Methods of operating pressure swing adsorption purifiers with electrochemical hydrogen compressors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10179306-B2
Application number	US-201514839034-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2015
Priority date	Aug 29, 2014
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

In accordance with one embodiment, a method of drying a hydrogen gas mixture is disclosed. The method may include determining a mass flow rate of water {dot over (m)} H2O in a hydrogen gas mixture stream and an adsorbent capacity of one or more adsorbent beds; determining a first period of time based on the determined mass flow rate of water {dot over (m)} H2O in the hydrogen gas mixture stream and the adsorbent capacity; directing the hydrogen gas mixture stream through a first adsorbent bed of the one or more adsorbent beds for the first period of time; adsorbing a quantity of water from the hydrogen gas mixture stream into the first adsorbent bed; and regenerating the first adsorbent bed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of drying a hydrogen gas mixture, comprising:
determining a mass flow rate of water {dot over (m)} H2O in a hydrogen gas mixture stream at a point prior to entering one or more adsorbent beds and an adsorbent capacity of the one or more adsorbent beds;
determining a first period of time based on the determined mass flow rate of water {dot over (m)} H2O in the hydrogen gas mixture stream and the adsorbent capacity;
directing the hydrogen gas mixture stream through a first adsorbent bed of the one or more adsorbent beds for the first period of time;
adsorbing a quantity of water from the hydrogen gas mixture stream into the first adsorbent bed for the first period of time; and
regenerating the first adsorbent bed.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a second period of time based on the determined mass flow rate of water {dot over (m)} H2O in the hydrogen gas mixture stream and the adsorbent capacity; and
directing the hydrogen gas mixture stream through the first adsorbent bed for a second period of time;
wherein the first period of time is different than the second period of time.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
directing the hydrogen gas mixture stream through a second adsorbent bed of the one or more adsorbent beds during the second period of time; and
adsorbing a quantity of water from the hydrogen gas mixture stream into the second adsorbent bed.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the quantity of water adsorbed by the first adsorbent bed during the first time period is substantially the same as the quantity of water adsorbed by the second adsorbent bed during the second time period.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein each of the quantity of water adsorbed by the first adsorbent bed during the first time period and the quantity of water adsorbed by the second adsorbent bed during the second time period is less than the maximum quantity of water that can be adsorbed by the respective first and second adsorbent beds.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein regenerating the first adsorbent bed includes directing a different gas stream through the first adsorbent bed, and desorbing a quantity of water from the first adsorbent bed into the different gas stream.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen gas mixture stream is supplied by an electrochemical hydrogen compressor or electrolyzer.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the different gas stream is a dry hydrogen gas stream.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein at least a portion of the different gas stream includes a portion of the hydrogen gas mixture stream after the hydrogen gas mixture stream passes through the first adsorbent bed.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mass flow rate of water {dot over (m)} H2O is determined at least by measuring the amount of water in the hydrogen gas mixture stream.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising determining an electrochemical hydrogen compressor or electrolyzer stack current i, an electrochemical hydrogen compressor or electrolyzer outlet temperature T, an electrochemical hydrogen compressor or electrolyzer outlet pressure P tot , and a constant k;
wherein the mass flow rate of water {dot over (m)} H2O is determined at least by calculating the amount of water in the hydrogen gas mixture stream according to an equation {dot over (m)} H2O =k*i*T/P tot .

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising determining a mass flow rate of hydrogen {dot over (m)} H2O , a concentration of water C tot , and a constant k;
wherein the mass flow rate of water {dot over (m)} H2O is determined at least by calculating the amount of water in the hydrogen gas mixture stream according to an equation {dot over (m)} H2O =k*{dot over (m)} H2 *C H2O .

13. A method of operating a pressure swing adsorption purifier, comprising:
supplying a hydrogen gas mixture stream from an electrochemical hydrogen compressor to the pressure swing adsorption purifier;
supplying a different gas stream to the pressure swing adsorption purifier;
wherein the pressure swing adsorption purifier includes at least one first adsorbent bed and at least one second adsorbent bed;
feeding the at least one first adsorbent bed, which includes adsorbing water from the hydrogen gas mixture stream into the at least one first adsorbent bed;
regenerating the at least one second adsorbent bed, which includes desorbing water from the at least one second adsorbent bed into the different gas stream;
feeding the at least one second adsorbent bed, which includes adsorbing water from the hydrogen gas mixture stream into the at least one second adsorbent bed;
regenerating the at least one first adsorbent bed, which includes desorbing water from the at least one first adsorbent bed into the different gas stream; and
switching between feeding the at least one first adsorbent bed and regenerating the at least one second adsorbent bed according to a switching time.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising repeating switching between feeding the at least one first adsorbent bed and regenerating the at least one second adsorbent bed according to a different switching time.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining a mass flow rate of water {dot over (m)} H2O in the hydrogen gas mixture stream;
wherein the switching time is determined at least on the determined mass flow rate of water {dot over (m)} H2O .

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the mass flow rate of water {dot over (m)} H2O is determined at least by measuring the amount of water in the hydrogen gas mixture stream.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the hydrogen gas mixture stream is supplied by an electrochemical hydrogen compressor or electrolyzer and the method further comprises:
determining the electrochemical hydrogen compressor or electrolyzer stack current i, the electrochemical hydrogen compressor or electrolyzer outlet temperature T, the electrochemical hydrogen compressor or electrolyzer outlet pressure P tot , and a constant k;
wherein the mass flow rate of water {dot over (m)} H2O is determined at least by calculating the amount of water in the hydrogen gas mixture stream according to an equation {dot over (m)} H2O =k*i*T/P tot .

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the hydrogen gas mixture stream is supplied by an electrochemical hydrogen compressor or electrolyzer and the method further comprises:
determining a mass flow rate of hydrogen dim, a concentration of water C tot , and a constant k;
wherein the mass flow rate of water {dot over (m)} H2O is determined at least by calculating the amount of water in the hydrogen gas mixture stream according to an equation {dot over (m)} H2O =k*{dot over (m)} H2 *C H2O .

19. An apparatus comprising:
a controller for operating one or more downstream valves of an electrochemical hydrogen compressor or an electrolyzer;
a temperature sensor configured to measure the outlet temperature of the electrochemical hydrogen compressor or the electrolyzer;
a circuit configured to determine the stack current of the electrochemical hydrogen compressor or the electrolyzer; and
a pressure sensor configured to measure the outlet pressure of the electrochemical hydrogen compressor or the electrolyzer;
wherein the controller is configured to determine an outlet mass flow rate of water in a hydrogen gas mixture stream based on the outlet temperature, the stack current, and the outlet pressure; and
wherein the one or more valves includes a first valve and the control

Assignees

• Nuvera Fuel Cells Inc
• Nuvera Fuel Cells Llc

Inventors

• Li Zhijiang
• Vanzandt Kyle
• Blanchet Scott

Classifications

• B01D53/047 Primary

  Pressure swing adsorption · CPC title

• B01D53/261 Primary

  by adsorption · CPC title

• B01D2256/16

  Hydrogen · CPC title

• C25B15/02

  Process control or regulation · CPC title

• C25B1/02

  Hydrogen or oxygen · CPC title