The Breakthrough in Metal Thermochemical Hydrogen Production will Reshape the Hydrogen Energy Industry Chain
2024-10-31
The history of hydrogen production by metal-steam thermochemical reaction can be traced back to the 1970s. It is a technology for producing hydrogen by chemical reaction between metal and steam at high temperature, commonly used metals include aluminum, zinc, magnesium, iron, etc. As early as the 1940s, the United States began to study the production of hydrogen by metal-water reaction, but due to its poor economic feasibility, hydrogen production by metal-steam thermochemical reaction has not been effectively developed.
The team led by Professor Mao Zongqiang from the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology of Tsinghua University found after years of research that metal thermochemical cracking for hydrogen production at high temperatures is feasible. They jointly carried out a pilot test with CNPC Bohai Petroleum Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and independently developed a green hydrogen production device by metal cracking steam. The hydrogen production capacity of a single device reaches 350 cubic meters per hour. The reaction conditions are 160ˇăC and 0.65 MPa steam. It was completed in manufacturing and debugging at Liaohe Thermal Recovery Machinery Company, realizing the stable operation of the whole process of green hydrogen production, hydrogen-blended combustion and pure hydrogen combustion, once again verifying the feasibility of metal thermochemical cracking for hydrogen production at high temperatures. Comprehensive calculation shows that hydrogen production by metal steam has great cost advantages and safety advantages.
Technology changes the pattern. Mao Zongqiang pointed out that the hydrogen energy industry chain will change from the current hydrogen production-transportation-utilization to metal production-metal transportation-on-site hydrogen production. The breakthrough in metal thermochemical hydrogen production will make the new hydrogen energy industry chain more competitive and reshape the existing hydrogen industry chain. In the future, there is still a lot of room for technological upgrading and cost reduction in hydrogen production by metal steam thermochemistry. It is expected that the cost of metal thermochemical hydrogen production will be reduced by more than 50% by 2030. It also needs to be demonstrated that the hydrogen produced by metal steam thermochemistry is green hydrogen, that is, the combination of green metallurgy and green steam.
The team led by Professor Mao Zongqiang from the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology of Tsinghua University found after years of research that metal thermochemical cracking for hydrogen production at high temperatures is feasible. They jointly carried out a pilot test with CNPC Bohai Petroleum Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and independently developed a green hydrogen production device by metal cracking steam. The hydrogen production capacity of a single device reaches 350 cubic meters per hour. The reaction conditions are 160ˇăC and 0.65 MPa steam. It was completed in manufacturing and debugging at Liaohe Thermal Recovery Machinery Company, realizing the stable operation of the whole process of green hydrogen production, hydrogen-blended combustion and pure hydrogen combustion, once again verifying the feasibility of metal thermochemical cracking for hydrogen production at high temperatures. Comprehensive calculation shows that hydrogen production by metal steam has great cost advantages and safety advantages.
Technology changes the pattern. Mao Zongqiang pointed out that the hydrogen energy industry chain will change from the current hydrogen production-transportation-utilization to metal production-metal transportation-on-site hydrogen production. The breakthrough in metal thermochemical hydrogen production will make the new hydrogen energy industry chain more competitive and reshape the existing hydrogen industry chain. In the future, there is still a lot of room for technological upgrading and cost reduction in hydrogen production by metal steam thermochemistry. It is expected that the cost of metal thermochemical hydrogen production will be reduced by more than 50% by 2030. It also needs to be demonstrated that the hydrogen produced by metal steam thermochemistry is green hydrogen, that is, the combination of green metallurgy and green steam.