Real-Time H2 Purification and Monitoring for Efficient and Durable Fuel Cell Vehicles

氢和燃料电池（HFC）具有多种优势，例如低城市污染/ CO2排放，安静运行，低自放电，高能量密度和延长的驱动范围。该技术同时解决了许多主要的能源和环境挑战，并显示了整合欧洲各地越来越多安装并在欧盟“地平线2020”中强调的多样化/间歇性可再生能源的灵活性。据估计，2030年氢氟碳化合物市场将达到30亿美元，燃料电池的氢需求量超过1.4亿公斤[1]。然而，该技术在经济上还不能与其他燃料系统竞争，例如用于平衡电网的燃气轮机，用于家庭存储的锂离子电池，以及用于运输的高压缩比柴油发动机。导致氢氟碳化合物成本升高的两个重要因素是：（1）延长资产使用寿命所需的高纯度氢气的额外成本，特别是当氢气由不同来源产生或由机载氢化物/混合罐供应时;（2）由于杂质积累或催化中毒，氢氟碳化合物的使用寿命有限，因此成本较高。因此，由于燃料电池堆的寿命延长，低成本和在线H2纯化和杂质监测对于降低H2燃料成本和燃料电池运行成本至关重要。该多学科提案将寻求通过以下方式解决这两个问题：（1）开发低成本和高性能的原位氢气净化系统，以降低氢氟碳化合物的氢气燃料成本;（2）开发低成本、可靠的CMOS（互补金属氧化物半导体）气体传感器，用于实时杂质监测，以降低电池维护成本并延长氢氟碳化合物的使用寿命。这两个问题代表了氢技术未来的两个关键障碍。联盟成员在氢储存和净化[XG & AS]、氢燃料电池，包括催化剂中毒和其他退化现象[AS]、气体/化学微传感器的开发[JG]以及大型项目设计和管理[XG，JG]方面提供互补的专业知识;从而使该联盟能够开发出一种用于H2纯化和杂质监测的综合方法，该方法提供了新颖的设计，基本分析，以及这些装置的最佳集成，以实现高效、低成本和高纯度的氢气输送。我们建议与氢氟碳化合物中心、英国能源研究中心、我们的工业支持者以及英国和国际上的其他相关机构和科学家密切合作，以加快向工业界转让氢氟碳化合物的技术。关键词：氢燃料电池，净化，气体传感器，杂质监测

Hydrogen and fuel cells (HFCs) offer multiple advantages, such as low urban pollution / CO2 emission, quiet operation, low self-discharge, high energy density and extended driving ranges. The technology simultaneously addresses many of the major energy and environmental challenges, and shows the flexibility to integrate the diverse/intermittent renewable energy sources that are increasingly installed across Europe and emphasized in EU "Horizon 2020" [1,2]. It is estimated that the HFC market will reach $3 billion with hydrogen demand from fuel cells > 140 million kg in 2030 [1]. However, the technology is not yet economically competitive with other fuel systems, e.g. gas turbines for balancing electrical grids, Li-ion batteries for domestic storage, nor high compression ratio diesel engines for transport. Two important factors contributing to the elevated costs of HFCs are: (1) the additional cost of high-purity H2 needed to extend asset lifetime, especially when the H2 is generated from diverse sources or supplied by an on-board hydride/hybrid tank; (2) the cost associated with the limited lifetime of HFCs due to impurity built-up or catalytic poisoning. Therefore, low-cost and in-line H2 purification and impurity monitoring are crucial for the reduction of H2 fuel costs and fuel cell running cost due to extended lifetime of the fuel cell stacks. This multi-disciplinary proposal will seek to address both problems by: (1) developing low-cost and high performance in-situ H2 purification systems to reduce H2 fuel cost for HFCs; (2) developing low-cost, robust CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) gas sensors for real-time impurity monitoring both to reduce cell maintenance costs and extend the lifetime of HFCs. These two issues represent two critical impediments to the future of hydrogen technology. Members of the consortium provide complementary expertise in hydrogen storage and purification [XG & AS], hydrogen fuel cells, including catalyst poisoning and other degradation phenomena [AS], development of gas/chemical microsensors [JG], as well as large project design and management [XG, JG]; thus enabling the consortium to develop an integrated approach to H2 purification and impurity monitoring offering novel design, fundamental analysis, and optimal integration of such devices for efficient, low-cost and high-purity hydrogen delivery. We propose to work closely with the HFC Hub, UKERC, and our industrial supporters, as well as other relevant agencies and scientists in the UK and internationally, to accelerate the technology transfer of HFCs to industry. Key word: hydrogen fuel cell, purification, gas sensors, impurity monitoring