A key operational study of a hydrogen generation system based on solid-oxide electrolyzers constructed entirely in Poland has been completed. In launching the project, a consortium of LOTOS Group (now ORLEN), the Institute of Energy (now the Institute of Energy - National Research Institute) and the Stanislaw Staszic University of Science and Technology in Krakow set two goals.
The first was to develop, build and verify the operation of a plant unique in the world with SOE (solid oxide electrolysis) electrolyzers, which are devices that allow the production of hydrogen with the highest efficiency. The second goal was to design a plant with hydrogen production capacity adequate to power several hydrogen buses or a fleet of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Both goals were achieved.
A team from the Institute of Power Engineering - National Research Institute was responsible for the design, construction, manufacture and operation of the installation with a hydrogen production capacity of 18 kg per day.
“The design, delivery and full-cycle testing of the VETNI installation were completed in a record time of 28 months. This would not have been possible had it not been for the close cooperation of the ORLEN, IEN-PIB and AGH teams. The partnership of the entities that carried out the VETNI project not only makes it possible to create new, globally unique solutions based on domestic technologies, but also shows how effective cooperation between industry and the scientific and research community can be. Each partner had strictly defined roles in the project. Prof. Konrad Swierczek's team from AGH was responsible for new material solutions, which we then implemented in IEN-PIB's SOE stacks. The team of Dr. Sylwia Pawlak of ORLEN - the consortium leader - comprehensively coordinated the location study, the process integration of the plant with the facility in Jaslo, and supervised the test cycle. Our role, in addition to the delivery, plant foundation and operation testing, was to determine the scale-up strategy and further development directions. In the course of the project, we verified a number of new concepts and solutions, which are significant improvements to the technology. This positions VETNI as an important milestone on the map of national projects that have been defined among the goals of the Polish Hydrogen Strategy.” - says Prof. Jakub Kupecki, Director of the Institute of Power Engineering - National Research Institute.
The implementation of the VETNI project is the next step in the development of fixed-oxide electrolyzers according to IPE-NRI technology. The installation in Jaslo is a 30 kW class demonstrator that operated in the industrial regime, with full consideration of formal and legal conditions, the most stringent industrial safety regulations and the functionality expected by the hydrogen mobility sector. The operational experience gained in this project significantly complements the knowledge gained during the development of the HYDROGIN plant built at EC Elblag, which was the first demonstrator of energy storage in hydrogen generation and utilization systems based on SOE electrolyzers switched to SOFC fuel cell mode. “These unique competencies provide a solid foundation for the implementation of further projects for systems with 400 kW and 5 MW class SOE electrolyzers.” - adds Jakub Kupecki.
The use of SOE electrolyzers as high-efficiency hydrogen generation facilities serves to decarbonize transportation and contribute to the development of low- and zero-carbon technologies for the economy. The aforementioned projects were subsidized by the National Center for Research and Development.