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<body class='hmmessage'><div dir='ltr'>Rex,<div><br></div><div>It is always good to hear from you again. I can always count on you to come up with better, faster and cheaper ways to get things done. $2/kg is considerably different than $12/kg for hydrogen costs.</div><div><br></div><div>What biomass feedstock and gasification style does PROTON POWER use to produce such high hydrogen content syn gas? I notice no nitrogen content in the syn gas so I presume they are using pure oxygen as the oxidizing agent. Is it pressurized as well? I see the photo on their website shows a horizontal "pug mill" style mixer which I assume is their gasifier as well.</div><div><br></div><div>Good to hear from you again.<br><br>Art <br><br> <br><br><br><br><br><div>> From: rex@whitfieldfarm.co.za<br>> To: gasification@lists.bioenergylists.org<br>> Date: Thu, 15 May 2014 07:59:13 +0200<br>> Subject: Re: [Gasification] Tennessee company - pyrolysis biochar + hydrogen ($1.75 per gallon diesel-equivalent?)<br>> <br>> Art,<br>> <br>> You are correct about making hydrogen from methane particularly at the<br>> $4/MMBTU level seen in the USA. However, this is only strictly true on large<br>> scale. At small scale gasification is an order of magnitude cheaper than<br>> steam methane reforming. When I made enquiries about a small (75bpd)<br>> hydrotreater, I was given a rough cost of $10m with a further approximately<br>> $8m for the SMR. Needless to say, I nearly fell off my chair! Some of the<br>> issues were that the design of a hydrogen plant is by its very nature<br>> expensive. Then there are materials of construction - stainless steel. Then<br>> there are the safety aspects that require as much instrumentation as a 2000<br>> bpd plant. One comment I got was "do they make hydrogen compressors that<br>> small?".<br>> <br>> Proton Power claim to have a process that produces 65% H2, 30% CO2 and 5% CO<br>> starting at the 250kWe scale. It is a very small step from there via<br>> pressure swing absorption to get 99.9% hydrogen. PSA equipment does exist at<br>> small scale and they have the compressors for compressing syngas. This<br>> should produce hydrogen at the $2/kg level rather than the methane SMR route<br>> of $12/kg.<br>> <br>> Kind regards<br>> Rex <br>> <br>> Dr. Karve,<br>> <br>> Being able to technically generate hydrogen using incandescent carbon in a<br>> water gas reaction does not make the process economically competitive.<br>> Typically, the use of incandescent carbon is a batch, cyclic process which<br>> produces pulses of gases which vary in purity over each cycle<br>> <br>> Compare the economics of using a batch feedstock which has a variable<br>> composition to one which has a very pure, low cost feedstock (CH4) day in<br>> and day out. As a process designer, you can readily see that even through<br>> the chemistry works out to generate hydrogen using incandescent carbon, the<br>> day to day practicality of operating a multistage process with such a<br>> variable feedstock is much more difficult and more expensive.<br>> <br>> Art,<br>> <br>> You make a very valid point, particularly on large scale equipment. However,<br>> down at small scale, you cannot beat the competitiveness of gasification as<br>> a hydrogen producer. It is an order of magnitude less than going the SMR<br>> route using methane. <br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> ---<br>> This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.<br>> http://www.avast.com<br>> <br>> <br>> _______________________________________________<br>> Gasification mailing list<br>> <br>> to Send a Message to the list, use the email address<br>> Gasification@bioenergylists.org<br>> <br>> to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page<br>> http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/gasification_lists.bioenergylists.org<br>> <br>> for more Gasifiers, News and Information see our web site:<br>> http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/<br></div></div> </div></body>
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