Reactor investigation and design for hydrogen storage in LOHC – RID-LOHC

Hydrogen storage in LOHCs (Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers) is an alternative to direct storage of compressed or liquefied hydrogen. Numerous studies have been carried out to evaluate the properties of promising pairs of molecules, to synthesise and screen catalysts, and to determine the operating conditions for which the apparent kinetics rates are maximum. The intrinsic reaction kinetics and transport phenomena in the reactors used have been little or not at all published, as well as the behaviour of the reactors used by the solution suppliers. Results on the intrinsic kinetics of hydrogenation and dehydrogenation of LOHCs and on the quantification of the mass and heat transfer limitations in the used reactors would however make it possible to find solutions to overcome the bottlenecks to the development of industrial reactors and to evaluate the industrial hydrogenation processes already in existence. The RID-LOHC project therefore proposes to work on the hydrogen storage with carbazole mixtures and with commercial catalysts. It aims to acquire knowledge on the intrinsic kinetics of hydrogenation and dehydrogenation and on the stability of the molecules and catalysts. It also aims to evaluate the relevance of the use of conventional continuous three-phase reactors in hydrogenation (fixed beds in particular) and to design, manufacture, characterise new efficient reactors, as well as to evaluate their performance in terms of heat and material transfer for hydrogenation and dehydrogenation, of sustainability and safety. The considered approach will take advantage of a synergy between experimental and numerical methods.