Researchers at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) in Moscow have developed an innovative technology that promises to change the global energy landscape. They have managed to produce hydrogen from natural gas with an efficiency of 45% directly in a gas fielda significant advance that could accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.
The process developed by Skoltech involves the steam injection and a catalyst into a natural gas well, followed by the addition of oxygen to ignite the gas. This catalyst-assisted combustion produces a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Hydrogen is easily extracted, leaving carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide permanently trapped in the site, thus preventing its release into the environment.
Currently, approximately 80% of the world’s energy comes from fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas. These fuels release carbon dioxide when burned, contributing to climate change and threatening the environment. Although natural gas is considered cleaner than oil, it still emits carbon dioxide, making it a significant threat.
Hydrogen, which only emits water vapor when used, could be a alternative healthier and more sustainable. However, its production has been a technical and economic challenge. Skoltech’s proposal to extract hydrogen directly from natural gas fields, rich in hydrocarbons that contain a large amount of hydrogen at the molecular level, offers a promising solution.
Stages
The process proposed by the Skoltech team is efficient and consists of various stages. First, steam is injected into the well along with a catalyst. Air or pure oxygen is then added to ignite the gas directly in the reservoir. With the help of steam and catalyst, natural gas is converted into a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The carbon dioxide formed remains in the reservoir, preventing its release.
In the final stage, hydrogen is extracted from the well through a membrane that blocks other combustion products. This method leaves carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide permanently trapped underground.
Results
The researchers tested their process in laboratory reactors that simulated a real gas field environment. They used crushed rock and methane, the main component of natural gas, along with steam, a catalyst and oxygen. They kept the pressure in the reactor at a level typical of gas fields, eighty times higher than atmospheric pressure.
The results were encouraging: 45% of the total gas volume was converted to hydrogen at 800°C, with large amounts of steam injected into the reactor. To maximize efficiency, it was discovered that there must be four times as much steam as natural gas. The choice of the temperature of 800°C is due to the fact that it is easily reached during the combustion of natural gas without the need for artificial maintenance.
The hydrogen yield also depends on the rock composition. In experiments with porous alumina, the yield reached 55%. This is because alumina is inert and does not react with surrounding elements. In contrast, natural rock contains more active minerals that can react with components of the gas mixture and affect hydrogen performance.
“All stages of the process are based on well-established technologies that They had not previously been adapted for hydrogen production from real gas fields. We have shown that our approach can help convert hydrocarbons into ‘green’ fuels in the reservoir environment with up to 45% efficiency. In the future, we plan to test our method in real gas reservoirs,” said Elena Mukhina, Ph.D., senior research scientist at Skoltech Petroleum and project leader.
