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

氢燃料电池(HFC)具有城市污染低、二氧化碳排放低、运行安静、自放电低、能量密度高、续航里程长等优点。该技术同时解决了许多主要的能源和环境挑战，并显示了整合多样化/间歇性可再生能源的灵活性，这些能源在整个欧洲越来越多地安装，并在欧盟“地平线2020”[1，2]中得到强调。据估计，2030年燃料电池的氢气需求将达到1.4亿公斤，氢氟市场规模将达到30亿美元[1]。然而，与其他燃料系统相比，这项技术在经济上还不具竞争力，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。造成氢氟碳化物成本上升的两个重要因素是：(1)延长资产寿命所需的高纯度氢气的额外成本，特别是在氢气来自不同来源或由车载氢化物/混合罐供应的情况下；(2)由于杂质积聚或催化中毒导致氢氟碳化物寿命有限的成本。因此，低成本和在线的氢气提纯和杂质监测对于降低氢燃料成本和燃料电池运行成本至关重要，因为燃料电池组的使用寿命延长。这项多学科的建议将寻求通过以下两个方面来解决这两个问题：(1)开发低成本和高性能的现场氢气净化系统，以降低氢氟碳化物的氢气燃料成本；(2)开发低成本、坚固耐用的互补金属氧化物半导体(CMOS)气体传感器，用于实时杂质监测，既降低电池维护成本，又延长氢氟碳化物的使用寿命。这两个问题是氢技术未来的两个关键障碍。联合体成员在氢气储存和净化[XG和AS]、氢燃料电池(包括催化剂中毒和其他降解现象[AS])、气体/化学微型传感器[JG]的开发以及大型项目设计和管理[JG，JG]方面提供互补的专业知识，从而使联合体能够开发一种氢气净化和杂质监测的综合方法，提供新颖的设计、基础分析和此类设备的优化集成，以实现高效、低成本和高纯度的氢气输送。我们建议与HFC中心、UKERC和我们的行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，加快氢氟碳化合物向行业的技术转让。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