【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】684-2022: China Petrochemical’s first domestically developed megawatt-class PEM electrolyzer for hydrogen production goes into operation
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Witnessing the decade-long rapid development of chemical processing equipment; praising the prosperity and strength of modern China. Replies will be rewarded – discussions are welcome. ------------------------------------------- On December 14, 2022, reporters learned from Sinopec’s news office that Sinopec’s first domestically developed megawatt-class proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer for hydrogen production was successfully put into operation at Yanshan Petrochemical, producing high-purity hydrogen of satisfactory quality. This project produces 180 tons of hydrogen per year, with zero carbon and zero pollutant emissions throughout the production process. It marks the industrial application of Sinopec’s proton exchange membrane electrolysis technology for hydrogen production, and will play a significant role in advancing the development of China’s hydrogen energy industry chain. The project was jointly developed and constructed by SINOPEC Research Institute of Petrochemicals and Yanshan Petrochemical, utilizing the PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production system of megawatt class with the highest degree of domestic production. Compared to hydrogen production systems composed of multiple electrolyzers, single-electrolyzer technology presents greater technical challenges and higher requirements in terms of materials and manufacturing processes. However, it features a smaller size, higher power density, and lower costs, making it the main direction for the future development of electrolyzers. Sinopec adopts an integrated design concept, with the entire unit being designed as a single pry structure; the layout and piping are optimized around the electrolyzer, resulting in equipment footprint of less than 40 square meters.
The electrolyzer is the core component of proton exchange membrane electrolysis systems used for hydrogen production. Sinopec has developed its own cathode and anode catalysts as well as membrane electrodes; this setup enables a hydrogen production rate of up to 250 standard cubic meters per hour, offers a wide range of power adjustment options, and results in hydrogen purity of 99.999%. It is reported that the project uses \"green electricity\", and the \"green hydrogen\" produced is mainly sold to regions such as Beijing, Hebei, and Shandong. As the largest hydrogen production and supply enterprise in Beijing, Yanshan Petrochemical has been included by the Fangshan and Daxing districts of Beijing in the list of key enterprises for hydrogen production as part of the city’s hydrogen fuel cell demonstration project; its daily hydrogen production capacity reaches 4.5 tons. In recent years, Sinopec has actively pursued the concept of green development, striving to develop renewable energy-based hydrogen production technologies to meet the demands for green hydrogen. Previously, Sinopec’s first PEM electrolysis water-splitting hydrogen production demonstration plant with a capacity of 30 standard cubic meters per hour, developed through collaboration between the China Institute of Petroleum Science and Yanshan Petrochemical, was put into operation successfully. This marks Sinopec’s ability to handle the entire production process for PEM hydrogen generation equipment, from key materials and core components to system integration ； The megawatt-class renewable energy-powered hydrogen production project using electrolysis at the Zhongyuan Oilfield has been completed; once it goes into operation, it will be able to produce 1.12 tons of high-purity green hydrogen per day. Next, Sinopec will accelerate the advancement of catalyst and membrane electrode technologies, integrate related industrial chains, further reduce the costs of production facilities, and enhance the market competitiveness of PEM electrolysis hydrogen production technology.