Hydrogen Production & Storage Platform
A sustainable alternative energy
The Hydrogen Production and Storage Platform supports the
development of hydrogen as an energy source. The main focus is the solid oxide electrolyzer/fuel cell (SOEC/SOFC), a
low-cost, high-yield,
reversible hydrogen technology. In co-electrolyzer (co-SOEC) mode, the cell can turn water vapor and CO2 into H2/CO syngas, which can then be transformed into chemical molecules of interest; it can also
operate in fuel-cell (SOFC) mode to produce electricity and heat from a variety of carbon- or nitrogen-based fuels.
CEA-Liten leverages the Hydrogen Production and Storage Platform's resources to develop and test demonstrators of significant sizes at various scales, from cell (where the electrochemical reaction occurs), to multiple-cell stack, to module, and, finally, system.
The Hydrogen Production and Storage Platform is home to:
A SOEC/SOFC stack pilot line
that covers all process steps: preparation and implementation of the contact layer and seal using chemicals, tape casting, and robotic seal assembly; mechanical techniques like laser engraving; plus crucial quality inspections of each component before the stacks are assembled.
The line also handles packaging and stack performance testing. The total production capacity is 1-2 stacks per week. The equipment is flexible enough to use to develop
new generations of stacks and can also be used to improve the
reliability of manufacturing processes.
A performance and durability testing area
is used to characterize single SOEC/SOFC components, cells, stacks, modules, and systems in conditions representative of the target applications. Performance and durability testing can be done in electrolyzer (SOEC), fuel-cell (SOFC), reversible (rSOC), and co-electrolyzer (co-SOEC) modes. Durability tests are carried out over several thousand hours. The platform's other research instruments include chromatography and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to provide deeper insights into the objects being investigated.
The platform also has
state-of-the-art facilities for the development of hydrogen
storage technologies:
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Pressurized gas storage: Hydrogen is compressed to 700 bars in tanks. This type of storage can be used on board a fuel-cell-powered car.
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Hydrogen can also be stored in its
liquid state, which maximizes the amount of fuel that can be stored in a small volume. At atmospheric pressure, hydrogen is liquefied at −253 °C. This means it can be stored in a cryogenic tank at low pressure. Liquid hydrogen storage, currently limited to space and aeronautics applications, is the subject of substantial research and development.
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In chemical storage, a liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) is used. These organic compounds have the ability to absorb and release hydrogen through chemical reactions. Research on chemical storage, an alternative to pressurized gas or liquid storage, is also very active.