Chemical Engineering September 2020 - 27

in the past 2 to 3 years, which has
been driven mainly by market need
for larger systems and innovation in
system design and manufacturing, "
explains Bow. The proliferation of
low-cost renewable energy is also
an enormous driving force, alongside
pressure to meet corporate and government
sustainability targets. " An
SMR will produce 10 to 12 tons of
CO2 per ton of H2 produced. Now,
low-cost renewable electricity can be
supplied to make green H2 with zero
CO2 emissions, " says Bow. A major
goal for electrolyzer providers is to
achieve " fossil parity " - meaning the
electroyzer can produce green H2 for
the same price as using an SMR with
natural gas ( " gray " hydrogen).
After achieving considerable cost
reductions, Nel is now focusing more
of its developmental efforts into improving
electrolyzer efficiency and
performance, including work to decrease
the amount of precious metals
(like platinum and iridium) in PEM
catalysts, and advancements in electrode
technology for alkaline systems.
Geography is an important factor
when comparing the economy
of SMRs with electrolyzers. In some
areas, where natural gas feedstock
for SMR units is scarce, natural gas
needs to be shipped; or H2 transported
via tube trailers or in liquid
form in tank trucks, which is very inefficient
and CO2-intensive. " Since H2
is such a light molecule, a full tube
trailer truck can carry only around
350 kg. Furthermore, there are considerable
losses when storing hydrogen
as a liquid, since it vents off as
temperatures change, " explains Bow.
This makes onsite generation of H2 a
much more attractive proposition for
major hydrogen consumers, such as
ammonia plants, methanol plants and
petroleum refineries.
While SMRs are by far the dominant
technology, many chemical processing
sites are turning to electrolyzers
to help augment SMR capacity and
thyssenkrupp
Industrial Solutions
FIGURE 2. Their modular nature makes electrolyzers
suitable for installations both large and small
increase plant flexibility, since electrolyzers
can operate efficiently over
a large turndown ratio and are readily
scalable. Bow mentions an example
of a large chemical manufacturer
who was purchasing H2 from a
nearby SMR unit and found that their
demand had outgrown the SMR's
capacity. " They looked at buying another
SMR unit versus transitioning
to electrolyzers or transporting liquid
H2 in tanker trucks and found that
electrolyzers in series provide more
efficiency at a lower cost, " says Bow.
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Chemical Engineering September 2020

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