A New High-Temperature, High-Pressure Electrochemical Test Station to Support the Development of Processes That Produce Sustainable Fuel

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Luke J. Venstrom

College

Engineering

Discipline(s)

Mechanical Engineering

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-28-2022

Abstract

Hydrogen is a fuel that can be used to produce electricity in fuel cells or cleanly burned for heat. Many electrochemical processes to produce hydrogen and other fuels could benefit from high temperatures and high pressures. This poster demonstrates how a high pressure and temperature setup was created to answer questions regarding the solar thermal decoupled electrolysis process to create hydrogen. Research has shown that at higher temperatures, the kinetics are more rapid which leads to a higher current density. Another advantage of producing hydrogen at higher pressure is that it does not need to later be pumped mechanically up to pipeline pressures for distribution. Testing at temperatures up to 200°C and pressure up to 10 bar (will be increased in the future) is possible by housing electrochemical cells in a stainless steel pressure vessel. Temperature is regulated through a PID controller and surface-mounted silicone heaters and pressure is controlled via mass flow controllers and a back pressure regulator. In this poster, the results of experiments conducted to validate that the test station functions are presented. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry of the ferri-ferrocyanide couple are shown and compared with measurements from the literature. Temperature and pressure data are also presented to show that the system can maintain temperature and pressure over long durations.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

David-Paul Schulze and Kade Kovarik are senior Mechanical Engineering majors. Bradley Davis is a junior Mechanical Engineering major. Dr. Luke J. Venstrom is an Associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

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