You can find a small-scale electrolysis system in the HAN H2 Lab. With this, students and employees of the HAN are doing research at the IPKW on an issue that concerns their neighbour HyGear: how do you produce hydrogen that is even purer than the current standard prescribes? And how do you do that without costs skyrocketing? These questions are at the heart of a collaborative TKI New Gas project.

Set-up for testing

Two graduate students were involved in the TKI research. “I had the task of preparing the setup so that testing could take place,” says Rik van Dalen, now a Mechanical Engineering graduate student.

“There are many things you would like to see and control, such as temperature and pressure. And that in a safe way.” In doing so, Rik was put to a considerable test; he found few accessible reference books. “Not much is known about this kind of hydrogen application yet. I had to do my own research, and read many papers by all kinds of scientists.”

Rik continued his studies and started the Master Engineering Systems (master track Sustainable Energy) at HAN in September. Within this master, he will continue with a follow-up project.

Gas crossing during electrolysis

Sam van Amsterdam, Mechanical Engineering student at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, also worked on hydrogen research last term. “I mainly focus on the gas crossing during electrolysis. That’s when oxygen and water travel from anode to cathode. I am modelling that. I am making a gas analysis system that can confirm how much actually crosses over,” says Van Amsterdam. “The design is ready now and the stuff has been ordered. So once that’s in, we can start building the analysis system.”

Hydrogen can be used to heat buildings, drive vehicles and store energy. But hydrogen also has lesser-known applications. “The most important for us at the moment are glass companies,” says Hans ten Dam, Chemical Engineering specialist at HyGear. “There, molten glass is treated with hydrogen and a nitrogen mixture to get rid of impurities. Especially for mobiles, and devices like that, you need very pure glass.”

Stricter regulations

“The pressure of hydrogen in tanks is getting higher. And the higher the pressure is, the sooner you have to deal with water. So the standard has changed, but not yet implemented everywhere. Officially, this is not necessary yet, but a new standard is on the way.” The aim of the TKI project is therefore also: to produce drier hydrogen with an electrolyser. With this, HyGear is preparing for market demands and stricter regulations.

At what temperatures is it best to dry?

HAN fourth-semester students work on the drying process. Hydrogen is blown through a cylinder with absorbent granules and thus dried. When the material is saturated, it is regenerated. In other words, dried. Which grains are most suitable for this application and how best to regenerate them is part of research. For example, they want to know at what temperatures it is best to dry.

Source and photography: HAN SEECE