Dynamic Operation Method of a Hydrogen Purification System based on Real-time Operation Information of a Water Electrolysis System

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dynamic operation method for a hydrogen purification system based on real-time operation information of a water electrolysis system, which predicts the real-time production volume of hydrogen based on the operation information of the water electrolysis system and dynamically controls the hydrogen purification system based on the predicted hydrogen production volume to reduce unnecessary power consumption of the system and increase the purification efficiency of hydrogen. A dynamic operation method for a hydrogen purification system based on real-time operation information of a water electrolysis system according to the present invention for solving the above problem comprises: an operation information acquisition step for acquiring operation information in real time from a water electrolysis system; a hydrogen production amount prediction step for predicting a hydrogen production amount based on the operation information acquired through the operation information acquisition step; a dryer status information acquisition step for acquiring status information of a first, second, and third dryer from a hydrogen purification system; and a dynamic control step for dynamically controlling the switching time of a circulation cycle of drying, heating, and regeneration (cooling) of the first, second, and third dryers using the hydrogen production amount predicted in the hydrogen production amount prediction step and the status information of the first, second, and third dryers acquired through the dryer status information acquisition step.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for dynamic operation of a hydrogen purification system based on real-time operation information of a water electrolysis system, and more specifically, to a method for dynamically operating a hydrogen purification system according to the amount of hydrogen produced by a water electrolysis system in a hydrogen purification system that purifies hydrogen produced by a water electrolysis system into high-purity hydrogen. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, hydrogen produced through a water electrolysis system may contain trace amounts of oxygen and electrolyte; therefore, a hydrogen purification system is operated in conjunction to produce high-purity hydrogen by adsorbing and removing (purifying) the trace amounts of oxygen and electrolyte contained in the hydrogen.

[0003] As described above, a prior art for purifying hydrogen is disclosed in the hydrogen purification system and method for purifying hydrogen disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 2025-0171011 (hereinafter referred to as the 'Patent Document').

[0004] The above patent document comprises a first reactor configured to produce a metal nitride and a hydrogen-rich gas by reacting a mixed gas containing hydrogen and nitrogen with a metal absorbent; and a second reactor configured to receive the metal nitride from the first reactor and regenerate it with the metal absorbent, wherein the pressure of the first reactor is 1 to 5 bar.

[0005] However, the above patent document purifies hydrogen by removing nitrogen gas contained in hydrogen through the first and second reactors, but since hydrogen produced by electrolyzing water in a water electrolysis system contains oxygen and water, there is a problem that hydrogen cannot be purified smoothly with a hydrogen purification system that removes nitrogen gas.

[0006] In addition, in the case of a hydrogen purification system that reduces oxygen contained in hydrogen to water through a catalytic reactor and removes moisture through a dryer, multiple dryers are operated for drying, heating, and regeneration (cooling). However, the drying, heating, and regeneration (cooling) operations of these dryers are controlled so that the cycle circulates according to a preset time. Consequently, the dryers are unnecessarily heated and regenerated (cooled) even when the absorbent is not in a saturated moisture state, which increases the power consumption of the system and causes energy waste.

[0007] In addition, if a portion of the purified hydrogen is used as a refrigerant for the regeneration (cooling) of the dryer, there is a problem in that the amount of purified high-purity hydrogen produced at the end decreases due to unnecessary cycle switching of the dryer, thereby lowering purification efficiency.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need to develop a dynamic operation method for an improved hydrogen purification system that can increase hydrogen purification efficiency and simultaneously reduce the system's power consumption by variably (dynamically) controlling the hydrogen purification system according to the amount of hydrogen produced and supplied through the water electrolysis system. Prior art literature

[0009] KR 10-2025-0171011 A (2025. 12. 08.)KR 10-2024-0129732 A (2024. 08. 28.)KR 10-2535227 B1 (2023. 05. 17.)KR 10-0896455 B1 (2009.) 04. 29.) The problem to be solved

