(Dormagen/Pullach) – The British supplier of industrial gases Linde plc has commissioned a large-scale pilot plant to separate hydrogen from natural gas streams. The mixture can contain a hydrogen content of between five percent and 60 percent.
At the Dormagen, North Rhine-Westphalia location, the hydrogen is extracted using a process called “HISELECT” and then has a concentration of up to 90 percent. When further processed using Linde Engineering's pressure swing adsorption technology (PSA), a purity of up to 99,9999 percent can be achieved.
Membrane is an essential part of H2 transport
The high-performance membrane package is based on a polymer developed by Essen-based Evonik Industries AG. According to the information, it consists of highly selective hollow fibers that efficiently separate the hydrogen in the mixed natural gas stream from the main components methane and higher hydrocarbons. The material is particularly robust because natural gas contains a variety of other substances that can influence the separation performance.
A technology like HISELECT is “an important building block for scenarios in which hydrogen is mixed with natural gas and transported via natural gas pipelines,” explains Linde. This would allow the energy source to be transported efficiently to end consumers, be it as a raw material for industry or to be used as a source of heat and electricity or fuel.
The demonstration project in Dormagen makes it possible to show this technology in a real environment. This would save high costs and a lengthy process “that would be associated with building your own hydrogen pipeline infrastructure,” says John van der Velden, Senior Vice President Global Sales and Technology at Linde Engineering.
In Europe, a number of transmission system operators are currently working on a “European Hydrogen Backbone“. This is intended to enable the construction of a 40.000 kilometer functional hydrogen network based on the existing natural gas infrastructure.
deep link
https://www.linde-engineering.com/en/news_and_media/press_releases/news20220120.html
Photos
The world's first large-scale pilot plant for the production of hydrogen from natural gas pipelines in Dormagen, Germany. © Linde plc
