 in communication with the downstream side 35 of the membrane 33 and a retentate flow line 37 in communication with the upstream side 34 of the membrane 33.
  • the permeate flow line 36 is coupled to the reference fuel cell 11 and provides purified hydrogen thereto.
  • the retentate flow line 37 is coupled to the test fuel cell 12 and provides hydrogen with concentrated impurities thereto.
  • the difference in electrical outputs 17 and 18 is amplified according to the ratio of impurities found in the permeate and retentate flows.
  • the purifier 31 comprises a palladium (Pd) membrane, sheet or film (which will be generally referred to herein as "membrane").
  • Hydrogen is able to permeate thin films of palladium.
  • the hydrogen when one side of the Pd membrane is exposed to a mixture of gas containing hydrogen, the hydrogen is able to permeate through the Pd membrane, but the other species do not.
  • the hydrogen dissociates into atoms in order to diffuse through the membrane and then re-associates into molecules on the other side. This process can be accelerated or enhanced by maintaining an increased pressure differential across the membrane.
  • the hydrogen passing through the membrane is the permeate, the hydrogen plus contaminants gas retained on the other side is the retentate.
  • the high pressure feed side should preferably not become filled with the non-permeating species and the retentate flow assists in this.
  • Other types of purifier 31 are possible, such as those with a polymer membrane.
  • a low level of impurities in the input feed flow e.g. 0.1 ppm carbon monoxide
  • Calibration techniques could be used to quantify the amount of impurity concentration effected by the cross-flow purifier 31 and thereby calibrate effective impurity levels in the feed flow based on the electrical outputs of the reference cell 11 and test cell 12.
  • Other embodiments are intentionally within the scope of the accompanying claims.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Electrochemistry (AREA)
  • Sustainable Energy (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
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  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
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  • Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
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  • Molecular Biology (AREA)
  • Biochemistry (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
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PCT/GB2012/053189 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 Hydrogen quality monitor Ceased WO2013093461A1 (en)

Priority Applications (14)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA2860121A CA2860121C (en) 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 Hydrogen quality monitor
CN201280063909.0A CN104115320B (zh) 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 氢品质监测器
EP12815752.6A EP2795706B1 (en) 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 Hydrogen quality monitor
DK12815752.6T DK2795706T3 (en) 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 HYDROGEN QUALITY MONITOR
SG11201403461VA SG11201403461VA (en) 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 Hydrogen quality monitor
MX2014007738A MX2014007738A (es) 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 Monitor de calidad de hidrogeno.
KR1020147020139A KR102024108B1 (ko) 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 수소 품질 모니터
AU2012356446A AU2012356446B2 (en) 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 Hydrogen quality monitor
RU2014129811A RU2014129811A (ru) 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 Устройство для мониторинга качества водорода
BR112014015251A BR112014015251A2 (pt) 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 monitor de pureza de hidrogênio, aparelho, e, método de monitorar pureza de hidrogênio
US14/367,453 US9726635B2 (en) 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 Hydrogen quality monitor
JP2014548189A JP6139560B2 (ja) 2011-12-21 2012-12-19 水素品質監視装置
PH12014501433A PH12014501433A1 (en) 2011-12-21 2014-06-20 Hydrogen quality monitor
ZA2014/04979A ZA201404979B (en) 2011-12-21 2014-07-07 Hydrogen quality monitor

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1122035.7 2011-12-21
GB1122035.7A GB2497787B (en) 2011-12-21 2011-12-21 Hydrogen quality monitor

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2013093461A1 true WO2013093461A1 (en) 2013-06-27

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SG11201403461VA (en) 2014-07-30
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US9726635B2 (en) 2017-08-08
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AR089432A1 (es) 2014-08-20
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PH12014501433A1 (en) 2014-09-22
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CA2860121C (en) 2020-04-07
RU2014129811A (ru) 2016-02-10
US20150346140A1 (en) 2015-12-03
TWI581491B (zh) 2017-05-01
GB2497787A (en) 2013-06-26
JP6139560B2 (ja) 2017-05-31
EP2795706A1 (en) 2014-10-29
TW201338258A (zh) 2013-09-16
KR20140112037A (ko) 2014-09-22
KR102024108B1 (ko) 2019-09-23
CN104115320A (zh) 2014-10-22
CA2860121A1 (en) 2013-06-27

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