Development of an innovative process for drying hydrogen with efficient thermal regeneration of the drying agent
RWTrockner
Project goals
The aim of the RWTrockner (=dryer) is to develop an innovative process and prototype for efficient hydrogen drying. Since hydrogen leaves the electrolysis as a moist gas, drying is required, for example, when hydrogen is fed into the natural gas network. The prototype aims for dew points down to -80 °C. Further boundary conditions result from the electrolysis units to be developed within the scope of HYPOS in the power range between 10 kW and 10 MW. The process can be flexibly adapted to plant sizes and fluctuating amounts of electricity and hydrogen.
Application
The innovative core of the project is the efficient thermal regeneration of the desiccant through direct dielectric heating using radio waves, i.e. electromagnetic waves with frequencies in the MHz range. Due to the direct heating in volume, the heat losses are reduced. Selective heating of the load boundary layer can further increase efficiency.
