A hydrogen purifier is a device to purify

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-to ...

hydrogen production Hydrogen production is the family of industrial methods for generating hydrogen gas. As of 2020, the majority of hydrogen (∼95%) is produced from fossil fuels by steam reforming of natural gas and other light hydrocarbons, partial oxidation of ...

is done from hydrocarbon sources, the ultra-high purified hydrogen is needed for applications like PEM

fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen fuel, hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most bat ...

s .

Palladium membrane hydrogen purifiers

The palladium membrane is typically a metallic tube of a

palladium Palladium is a chemical element with the symbol Pd and atomic number 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself ...

and

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

alloy material possessing the unique property of allowing only monatomic hydrogen to pass through its crystal lattice when it is heated above 300°C.

Dense thin-metal membrane purifier

Dense thin-metal membrane purifiers are compact, relatively inexpensive and simple to use.

Pressure swing adsorption

Pressure swing adsorption is used for the removal of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is t ...

(CO₂) as the final step in the large-scale commercial synthesis of

. It can also remove

methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane ...

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide ( chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simpl ...

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

, moisture and in some cases,

argon Argon is a chemical element with the symbol Ar and atomic number 18. It is in group 18 of the periodic table and is a noble gas. Argon is the third-most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere, at 0.934% (9340 ppmv). It is more than twice a ...

, from hydrogen.

Catalytic recombination or deoxygenation purifier

Catalytic recombination or deoxygenation is used to remove

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements ...

(O₂) impurities. The process is also known as a 'deoxo' process. The oxygen reacts with the hydrogen to form water vapor, which can then be removed by a dryer if necessary. The catalysts that are used are based on platinum group metals (PGM). A typical system could handle up to 3% O2 in H2 in the feed, and reduce the O2 content to less than 1ppm.

Electrochemical purifier

The electrochemical purifier works similar to a fuel cell, a voltage is applied to the membrane and the resulting electric current pulls hydrogen through the membrane. A well designed system can simultaneously compress the hydrogen.

Applications

Hydrogen purifiers are used in

metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy Metalorganic vapour-phase epitaxy (MOVPE), also known as organometallic vapour-phase epitaxy (OMVPE) or metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD), is a chemical vapour deposition method used to produce single- or polycrystalline thin films. ...

reactors for LED production.Hydrogen purifiers proving vital to LED production
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References

External links

3 industrial hydrogen purifier systemsPower and Energy, Inc.Setting a new benchmark for hydrogen delivery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hydrogen Purifier Hydrogen technologies Chemical equipment Industrial gases Gas technologies