| PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE - COMMERICIALIZATION - 24 TO 36 MONTHS |
| HYDROGEN PRODUCTION FROM METHANE |
HTC provides technology to generate hydrogen from gas,using a novel dry reforming process. In contrast to conventional hydrogen steam reformation technologies where steam is reacted with the feedstocks to generate hydrogen, HTC`s process uses carbon dioxide to carry out the first step in the process. As with steam reforming, this produces a gas stream consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (often referred to as synthesis gas), which can be further refined using a water gas shift reactor.
The process is more scalable than existing reformer technologies and provides more compact and efficient reformers. Additionally HTC`s reformer configuration also includes technology that can capture any excess CO2 not recycled in the reaction.
Dry reforming is a well documented concept, having been explored by several research teams worldwide. However, HTC is the first organization to demonstrate a commercially viable dry reforming technology which is unique, novel and patented by HTC.
HTC advancement in the development of a CO2 reforming catalysts that is resistant to deactivation has been the most significant issue in advancing the commercialization of dry reforming technology. HTC has developed systems that operate at reduced levels of heat requirement in the dry reforming phase, thereby balancing the thermal of the two processes and leading to greater energy efficiency versus conventional hydrogen reforming systems. Importantly this heat balancing process allows for the proprietary catalysts of HTC to be manufactured from relatively low cost, non noble metal formulations compared to the platinum group metals used in most other catalysts of this type.
In parallel with catalyst development HTC has also developed proprietary modelling and simulation technology which assists in catalyst and reactor design. While the initial focus was on dry reforming of natural gas, development of reforming technology for other fuels such as ethanol, methanol, has also been completed which require their own unique catalyst and process design.
The HTC dry reforming is highly scalable from appliance size - located in private homes – to industrial size plants. This means the process can be deployed at a wide range of sites in which hydrogen is produced locally to the point of consumption. This overcomes one of the main barriers to the widespread adoption of hydrogen as a consumer end use fuel i.e. the difficulty in storage due to metal embrittlement and leakage.
HTC`s method to dry reformation of natural gas into hydrogen extracts more usable energy content from natural gas (at least 1.4 times) than combusting it in even the most efficient steam boiler or gas turbine. It extracts more energy content in the form of hydrogen than what the natural gas itself contains. Out of the 4 atoms in natural gas (CH4) the overall dry reforming process actually extracts 8 atoms during the process, the extra 4 atoms being obtained from water by reactions 1 and 2. Similar arguments are applicable to crude ethanol reforming.
(Click here for Published Papers on this process)
|
