Hydrogen quality is crucial for the lifetime and performance of hydrogen fuel cells.
This application has many critical contaminants, leading to many potential issues, such as performance reduction, catalyst damage, or proton exchange membrane degradation.
Process Insights™ offers a variety of powerful analytical instruments to measure trace amounts of these molecules.
The instruments' ppb- and ppm-level detection limits help users comply with SAE J2719, ISO 14687, and related purity standards designed to protect fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
Based on powerful Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS), the CRDS analyzers offered by Process Insights are free of drift, ensuring that trace detection is consistent for fuel-cell-grade hydrogen in the lab and the field. Highly specific to the target molecule, CRDS also removes cross-interferences.
In addition to this, expensive and time-consuming zero and span calibrations are not required, saving both money and time with a continuous online service.
Process Insights’ high-performance CRDS analyzers are employed in many challenging measurement applications, such as ultra-high purity electronic gases for the manufacture of semiconductors and medical and industrial gases.
Process Insights has worked with regulators, researchers, and gas manufacturers for many years to create measurement solutions for fuel-cell hydrogen analysis.
The versatility of the CRDS analyzers means that the instruments can be utilized both in the lab, at the fueling station, and anywhere else along the supply chain, from manufacture to transportation.
The company’s quadrupole mass spectrometers (MS) are high-performance and facilitate the detection of multiple contaminants in seconds.
With many years of excellence in industrial automation and thousands of installations globally, Process Insights’ mass spectrometers deliver the robust stability and ease of use required for continuous operation in challenging and mission-critical environments.
With low cost of ownership, complete quantitative stream composition measurement, and total application coverage, Process Insights provides performance specifications that are superior to alternative mass spectrometers and commercial process technologies.
The MAX300-LG™ uses cutting-edge quadrupole mass spectrometer technology and has the dynamic range to measure component concentrations, ranging from 100% to the low parts per trillion (ppt).
The instrument offers complete composition updates every few seconds to detect changes in dynamic chemical processes. It also has the required flexibility and rugged stability for real-time quantitative gas analysis in applications, such as ambient air monitoring, catalysis R&D, and bioreactor process control.
Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Purity
High-purity hydrogen is vital for the satisfactory performance and lifetime of fuel cells. The platinum catalyst and the proton exchange membrane (PEM) are the critical components of the fuel cell.
Both these components may experience a considerable loss in performance or permanent damage when exposed to contaminants on the fuel cell's anode side (hydrogen side).
Principle of a PEM Hydrogen Fuel Cell Used in FCEVs
Image Credit: Process Insights
Effects of Contaminants in Hydrogen on the Fuel Cell Anode
Source: Process Insights
| . |
. |
| Helium (He), Nitrogen (N2), Argon (Ar) |
Dilute hydrogen fuel, compromise performance |
| Methane (CH4), Hydrocarbons |
Degrades performance of catalyst |
| Moisture (H2O), Oxygen (O2) |
Cathode-side molecule, impedes efficiency of fuel-cell reaction (2H2 + O2 → H2O) |
| Carbon Dioxide (CO2) |
Reduces to CO and adsorbs to catalyst |
| Carbon Monoxide (CO) |
Adsorbs onto catalyst and severely degrades performance, difficult to recover |
| Formaldehyde (CH2O), Formic Acid (CH2O2) |
Reacts with catalysts, degrades performance |
| Ammonia (NH3) |
Impedes conductivity of membrane, significantly affects performance, recoverable |
| Sulfur Compounds (H2S, COS, CS2,...) |
Adsorbs onto catalyst and severely degrades performance, NOT recoverable |
Hydrogen Purity and Measurement Standards
The Society of Automotive Engineers developed the SAE J2719. This fuel cell hydrogen purity standard sets limits for the species listed above and a few other critical contaminants. Most countries have adopted this standard.
ISO 14687, the international standard, also adopted the detailed purity specifications.
Process Insights has worked with ASTM International to produce a standard test technique that uses CRDS to analyze fuel-cell hydrogen. This enables users to benefit from this powerful analytical technique for this application. This standard was completed in 2014 and is labelled as ASTM D7941/D7941M.
Products for Hydrogen Purity Analysis
Process Insights provides six different, versatile CRDS, GC, and MS platforms for the single-species or multispecies detection of critical impurities in fuel-cell-grade hydrogen to assure compliance with the SAE J2719 or ISO 14687 standards.
