Hydrogen separation from natural gas network in Haßfurt

23.12.2024

Source: E & M powernews

In future, Stadtwerke Haßfurt will separate hydrogen from gas mixtures in the natural gas grid using so-called EHS stacks.

Electrochemical hydrogen separation technology, or EHS for short, is the basis on which Stadtwerke Haßfurt intends to further advance the energy transition. The supplier in the Lower Franconian municipality has now received EHS stacks. The aim is to extract high-purity hydrogen from the mixture in the natural gas pipeline.

The system is the subject of a project in cooperation with the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg and the Institute for Energy Technology at the East Bavarian Technical University of Applied Sciences Amberg-Weiden. The technology was developed by the Munich-based company Siqens.

"Thanks to HT-PEM technology, our EHS process delivers high-purity hydrogen, even with a contaminated gas mixture as a carrier," says Siqens CEO Thomas Klaue. HT-PEM stands for high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. Siqens' development is intended for hydrogen admixtures in the natural gas network or reformate gases from methanol and biogas, for example.

According to the company, the hydrogen content in the mixture can be between 3 and 99 percent. The hydrogen obtained achieves a purity of more than 99.97 percent. The process is said to require 90 percent less energy than water electrolysis.

With the plant in Hassfurt, the technology company founded in 2012 aims to provide a "robust solution for the production of hydrogen from local resources". It is due to go into operation at the beginning of next year.

Author: Manfred Fischer