[0010] The present invention was devised to solve the problems associated with the operation method of a conventional hydrogen purification system as described above. The objective of the present invention is to provide a dynamic operation method for a hydrogen purification system based on real-time operation information of a water electrolysis system, which predicts the real-time production volume of hydrogen based on the operation information of the water electrolysis system and dynamically controls the hydrogen purification system based on the predicted hydrogen production volume to reduce unnecessary power consumption of the system and increase the hydrogen purification efficiency. means of solving the problem

[0011] A dynamic operation method for a hydrogen purification system based on real-time operation information of a water electrolysis system according to the present invention for solving the above problem comprises: an operation information acquisition step for acquiring operation information in real time from a water electrolysis system; a hydrogen production volume prediction step for predicting a hydrogen production volume based on the operation information acquired through the operation information acquisition step; a dryer status information acquisition step for acquiring status information of a plurality of dryers from a hydrogen purification system; and a dynamic control step for dynamically controlling the switching time of a circulation cycle of drying, heating, and regeneration (cooling) of the plurality of dryers using the hydrogen production volume predicted in the hydrogen production volume prediction step and the status information of the plurality of dryers acquired through the dryer status information acquisition step.

[0012] In addition, the dynamic control step of the present invention is further characterized by normal control such that when the predicted hydrogen production amount is greater than or equal to the reference production amount preset in the hydrogen purification system, the plurality of dryers cycle at preset time intervals, and when the predicted hydrogen production amount is less than the reference production amount preset in the hydrogen purification system, the operation of one dryer operating in drying mode among the plurality of dryers is maintained as is, while the operation of the remaining dryers operating in heating and regeneration (cooling) mode is switched to standby mode.

[0013] In addition, another feature of the present invention is that when the operation of the remaining dryer among the plurality of dryers is switched to standby mode, the predicted hydrogen production amount is monitored in real time to determine whether it exceeds a preset reference production amount in the hydrogen purification system, and if the predicted hydrogen production amount exceeds the preset reference production amount, the operation of the remaining dryer switched to standby mode is switched to heating and regeneration (cooling) modes, respectively, and then normal control is performed so that the cycle of the plurality of dryers is circulated at preset time intervals.

[0014] In addition, another feature of the present invention is that the standby mode is a state in which the heater installed inside or outside the dryer is stopped, the purge is stopped, and the inlet / outlet valve is blocked. Effects of the invention

[0015] According to the present invention, by predicting the hydrogen production volume based on real-time operation information of a water electrolysis system and dynamically controlling the dryer operation cycle within the hydrogen purification system in accordance with the predicted hydrogen production volume, the power consumption used to regenerate and cool the dryer can be reduced, and the use of purified hydrogen for the regeneration and cooling of the dryer can also be reduced, thereby improving hydrogen purification efficiency.

[0016] In addition, the hydrogen purification system can be dynamically controlled in response to load fluctuations of eco-friendly power (renewable energy power) supplied through the eco-friendly power generation system, and there is an advantage in that the equipment life is extended as the number of cycle switchings of the dryer is reduced. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0017] FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a dynamic operation method of a hydrogen purification system based on real-time operation information of a water electrolysis system according to the present invention. FIGS. 2 and FIGS. 3 are configuration diagrams showing examples of dynamic operation methods of a hydrogen purification system based on real-time operation information of a water electrolysis system according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example in which the operation of the first, second, and third dryers is controlled through a control unit according to the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0018] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] The present invention aims to provide a dynamic operation method for a hydrogen purification system based on real-time operation information of a water electrolysis system, which predicts the real-time production volume of hydrogen based on the operation information of the water electrolysis system and dynamically controls the hydrogen purification system based on the predicted hydrogen production volume to reduce unnecessary power consumption of the system and increase the purification efficiency of hydrogen. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the present invention comprises an operation information acquisition step (S10), a hydrogen production volume prediction step (S20), a dryer status information acquisition step (S30), and a dynamic control step (S40).

[0020] The present invention includes a water electrolysis system (10) that produces hydrogen by electrolyzing water as shown in FIG. 2, a hydrogen purification system (20) that produces high-purity hydrogen by receiving hydrogen produced from the water electrolysis system (10), converting oxygen contained in the hydrogen into water, and adsorbing and removing moisture, and a control unit (30) that dynamically controls the hydrogen purification system (20) based on the operation information of the water electrolysis system (10) and the hydrogen purification system (20).

