Energy consumption of the hydrogen separation process from a mixture with natural gas

The importance of energy storage methods increases in the global energy industry. One of such methods is the production/generation of hydrogen and its further use called power-to-gas technology. Without highly efficient, reliable and cheap energy storage solutions, the energy sector, especially in Poland, may face significant problems related to climate protection and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere in the nearest future. One alternative way to store and transport hydrogen is to blend small amounts of hydrogen (up to about 15%) into existing natural gas networks. When hydrogen is required, it can be separated near end-users using separation membranes. The paper presents the possibilities of using membrane technology in the process of obtaining hydrogen as fuel after its storage. The membrane separation technology can be used to separate mixtures of various gases, such as H-2, O-2, CO, CO2, or CH4. The paper presents selected problems of the analysis of the hydrogen separation process from a mixture with natural gas for polymeric membranes with different separation properties. The structure of the separation system has been selected in order to obtain the appropriate purity of the separated gas. The energy consumption of the process of hydrogen separation from a mixture with natural gas was determined for such a system.

Automated summary

The importance of energy storage methods in the global energy industry has led to the development of power-to-gas technology, which involves the production and use of hydrogen. This technology enables the blending of hydrogen into existing natural gas networks for storage and transportation. Membrane separation technology plays a vital role in the process of obtaining and storing hydrogen as fuel. This paper discusses the use of different polymeric membranes for the separation of hydrogen from natural gas mixtures.