Image Credit: Process Insights
*For CH4, CH2O, CO, CO2, and O2 detection, you can choose between dedicated single-species CRDS analyzers (Spark, HALO 3 andHALO OK), the multi-species Prismatic 3, or the MAX300-LG mass spectrometer. The recommended analyzer combination depends on your specific requirements. Please contact us to discuss your optimum solution.
The analyzers produced by Process Insights deliver detection limits that are well-suited for the contaminant limits set by ISO and SAE hydrogen purity standards and satisfy the requirements for the analytical methods detailed in ISO 21087.
All systems are optimized for H2 analysis in line with ASTM Standard Test Method D7941/7941M.
Ensuring Contamination Control Throughout the Hydrogen Supply Chain
Image Credit: Process Insights
Summary of SAE/ISO Requirements and Analyzer Detection Limits
Source: Process Insights
| Impurity |
SAE J2719/ISO 14687
Concentration Limit |
Process Insights
LDL (3σ) |
Process Insights
Analyzer(s) |
| Helium (He) |
300 ppm |
0.5 ppm |
MAX300-LG |
| Nitrogen (N2) |
300 ppm |
1.0 ppm |
MAX300-LG |
| Argon (Ar) |
300 ppm |
0.02 ppm |
MAX300-LG |
| Methane (CH4) |
100 ppm |
0.2 ppm
0.1 ppm
1.0 ppm |
Spark CH4
Prismatic 3
MAX300-LG |
| Moisture (H2O) |
5 ppm |
0.0075 ppm
0.1 ppm |
Spark H2O
Prismatic 3 |
| Oxygen (O2) |
5 ppm |
0.003 ppm
1.0 ppm |
HALO OK
MAX300-LG |
| Carbon Dioxide (CO2) |
2 ppm |
0.4 ppm
0.32 ppm |
Spark CO2
Prismatic 3 |
| Carbon Monoxide (CO) |
0.2 ppm |
0.05 ppm
0.05 ppm |
HALO 3 CO
Prismatic 3 |
| Formaldehyde (CH2O) |
0.2 ppm |
0.006 ppm
0.02 ppm |
HALO 3 CH2O
MAX300-LG |
| Formic Acid (CH2O2) |
0.2 ppm |
0.02 ppm |
MAX300-LG |
| Ammonia (NH3) |
0.1 ppm |
0.0004 ppm
0.01 ppm |
HALO 3 NH3
Prismatic 3 |
Total Hydrocarbons,
ex. CH4 |
2 ppm |
0.05 ppm |
iMOv |
| Total Sulfur |
0.004 ppm |
0.002 ppm |
iMOv |
Total Halogenated
Compounds |
0.05 ppm |
0.01 ppm |
MAX300-LG |
Conclusion
Historically, a complete monitoring solution for hydrogen purity, which includes all species detailed in ISO 14687 or SAE J2719, required a complex setup with up to seven different analyzers from multiple providers and with no integration.
However, the total solution offered by Process Insights requires only three analyzers. These analyzers can also be fully integrated into one single-provider system.
More information about product and system specifications is available here: https://www.process-insights.com/applications/hydrogen-production/
Comparison: Traditional Lab Setup vs. Process Insights Total Solution
Image Credit: Process Insights
Gain Real-Time Insight into Processes
Process Insights manufactures and delivers premium sensors, analyzers, detectors, monitors, instrumentation, and mission-critical software to ensure the daily safety of operations, personnel, and the environment, globally.
Process Insights offers the current market's most reliable, precision analytical technologies. Contact the company to discuss your needs and budget to receive the optimal, and most stable process analysis solution for your application.
References and Further Reading
- ASTM Standard D7941 / D7941M-14, "Standard Test Method for Hydrogen Purity Analysis Using a Continuous Wave Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy Analyzer," available from ASTM International, http:// www.astm.org/Standards/D7941.htm
- SAE J2719, "Hydrogen Fuel Quality for Fuel Cell Vehicles," available from the Society of Automotive Engineers, https://www.sae.org/standards/content/j2719_202003/
- ISO 14687-2019, "Hydrogen fuel – Product specification," available from the International Organization for Standardization," https://www.iso.org/standard/69539.html
- ISO 21087-2019, "Gas analysis – Analytical methods for hydrogen fuel – Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell applications for road vehicles," https://www.iso.org/standard/69909.html
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Process Insights.
For more information on this source, please visit Process Insights.