[0021] At this time, the water electrolysis system (10) can be configured to supply power through an eco-friendly power generation system (not shown), KEPCO, and the Korea Power Exchange.

[0022] Below, a method for dynamically operating a hydrogen purification system using the above configurations is described in detail.

[0023] (1) Driving information acquisition step (S10)

[0024] This step involves obtaining real-time operation information of the water electrolysis system (10). Among the water electrolysis systems (10) of the generally widely applied PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis), AEM (Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolysis), and AWE (Alkaline Water Electrolysis) types, if it is a hybrid water electrolysis system (10) in which different types of water electrolysis systems or water electrolysis systems are operated at different pressures, real-time operation information is obtained for each. Through this, real-time hydrogen production can be predicted through the hydrogen production prediction step (S20) described later.

[0025] At this time, the operation information may include information such as the type of power supplied (e.g., eco-friendly power, grid power, etc.), electrolyte flow rate, hydrogen flow rate, system load, and whether the system is shut down.

[0026] (2) Hydrogen production prediction step (S20)

[0027] This step predicts the amount of hydrogen produced in real time based on the operation information obtained through the above operation information acquisition step (S10), thereby enabling the control unit (30) to dynamically control the drying, heating, and regeneration (cooling) operations of the first, second, and third dryers (21, 22, 23) to absorb and remove residual moisture in the hydrogen according to the predicted amount of hydrogen supplied to the hydrogen purification system (20).

[0028] (3) Step to obtain dryer status information (S30)

[0029] This step involves obtaining status information of the first, second, and third dryers (21, 22, 23) from the hydrogen purification system (20), through which the control unit (30) obtains information such as the status of the cycle circulating in the drying, heating, and regeneration (cooling) modes of the first, second, and third dryers (21, 22, 23), the duration of each mode, pressure, temperature, and hydrogen input / output flow rate.

[0030] Although it has been described above that the control unit (30) obtains only the status information of the first, second, and third dryers (21, 22, 23) from the hydrogen purification system (20), it may additionally include information on various devices such as the catalytic reaction tank, cooler, heat exchanger, various control valves, hydrogen pressure, and temperature that constitute the hydrogen purification system (20), as shown in FIG. 3.

[0031] (4) Dynamic control step (S40)

[0032] This step is to dynamically control the switching time of the drying, heating, and regeneration (cooling) cycle of the first, second, and third dryers (21, 22, 23) using the hydrogen production amount predicted in the above hydrogen production amount prediction step (S20) and the state information of the first, second, and third dryers (21, 22, 23) obtained through the dryer state information acquisition step (S30).

[0033] In this dynamic control step (S40), as shown in FIG. 4, when the predicted hydrogen production amount is greater than the reference production amount preset in the hydrogen purification system (20), the control unit (30) normally controls the first, second, and third dryers (21, 22, 23) to cycle through drying, heating, and regeneration (cooling) modes at preset time intervals (e.g., 4 to 8 hours).

[0034] In contrast, if the predicted hydrogen production amount is less than the reference production amount preset in the hydrogen purification system (20), the control unit (30) detects the state of the dryer currently operating in drying mode.

[0035] At this time, if the dryer is not in a wet saturated state, the drying mode is maintained without changing the cycle even after the preset circulation cycle time has elapsed, and at the same time, the operation of the remaining two dryers operating in heating and regeneration (cooling) modes is switched to standby mode.

[0036] Here, the standby mode of the dryer refers to shutting off the heater and purge of the dryer operating in heating mode, along with shutting off the valve (not shown in the drawing) installed on the inlet / outlet path operating in heating and regeneration (cooling) mode.

[0037] Through the standby mode operation of the dryer as described above, the current state is maintained so that the cycle is not switched according to a preset time, and thereafter, the control unit (30) detects in real time whether the dryer operating in drying mode is saturated with moisture and dynamically controls the switching of the drying, heating, and regeneration (cooling) cycles.

