LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With clean
hydrogen gaining recognition worldwide as the carbon-free fuel
capable of making a significant contribution to addressing
climate change, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today
announced it will field test a new technology that can
simultaneously separate and compress hydrogen from a blend of
hydrogen and natural gas. At scale, the technology would allow
hydrogen to be easily and affordably transported via the natural
gas pipeline system, then extracted and compressed at fueling
stations that provide hydrogen for fuel cell electric vehicles
(FCEVs). Created by Netherlands-based HyET Hydrogen, the
technology is designed to provide pure highly-compressed hydrogen
wherever a natural gas distribution system exists. A video
illustrating the technology may be found here.
SoCalGas also recently announced a program to study blending
hydrogen into its natural gas pipelines. If approved by regulators,
the program would be the first step toward establishing a statewide
standard for injecting hydrogen into the natural gas grid.
"This innovative technology could be a game-changer, allowing
hydrogen to be distributed to wherever it is needed using the
natural gas grid," said Neil Navin,
vice president of clean energy innovations at SoCalGas. "As demand
increases for zero-emissions vehicles such as fuel cell electric
cars, California will need
thousands more hydrogen fueling stations—and this technology may
help make that possible."
"We are excited to deploy our newest technology in collaboration
with SoCalGas," said Alexis Dubois,
director of HyET Hydrogen USA. "Our gas separation system is designed to
allow hydrogen to be transported across long distances affordably
using existing natural gas pipelines. With this technology,
hydrogen can become a commonly used fuel for transportation,
industrial applications and more."
"Hydrogen will be an important part of our clean energy future,
and exciting new technologies like this will pave the way for zero
emissions transportation in California," said Sen. Bob Archuleta (D-Pico
Rivera). "I am fighting for investments in both
hydrogen infrastructure and clean transportation programs in the
state Legislature and will continue to do so. I am excited that the
testing of this cutting-edge innovation will take place in the 32nd
Senate District and I look forward to continuing to work with
SoCalGas as we pursue our clean energy goals."
"This is innovative technology," said Bill Elrick, executive director of the
California Fuel Cell Partnership. "It may provide a unique and
strategic way to distribute large volumes of hydrogen fuel, helping
decarbonize the transportation sector."
The new technology, called Electrochemical Hydrogen Purification
and Compression (EHPC), works by applying an electrical
current across a hydrogen-selective membrane to allow only hydrogen
to permeate it while blocking the natural gas components.
Continuously applying the electrical current builds up and
pressurizes the hydrogen.
To test the technology, SoCalGas will blend hydrogen, in
concentrations from 3 to 15%, with methane, the primary component
of natural gas. That blend of gases will then be injected
through a simulated natural gas pipeline testing system into the
EHPC system to continuously extract and compress the hydrogen at a
rate of 10 kg per day. SoCalGas' testing will provide performance
data that will enable fine-tuning and optimization of the EHPC
system to accelerate scaling up the technology. Within the next two
years, the EHPC technology is expected to be scaled to produce 100
kg of hydrogen a day or more from a single EHPC system, enough to
fill 20 fuel cell electric vehicles.
The project is scheduled to begin in March at SoCalGas'
Engineering Analysis Center in Pico
Rivera, California and slated to be complete by the third
quarter of 2021.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los
Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas distribution
utility in the United
States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, clean and
increasingly renewable gas service to 21.8 million customers
across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern
California, where more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas
for heating, hot water, cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Gas
delivered through the company's pipelines also plays a key role in
providing electricity to Californians— about 45 percent of
electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired
power plants.
SoCalGas' mission is to build the cleanest, safest and most
innovative energy company in America, delivering affordable and
increasingly renewable energy to its customers. In support of that
mission, SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its
traditional natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by
2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by
dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is
also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure
while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2015 through
2019, the company invested nearly $7 billion to upgrade
and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and
reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra
Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based
in San Diego. For more information
visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas
on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas)
and Facebook.
About HyET Group
HyET Hydrogen, headquartered in
Arnhem, The Netherlands, is a
leading company in the development and delivery of electrochemical
hydrogen processing technologies that enable large-scale
implementation of hydrogen transport modalities and high-pressure
hydrogen storage. HyET Hydrogen is part of the HyET group that
creates solutions to make renewable energy sources commercially
viable. HyET group is focused on large-scale buffering of
intermittent renewable energy, such as solar and wind, using high
pressure hydrogen.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company