Gas Booster Recirculation for Hydrogen Adsorber Regeneration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrolysis systems for hydrogen production face energy losses and inefficiencies due to the need to switch off during power outages, leading to incomplete regeneration of adsorbers and halted hydrogen drying processes, resulting in prolonged downtime and gas losses.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that utilize a gas booster with a frequency converter and flow transmitter to maintain gas flow and regeneration processes during power outages, using an internal or external power source to sustain the adsorption and regeneration cycles, ensuring continuous hydrogen drying and cleaning by recirculating clean gas as regeneration gas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the electrolysis system is switched off during power outages, then energy consumption is reduced, but hydrogen production stops and adsorber regeneration is interrupted causing prolonged downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a portion of its own produced clean hydrogen gas to regenerate the adsorber during power outages. The gas booster recirculates clean gas from the adsorber output back through the adsorber bed, enabling self-regeneration without external power or gas sources, thus maintaining productivity while minimizing energy loss
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit detects power outage conditions and automatically switches the adsorber from production mode to regeneration mode before complete system shutdown occurs. This preliminary switching ensures continuous operation by pre-positioning the system in a state that maintains hydrogen production capability during the outage
2Loss of energy
If the adsorber regeneration is interrupted during power outages, then energy consumption is reduced, but the adsorber remains loaded with water causing halted hydrogen drying processes
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-regeneration using its own clean hydrogen output. The gas booster recirculates clean gas through the adsorber bed, and the electric heater uses minimal power to heat this recirculated gas for water desorption, enabling the adsorber to regenerate itself without external power sources during outages
Solution Approach 2:
The recirculation of clean hydrogen gas through the adsorber maintains continuous regeneration action during power outages. The control unit ensures the gas booster and heater operate continuously on stored energy or minimal power, preventing interruption of the drying process capability and ensuring immediate resumption when power returns
3Loss of energy
If the gas flow is stopped during power outages, then energy consumption is reduced, but regeneration completion is prevented causing extended downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The gas booster recirculates clean hydrogen gas through the adsorber using stored energy or minimal power input during outages. This self-sustained gas flow maintains the regeneration process without requiring external power sources, preventing extended downtime while consuming minimal energy
Solution Approach 2:
The system operates in periodic cycles during power outages, alternating between using stored energy to maintain gas flow and entering low-power states. The control unit manages this periodic operation to complete regeneration within the outage duration while minimizing overall energy consumption
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach minimizes gas losses and emissions, maintains continuous hydrogen production, and improves economic efficiency by allowing uninterrupted operation during power fluctuations, ensuring high-purity hydrogen output even during renewable energy supply interruptions.
Implementation Method 1
the water from this process gas under excess pressure by adsorption of the water on an adsorbent is removed in one of at least two adsorbers filled with adsorbent
Implementation Method 2
the loaded adsorbent of the respective adsorber is fed in a regeneration gas line against the flow direction of the loaded adsorber and heated by an electric heater
Implementation Method 3
a reactor for converting residual oxygen and hydrogen to form water on a catalyst to a hot, moist process gas
Implementation Method 4
the heated gas is subjected to an exothermic reaction in a reactor in which the residual oxygen is converted with the hydrogen into a hot, moist process gas
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for drying and purifying hydrogen-containing gases that are produced during electrolytic water splitting in the form of an oxygen-rich gas (A) and a hydrogen-rich gas (B), each containing residues of the other separated gas. The invention aims to maintain the gas flow in the device when electrolysis is interrupted due to a power outage or blackout, until the regeneration of the water-laden adsorber is properly completed, and simultaneously to improve the efficiency of drying and purifying hydrogen-containing gases by reducing gas losses and emissions through the return of a portion of the purified gas as regeneration gas to the process gas.This task is solved by drawing in the subset (TR) of the clean gas (D) as regeneration gas (E) through a gas booster (12) with frequency converter connected to the regeneration gas line (18), and a flow transmitter (35) with integrated flow computer sets the volume flow of the subset (TR) by determining a current speed value of the gas booster (12) or a fixed speed value of the gas booster (12) via the control unit (21), which, in the event of a power failure, switches off all power-consuming units, such as the gas booster (12), electric heater (13), control unit (21), switching valves (25, 26, 27, 28; 31, 32, 33, 34; 43; 45; 49) and, if necessary,Pump (8), to an internal/external power source (40) for temporary electrical power supply via the power line (48) by means of a switching device (37), wherein the gas booster (12) generates a suction flow circuit of the clean and desorption gas (D, F) present when the power supply is switched off, formed from the residual gas (G) at the adsorbers (9, 10) on a flow path (K) leading through the gas lines (14, 16, 18, 19, 23, 24, 29, 30), the adsorbers (9, 10), the electric heater (13), heat exchanger (6), separator (7) and filter (11) until the proper completion of the regeneration.