In an Australian first, a new initiative coordinated by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, will develop an easily deployable gadget to produce hydrogen directly at the point of use.
CSIRO scientists will construct a demonstration unit based on patented technology to efficiently create hydrogen from liquid carriers with a $10 million investment over six years from research and innovation provider Advanced Carbon Engineering.
The use of a liquid carrier allows hydrogen to be securely and efficiently stored and transported in tanks from where it is produced—such as a remote solar or wind farm—to where the energy is to be utilised.
Dr. Vicky Au (CSIRO deputy hydrogen industry mission lead ) said , “the project will be the first unit using Australian technology to produce hydrogen from a liquid carrier and addresses some of the key challenges to the growth of the hydrogen sector”.
Dr. Au said, “Australia has the potential to become an energy superpower through hydrogen, but we need to find better methods of safely transporting and storing it at scale.”
“To get the hydrogen industry moving, we need to be able to get hydrogen where it will be used by the consumer. This generator unit will do just that and will be compact enough to move to where it’s needed—whether that’s a farm, a festival, an industrial facility, or a mine site.
“The power of industry and research coming together cannot be overstated when delivering the solutions needed for a sustainable future.”
While CSIRO researcher Dr. John Chiefari said “CSIRO’s patented catalytic static mixers would be central to the development of the new hydrogen generator.”
Dr. Chiefari said hanging, “Catalytic static mixers are special tools that mix fluids to speed up and better control chemical reactions without any moving parts. This level of control allows the process to be highly scalable without the technical challenges that it usually entails. This gives us a key advantage over the current packed bed reactor technology,”
“The technology to add hydrogen to a carrier fluid is already established. Now this hydrogen generation system will enable hydrogen to be produced locally and on demand from the carrier, with the added advantage of the carrier fluid being safely stored in a similar way to diesel or petrol.”
“This would be a big step forward, with the goal of being able to store the fuel in standard tanks and manage it using existing diesel or petrol infrastructure.”
Advanced Carbon Engineering CEO Jon McNaught added: “The company is building national capabilities by conducting critical research, facilitating innovative discoveries and building new industries.
“Innovation is vital for humanity’s future, driving progress and economic growth, solving challenges, creating opportunities, and ensuring a sustainable future for generations,” McNaught said.
The project is being carried out as part of the CSIRO’s Hydrogen sector Mission, which aims to support global Decarbonization by developing a commercially viable Australian hydrogen sector.
According to Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy, a clean hydrogen economy will sustain 16,000 jobs by 2050, with an additional 13,000 jobs supported by the development of related renewable energy infrastructure.
By 2050, Australian hydrogen production for export and local consumption may create more than $50 billion in additional GDP and avoid greenhouse gas emissions comparable to one-third of Australia’s present fossil fuel emissions.
Source:CSIRO Company