[0038] As a result, the cycle is switched according to a preset time, thereby relatively reducing the waste of power applied to the heater. At the same time, since a predetermined amount of purified hydrogen for regeneration (cooling) is bypassed and not re-entered into the dryer, the amount of high-purity purified hydrogen stored in the buffer tank increases, and thus the hydrogen purification efficiency is improved.

[0039] Meanwhile, while the hydrogen purification system (20) is dynamically controlled by the control unit (30), including the standby mode as described above, if the real-time predicted hydrogen production amount exceeds the reference production amount preset in the hydrogen purification system (20), the operation of the two dryers switched to standby mode is switched to heating and regeneration (cooling) mode operation, respectively, and then the first, second, and third dryers (21, 22, 23) are normally controlled so that the cycle circulates at preset time intervals.

[0040] As explained above, the present invention predicts the hydrogen production volume based on real-time operation information of a water electrolysis system and dynamically controls the dryer operation cycle within the hydrogen purification system in accordance with the predicted hydrogen production volume, thereby reducing the power consumption used to regenerate and cool the dryer and also reducing the use of purified hydrogen for the regeneration and cooling of the dryer, which improves hydrogen purification efficiency.

[0041] In addition, the hydrogen purification system can be dynamically controlled in response to load fluctuations of eco-friendly power (renewable energy power), and the lifespan of the equipment is extended as the number of cycle switchings of the dryer is reduced.

[0042] For the convenience of explanation, drawings illustrating preferred embodiments and configurations shown in the drawings have been described above using reference numerals and names; however, as this is merely one embodiment according to the present invention, the scope of the rights should not be interpreted as being limited to the shapes shown in the drawings and the names assigned thereto. It is considered entirely obvious that modifications to various shapes predictable from the description of the invention and simple substitutions with configurations having the same function fall within the scope of modifications that a person skilled in the art can easily implement. Explanation of the symbols

[0043] 10; Water electrolysis system 20: Hydrogen purification system 21: 1st dryer 22: 2nd dryer 23: Third dryer 30: Control unit

Claims

Claim 1 Operation information acquisition step (S10) for acquiring operation information in real time from a water electrolysis system (10); hydrogen production quantity prediction step (S20) for predicting hydrogen production quantity based on the operation information acquired through the operation information acquisition step (S10); dryer status information acquisition step (S30) for acquiring status information of a plurality of dryers from a hydrogen purification system (20); A dynamic control step (S40) for dynamically controlling the switching time of the drying, heating, and regeneration (cooling) cycles of the plurality of dryers using the hydrogen production volume predicted in the hydrogen production volume prediction step (S20) and the status information of the plurality of dryers obtained through the dryer status information acquisition step (S30); wherein the dynamic control step (S40) is characterized by normal control so that the cycles of the plurality of dryers are circulated at preset time intervals when the predicted hydrogen production volume is greater than or equal to a preset reference production volume in the hydrogen purification system (20), and when the predicted hydrogen production volume is less than the preset reference production volume in the hydrogen purification system (20), the operation of one dryer operating in drying mode among the plurality of dryers is maintained as is, while the operation of the remaining dryers operating in heating and regeneration (cooling) mode is switched to standby mode. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 A dynamic operation method of a hydrogen purification system based on real-time operation information of a water electrolysis system according to claim 1, wherein, when the operation of the remaining dryer among the plurality of dryers is switched to standby mode and operated, the predicted hydrogen production amount is monitored in real time to be greater than or equal to a reference production amount preset in the hydrogen purification system (20), and when the predicted hydrogen production amount is greater than or equal to the reference production amount preset, the operation of the remaining dryer switched to standby mode is switched to heating and regeneration (cooling) mode operation, respectively, and then normal control is performed so that the cycle of the plurality of dryers is circulated at preset time intervals. Claim 4 A dynamic operation method of a hydrogen purification system based on real-time operation information of a water electrolysis system according to claim 3, wherein the standby mode is a state in which a heater installed inside or outside the dryer is stopped, a purge is stopped, and an inlet / outlet valve is blocked.

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