Smaller and Leaner: The Next Generation of Hydrogen Generators
September 8th, 2011Earlier this year, Nuvera entered into an exclusive agreement with XEBEC Adsorption to develop the next generation of PSA technology for on-site hydrogen generation products for refueling operations. Why is this important to the future of hydrogen energy? Read on to find out.
A Pressure Swing Adsorber, or PSA, is a purification device and technique widely used in industrial hydrogen production, including Nuvera’s PowerTap Hydrogen Generator. Through pressurizing and depressurizing cycles, the PSA produces high-purity hydrogen.
In the current PowerTap configuration, the PSA occupies roughly 1/3 of the system’s volume. This is where our partnership with Xebec comes in. Together, Nuvera and Xebec will produce a Rapid Cycle PSA (RCPSA). John Li, Manager of Process Technology at Nuvera, describes the goals of the project:
How much smaller is this new going RCPSA going to be? 60% smaller is the target. One of the main changes will be the use of structured adsorbants, a shift from the pellet technology currently being employed, which will allow fast contact times and rapid cycle pressure steps. This smaller sized unit will enable our family of PowerTap products to grow both in variety of models offered and quantity of hydrogen produced. On-going size reduction is crucial to one of Nuvera’s market goals for its PowerTap product line: installation into existing gasoline filling stations to provide cost-effective hydrogen for the public.
Jamie McKerrow, Project Manager for XEBEC, gives an overview of the collaborative aspect to the relationship between Nuvera and Xebec:
Nuvera’s market guidance, coupled with XEBECs technical knowledge, is on track to produce smaller PSA technology than has ever been seen before in commercial hydrogen generation products. Tell us what you think about this development in the comments.
Tags: adsorber, h2 infrastructure, hydrogen station, Xebec