CONCEPTUAL ENGINEERING DESIGN OF THE GREEN HYDROGEN PRODUCTION PROCESS AS A MECHANISM TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE CARBON NEUTRALITY STRATEGY IN COLOMBIA

Abstract

Due to the need to contribute to sustainable development, considering that one of its pillars is climate change mitigation, this study aimed to identify the technologies associated with green hydrogen production for their implementation in the energy transition. The goal was to develop a conceptual design including each of the unit operations required in the synthesis process. A water electrolysis system was designed, selecting the alkaline electrolyzer as the best option due to its maturity. A calculation basis of 20 kg of daily hydrogen production was used, estimating an electrical energy requirement of 9,170 kWh and a water flow rate of 300 L/day to feed the electrochemical unit. NaOH and/or KOH were chosen as electrolytes due to their potential to conduct electricity. To ensure green production, coupling with a photovoltaic system is proposed as a renewable electrical energy source. The required power to guarantee the electrolyzer's 24-hour/day operation was evaluated using the Photovoltaic Geographical Information System software, based on the reference value corresponding to the estimated generation capacity of the Solar Barranca project, located in the municipality of Barrancabermeja, Santander. To determine the electrolyzer's power, the hourly hydrogen production was calculated based on demand and operating time, yielding a result of 0.833 kg of H₂/h. Finally, the required power was determined to be 46.296 kW. Additionally, it can be concluded that by installing a capacity to store 20 kg of H₂ daily at 500 bar of pressure, an equilibrium pressure of 286 bar is reached, and 7.09 kg of H₂ would be released due to the pressure difference.