The pursuit of green hydrogen liquefaction: Raven, Chart, GenH2 in the hunt for solutions large and small : Biofuels Digest

From the wilds of western Wyoming comes the welcome news for hydrogen fans that Raven SR and Chart Industries are forming a global collaboration for the liquefaction, storage and transportation of hydrogen as well as pure carbon dioxide produced from Raven SR’s non-combustion steam/CO2 reforming process to convert waste to renewable fuel to convert. Chart Industries is an engineering design and manufacturing shop for multiple applications in the clean energy and industrial gas markets.

Think big

Raven SR produces transportation-grade hydrogen as well as Fischer-Tropsch synthetic fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel the use of local waste as a raw material, including green waste, municipal solid waste, organic waste, and methane from municipal solid waste or stranded natural gas wells. A byproduct of this process is captured CO2, which when liquefied is a commodity used for food and beverage production, fertilizer production and other consumer applications. In addition, CO2 can be a raw material for concrete or alternative fuels such as eFuels.

The Raven SR technology is a non-combustion thermal, chemical reductive process that converts organic waste and landfill gas to hydrogen and Fischer-Tropsch synthetic fuels. Unlike other hydrogen production technologies, its steam/CO2 reforming does not require fresh water as a feedstock. The process is more efficient than conventional hydrogen production and can produce fuel with low to negative carbon intensity. In addition, Raven SR’s goal is to generate as much of its own power on site as possible to reduce dependence on the power grid and be independent of the grid. Its modular design offers a scalable way to produce locally renewable hydrogen and synthetic liquid fuels from local waste.

Think Small

In Florida, GenH2 introduced its LS20 mobile liquid hydrogen system, an end-to-end liquefaction and storage system. The innovative, mobile liquefaction unit provides a space-optimized, fully integrated liquid hydrogen solution that can be used in a range of applications from transportation to energy backup to accelerating the use of liquid hydrogen through pilot projects and testing.

It’s small, by design. The LS20 is designed for those areas where relatively compact systems are required to enable hydrogen viability. The LS20 can produce between two and 20 kg of liquid hydrogen per day. 20 kg of liquid hydrogen contains almost 2400 Megajoules of energy and can be easily stored and used in GenH2’s ultralight utility tank systems.

The smallest liquid hydrogen mobile unit currently commercially available, the LS20 is self-sustaining and can operate independently with a portable generator or plug into a building’s power source. This makes the LS20 ideal for dispensing fuel to multi-role drones and providing an emergency power supply to first responders. The LS20 also serves as a foundation for higher capacity GenH2 systems including the 100Kg LH2 per day and 1000Kg LH2 per day solutions.

The Bottom Line

Making hydrogen is tough enough, usually we have to move it, and that’s harder. For many, liquefaction is the answer, where pipelines are not available or production volumes are too small to consider adding reactors and modules to make fuel or chemical molecules. Consequently, these are small steps for hydrogen, but they could be giant leaps for the bioeconomy.

Reaction of the stakeholders

“By partnering with Chart Industries, Raven SR will be able to optimize our facilities’ production of clean fuel, strengthening both project deployment and local fuel supply,” said Raven SR CEO Matt Murdock. “As we expand globally, it is essential for Raven SR to partner with a world leader in hydrogen and carbon dioxide storage and transportation to increase energy efficiency throughout the supply chain.”

“We are excited to partner with Raven SR, a global leader in sustainable solutions, including waste-to-energy and transportation applications,” said Jill Evanko, Chart’s CEO and President. “This collaboration brings together two companies that, combined, can offer a robust solution set of options for renewable customers, as well as further advance our customers’ CO2 reduction goals.”

“The development of the LS20 was a culmination of decades of experience and engineering within and in collaboration with NASA,” said GenH2 Chief Technology Officer Jong Baik. “Providing researchers and developers of hydrogen infrastructure with a modular, efficient way to get their hands on liquid hydrogen is an essential requirement for advancing the hydrogen economy.”