Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ColdSpark (COLDSPARK DRIVEN ENERGY AND COST-EFFICIENT METHANE CRACKING FOR HYDROGEN PRODUCTION)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-12-01 do 2024-11-30
The global transition to a net-zero carbon future necessitates innovative methods to produce hydrogen—a key energy carrier and feedstock for many industries. Current hydrogen production methods like steam methane reforming (SMR) and autothermal reforming (ATR) are cost-effective but carbon-intensive, emitting approximately 9-10 kg of CO2 per kg of hydrogen, without carbon capture technologies. ATR produces slightly less CO2 than SMR, with emissions ranging from 8–9 kg of CO2 per kilogram of hydrogen without CCS. While green hydrogen production via water electrolysis offers a CO2-free alternative, it requires substantial clean water (9 litres/kg H2) and high energy (50-55 kWh/kg H2), making it less viable in regions with water scarcity or limited renewable electricity.
The ColdSpark® project aims to address these challenges by a sustainable hydrogen production technology that minimizes CO2 emissions and improves energy efficiency.
ColdSpark® is an innovative process using non-thermal plasma and offers a breakthrough in hydrogen production by converting renewable gases (methane and biomethane) into hydrogen and solid carbon.
ColdSpark@
• Eliminate CO2 emissions by bypassing carbon capture and storage stages.
• Avoid reliance on water or catalysts, reducing complexity and resource constraints.
• Support high energy efficiency (target: <15 kWh/kg H2 for ColdSpark®)
ColdSpark® aims to include a circular economy framework by incorporating renewable gases to produce hydrogen and solid carbon, promoting sector coupling with industries such as chemicals, steel, and energy. The resulting hydrogen is a decarbonized fuel, and the solid carbon has multiple applications, including batteries, fuel cells, construction, rubber industry, and agriculture.
The ColdSpark® project introduces a modular, scalable, and cost-competitive solution with an energy efficiency of 79% and a methane conversion rate of 85% with recirculation. This dual benefit supports economic viability and environmental sustainability by:
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and potentially achieving negative emissions when biomethane is used as the feedstock.
• Enhancing energy security by utilizing renewable/clean hydrogen production to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and natural gas imports, in line with REPowerEU objectives.
• Valorizing high-value carbon products to foster material circularity and sustainability.
Additionally, ColdSpark® provides a scalable hydrogen production pathway with lower capital (CAPEX) and operational (OPEX) costs, encouraging broader industrial adoption.
ColdSpark® align with European and international climate strategies, including:
• Fit-for-55 and Renewable Energy Directives.
• Targets for industrial decarbonization, for example, methane cracking for hydrogen production in steelmaking instead of blast furnaces.
ColdSpark® facilitates a smoother transition to low-carbon energy systems by leveraging existing natural gas infrastructure. Its flexible deployment in water-scarce and developing regions widens global accessibility to sustainable hydrogen production.
Pathway to Global Impact
ColdSpark® address critical challenges in hydrogen production, supporting:
• Sustainability and Circularity: Minimizing resource dependency and ensuring the circular use of carbon materials.
• Technological Advancement: Developing reactors that achieve higher TRLs and with targets with high hydrogen purity (≥99.97%) and long operational stability (e.g. 24×7 for 3 weeks)
• Energy Efficiency: Lowering energy costs and consumption compared to water electrolysis, while eliminating harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
By advancing sustainable hydrogen production and maximizing the value of solid carbon products, ColdSpark® is poised to set a global benchmark for renewable hydrogen and sustainable solid carbon. Its successful implementation can decarbonize industries, reduce environmental stress, and enhance energy security, contributing to a cleaner and more accessible hydrogen economy.
The ColdSpark® project aims to address these challenges by a sustainable hydrogen production technology that minimizes CO2 emissions and improves energy efficiency.
ColdSpark® is an innovative process using non-thermal plasma and offers a breakthrough in hydrogen production by converting renewable gases (methane and biomethane) into hydrogen and solid carbon.
ColdSpark@
• Eliminate CO2 emissions by bypassing carbon capture and storage stages.
• Avoid reliance on water or catalysts, reducing complexity and resource constraints.
• Support high energy efficiency (target: <15 kWh/kg H2 for ColdSpark®)
ColdSpark® aims to include a circular economy framework by incorporating renewable gases to produce hydrogen and solid carbon, promoting sector coupling with industries such as chemicals, steel, and energy. The resulting hydrogen is a decarbonized fuel, and the solid carbon has multiple applications, including batteries, fuel cells, construction, rubber industry, and agriculture.
The ColdSpark® project introduces a modular, scalable, and cost-competitive solution with an energy efficiency of 79% and a methane conversion rate of 85% with recirculation. This dual benefit supports economic viability and environmental sustainability by:
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and potentially achieving negative emissions when biomethane is used as the feedstock.
• Enhancing energy security by utilizing renewable/clean hydrogen production to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and natural gas imports, in line with REPowerEU objectives.
• Valorizing high-value carbon products to foster material circularity and sustainability.
Additionally, ColdSpark® provides a scalable hydrogen production pathway with lower capital (CAPEX) and operational (OPEX) costs, encouraging broader industrial adoption.
ColdSpark® align with European and international climate strategies, including:
• Fit-for-55 and Renewable Energy Directives.
• Targets for industrial decarbonization, for example, methane cracking for hydrogen production in steelmaking instead of blast furnaces.
ColdSpark® facilitates a smoother transition to low-carbon energy systems by leveraging existing natural gas infrastructure. Its flexible deployment in water-scarce and developing regions widens global accessibility to sustainable hydrogen production.
Pathway to Global Impact
ColdSpark® address critical challenges in hydrogen production, supporting:
• Sustainability and Circularity: Minimizing resource dependency and ensuring the circular use of carbon materials.
• Technological Advancement: Developing reactors that achieve higher TRLs and with targets with high hydrogen purity (≥99.97%) and long operational stability (e.g. 24×7 for 3 weeks)
• Energy Efficiency: Lowering energy costs and consumption compared to water electrolysis, while eliminating harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
By advancing sustainable hydrogen production and maximizing the value of solid carbon products, ColdSpark® is poised to set a global benchmark for renewable hydrogen and sustainable solid carbon. Its successful implementation can decarbonize industries, reduce environmental stress, and enhance energy security, contributing to a cleaner and more accessible hydrogen economy.
SEID AS and UoL have tested two different plasma reactors at lab-scale. Hydrogen and solid carbon was produced at different conversion rate and energy efficiency. Both reactors showed stable performance over a few hours without interruption by the carbon deposition to the electrodes. The experiments at UoL showed the production of carbon fibers whereas the carbon material from SEID AS was classified as the grade N220 carbon black.
As one of the key components for the plasma methane cracking system, the power supply for large scale reactor with flexibility to tune different parameters has been developed and it is under the optimization process. Accordingly, plasma reactors at different scale/size have been manufactured at SEID and they will be tested and optimized together with the power supply.
As one of the key components for the plasma methane cracking system, the power supply for large scale reactor with flexibility to tune different parameters has been developed and it is under the optimization process. Accordingly, plasma reactors at different scale/size have been manufactured at SEID and they will be tested and optimized together with the power supply.
Further research is needed to improve the process efficiency, especially the conversion rate after a single plasma reaction pass. This may be achieved by innovative design of the plasma reactor. However, manufacture and test of different designs with fine mechanical structure are mandatory. To assure a higher TRL of this project, a few iterations of this process will help.