Hydrogen fuel cells, and most instruments, contain catalysts and elements that are deactivated or corroded by sulfur. The standard for sulfur contamination in H2 fuel is set at the low level of 4 ppb (parts per billion) which is lower than any other impurity because sulfur contamination is an irreversible process that makes the fuel cell worthless.
Hydrogen is a very reactive reducing agent and readily combines with oxygen, sulfur, carbon, and many other elements that can be present on metal or other surfaces. The 316L stainless steel commonly used for H2 fuel tanks, pressure regulators, and fuel lines going to the fuel cell can have 75,000 times as much sulfur content as the standard for sulfur in H2 fuel.
Hydrogen produced by water electrolysis can be pure when special care is taken to purify the water, but when it is transferred in pipes, compressed, and stored in stainless steel tanks the hydrogen will slowly react with sulfur on the surface of the pipes, valves, or tanks to form H2S (hydrogen sulfide). The hydrogen is only as pure as the dirtiest portion of the system in which it is transferred or stored.
It could be, but the hydrogen would then be loaded into an on-board stainless steel fuel tank typically at 10,000 psi then later reduced to about 22 psi by a pressure regulator and passed through a fuel line to the fuel cell. Contact with any material that contains sulfur or has sulfur on its surface contaminates the fuel.
Until just recently, there has been no solution and that's why reports indicate that many forklifts powered by Plug Power produced H2 Fuel Cells are failing in only 3 to 5 years when they should last many times longer. After years of R&D a solution is finally available, a paradigm shifting game changer called the SULFUR MAGNET™.
The inventor has conducted hundreds of tests on performance and capacity for years and been granted US patents. Recently, this breakthrough solution was evaluated by an independent third-party with the highest level of sophistication and reputation and has testified that the SULFUR MAGNET™ lowers the sulfur content so low that it cannot be detected with detectors capable of measuring 0.2 ppb (200 parts per trillion). That's 20 times cleaner than the most stringent standard!
The H2 FINAL FILTER® was created to house the SULFUR MAGNET™ in a convenient and safe-to-use 316L Stainless Steel housing with Swagelok® 6 mm, ¼” or 1/8” fittings suitable for insertion into the fuel line just before the gas enters the fuel cell. In this way, the gas is purified immediately before entering the fuel cell and cannot be re-contaminated in transfer lines or valves.
The SULFUR MAGNET™ can be placed into filter housings of any size required.
The H2 Final Filter® has been called “CHEAP INSURANCE” for fuel cell users. If Plug Power, Ballard Power Systems, Nikola Corporation, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Hyperion, Daimler Truck, Volvo Group, and other manufacturers installed the H2 FINAL FILTER® into the fuel lines of their H2 power plants as an OEM item their power plants could operate safely on hydrogen from any source and last for a very long time. Existing H2 powered fuel cells can be retrofitted by any mechanic qualified to work with the Swagelok® system of compression fittings.
By cleaning the gas, electricity would be generated more efficiently and for a much longer time in a fuel cell, and for instrumentation, corrosion of the delicate components would be eliminated, and the GC would have cleaner base lines with lower limits of detection.
With the cheap insurance provided by this breakthrough solution the ROI would increase very significantly because of the increased performance and longer lifetime.
Yes, the FuelCellStore sells a filter to lower the sulfur content in hydrogen fuel for $435.00 that is stated to reduce the sulfur content down to a maximum of 0.01 ppm (10 ppb) with a stated capacity of 60 mg of sulfur. This filter is not claimed to lower the sulfur content to the 0.004 ppm (4 ppb) maximum sulfur content required by US and International Standards and has a very small capacity as well. The SULFUR MAGNET™ contained inside a small size H2 FINAL FILTER® can reduce the sulfur content to below 1 ppm with the capacity to absorb 1,800 mg (1.8 grams) of sulfur. That is 30 times as much capacity to remove sulfur.
Yes, it will remove sulfur from most gases, including the air in the clean room and eliminates oxides of nitrogen and most odors from air.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. LTD (TSM), Samsung Electronics, Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), Intel Corp. (INTC), Broadcom Inc. (AVGO), Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM), SK Hynix Inc., ASML Holdings NV (ASML), Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and others.
The SULFUR MAGNET™ is as effective as palladium for absorbing sulfur from gases but has a much higher capacity and is far less expensive than palladium (Pd > $900/oz).
The palladium filter has the same ability to remove sulfur from the gases, but it has far less capacity and costs much more than the H2 FINAL FILTER®.
There is no DOT (Department of Transportation) restriction on transporting either the virgin or spent SULFUR MAGNET™.
The SULFUR MAGNET™ is not water soluble, not flammable, and is safe to use.
When saturated, the SULFUR MAGNET™ can be disposed of in a landfill, recycled, or regenerated.
SMR produces vast quantities of low-grade hydrogen suitable only for use in crude oil hydrogenation and making commodity chemicals like urea and ammonia. However, this low-grade H2 can be cleaned with the SULFUR MAGNET™ to upgrade it into the high value and high purity needed for H2 Fuel Cells.
Within a short time the expensive catalysts in the fuel cell would be poisoned by sulfur and cease to produce electricity.
Absolutely, refiners could use the SULFUR MAGNET™ to polish their hydrogen purity to the low sulfur content required for H2 Fuel Cells, and they could use it to replace their aging and expensive to maintain Claus Process reactors that convert H2S (hydrogen sulfide) into dirty water and dirty sulfur with a H2S removal process that produces sulfuric acid as a salable byproduct during regeneration.
There are many advantages particularly for mobile applications because batteries are very heavy requiring special heavy duty structural support to contain them in a vehicle unlike fuel cells which are much lighter than conventional motors. Industry reports indicate that tires on battery powered electric cars wear out very fast due to the heavy weight of the vehicles.
The lithium used in batteries is not an unlimited resource and the battery can only be recharges so many times unlike hydrogen which is the most abundant element in the universe. Natural gas is currently the primary source of hydrogen, although some day the hydrocarbon refineries will realize that they can upgrade the vast amount of hydrogen they currently produce to fuel cell grade standards thanks to the SULFUR MAGNET™.
Batteries require long charging times. A fuel cell vehicle takes only minutes to fill the tank. With clean hydrogen the fuel cell powerplant could last generations.
Both use highly efficient electric motors to propel the vehicles and insulated copper wire to transmit the power instead of heavy steel power trains that require lubrication.
Both require filters for the fuel and air they use.
Fuel cells produce water vapor as the byproduct while petroleum combustion results in pollutants like CO2, NOx (oxides of nitrogen), SO2 (sulfur dioxide), particulate carbon, etc.
That has been said by many, batteries are a steppingstone of progress.