청정 연료인 수소를 생산하기 위해 현재 가장 널리 사용되는 기술인 증기 개질이다. 이 방법으로 생산된 수소는 일산화탄소와 같은 불순물을 함유하고 있어, 이를 연료전지와 같은 응용분야에 사용하기 위해서는 적절한 정제 과정을 반드 시 거쳐야 한다. 최근 효과적인 정제 방법으로 분리막 기술이 각광받고 있다. 본 연구에서는 수소와 일산화탄소 혼합가스에서 수소 분리 및 회수를 위해 바이오가스 고질화용(biogas upgrading) 상용 폴리설폰(polysulfone) 고분자막의 활용 가능성에 대 해서 평가하였다. 먼저, 사용한 상용막의 물리화학적 특성에 대해서 평가하였고, H2/CO를 이용하여 stage-cut, 운전압력과 같 은 다양한 조건에서의 상용막 모듈의 성능 평가를 진행하였다. 마지막으로, 평가 결과를 바탕으로 공정설계를 위한 시뮬레이 션을 진행하였다. 본 연구에서의 상용 분리막 공정의 최대 H2 투과도와 H2/CO 분리계수는 각각 361 GPU와 20.6을 기록하였 다. 또한, CO 제거 효율은 최대 94%를 나타내었으며, 생산 수소 농도는 최대 99.1%를 달성하였다.

To test a flameproof enclosure for the safety certificate, a reference pressure of explosion needs to be determined. However, the explosion pressure may be changed according to relative humidity of explosive gases. Therefore, the guideline on relative humidity should be recommended for measuring the explosion pressure for accurate and reproducible testings. This study examined the relationship of explosion pressure with relative humidity of hydrogen (31 vol %)-air and acetylene (14 vol %)-air mixture gases. The explosion pressures were measured by increasing the relative humidity of the gases by 10 % from dry state to 80 % in a cylindrical explosion enclosure of 2.3 L. on ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure (1 atm). The maximum explosive pressures were remained almost constant until the relative humidity reached 10 % for the hydrogen-air mixture and 20 % for the acetylene-air mixture. However, the maximum explosive pressures linearly decreased as the relative humidity increased. Based on the results of the study, it would be recommended to use 10 % relative humidity for the hydrogen-air mixture and 20 % for the acetylene-air mixture as the critical value in testing a flameproof enclosure.

화학물질 취급공정에서 발생하는 화학사고를 예방하기 위해 기본적으로 요구되는 위험성 분석 (Risk Analysis)시 공정의 특성을 잘 반영하는 것이 매우 중요하다. 본 연구에서는 CFD (computational fluid dynamics) 언어를 활용하여 화학공장의 고위험 공정을 대상으로 신뢰성 있는 사고 피해 결과를 분석하고 안전확보 방안을 제시하였다. 이를 위한 방법론적 사례로 화학공장의 RHDS (잔사유수첨탈황공정) 공정을 대상으로 실제공정의 운전조건, 설비 및 장치의 형태와 밀집도, 대기상태, 바람의 영향 등 여러 복합적 변수를 고려하여 FEA (Finite Element Analysis)와 CFD 시뮬레이션을 수행 하여 확산, 폭발 시뮬레이션을 수행하였으며, 3D Scanning 기술, 누출공 크기 산정, 누출량 산정을 위한 CFD 적용 가능성을 검토하였다.

We investigate the reduction of SnO2 and the generation of syngas(H2, CO) using methane(CH4) and hydrogen(H2) or a mixed gas of methane and hydrogen as a reducing gas. When methane is used as a reducing gas, carbon is formed by the decomposition of methane on the reduced Sn surface, and the amount of generated carbon increases as the amount and time of the supply of methane increases. However, when hydrogen is used as a reducing gas, carbon is not generated. High purity Sn of 99.8 % and a high recovery rate of Sn of 93 % are obtained under all conditions. The effects of reducing gas species and the gas mixing ratio on the purity and recovery of Sn are not significantly different, but hydrogen is somewhat more effective in increasing the purity and recovery rate of Sn than methane. When 1 mole of methane and 1 mole of hydrogen are mixed, a product gas with an H2/CO value of 2, which is known to be most useful as syngas, is obtained.

Nickel oxide(NiO) thin films, nanorods, and carbon nanotube(CNT)/NiO core-shell nanorod structures are fabricated by sputtering Nickel at different deposition time on alumina substrates or single wall carbon nanotube templates followed by oxidation treatments at different temperatures, 400 and 700 oC. Structural analyses are carried out by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. NiO thinfilm, nanorod and CNT/NiO core-shell nanorod structurals of the gas sensor structures are tested for detection of H2S gas. The NiO structures exhibit the highest response at 200 oC and high selectivity to H2S among other gases of NO, NH3, H2, CO, etc. The nanorod structures have a higher sensing performance than the thin films and carbon nanotube/NiO core-shell structures. The gold catalyst deposited on NiO nanorods further improve the sensing performance, particularly the recovery kinetics.

수소를 연료로 사용하는 PEMFC는 고효율⋅출력밀도를 나타내며, 짧은 시동시간, 우수한 응답특성에 따라 현지설치형 발전기술로 사용되며, 이를 위한 고효율 연료처리장치가 필수적이다. SMR반응은 연료당 고회수율을 때문에 경제성이 우수하며, 전환율 확보를 위해 700°C, 20 bar 이상의 운전조건에서 수행되며, WGS, PSA의 후단공정을 통해 수소를 생산한다. 분리막 개질기를 이용한 SMR반응은 분리막이 수소를 제거함에 따라 반응효율 증진, 공정온도 저감, 후단공정 배제를 할 수 있어 공정구성 및 경제성이 우수하다. 본 연구에서는 팔라듐분리막 개질기를 사용하여 550°C, 5 bar에서 SMR반응을 통해 수소를 생산하였으며, 개질된 가스의 CO 농도를 최소화하여 고온 PEMFC용 연료처리장치를 개발하였다.

The hydrogen embrittlement of two austenitic high-manganese steels was investigated using tensile testing under high-pressure gaseous hydrogen. The test results were compared with those of different kinds of austenitic alloys containing Ni, Mn, and N in terms of stress and ductility. It was found that the ultimate tensile stress and ductility were more remarkably decreased under high-pressure gaseous hydrogen than under high-pressure gaseous argon, unlike the yield stress. In the specimens tested under high-pressure gaseous hydrogen, transgranular fractures were usually observed together with intergranular cracking near the fracture surface, whereas in those samples tested under high-pressure gaseous argon, ductile fractures mostly occurred. The austenitic high-manganese steels showed a relatively lower resistance to hydrogen embrittlement than did those with larger amounts of Ni because the formation of deformation twins or microbands in austenitic highmanganese steels probably promoted planar slip, which is associated with localized deformation due to gaseous hydrogen.

In this study, the reduction kinetics and behaviors of oxides in the water-atomized iron powder have been evaluated as a function of temperature ranging 850-1000˚C in hydrogen environment, and compared to the reduction behaviors of individual iron oxides including Fe2O3, Fe3O4 and FeO. The water-atomized iron powder contained a significant amount of iron oxides, mainly Fe3O4 and FeO, which were formed as a partially-continuous surface layer and an inner inclusion. During hydrogen reduction, a significant weight loss in the iron powder occurred in the initial stage of 10 min by the reduction of surface oxides, and then further reduction underwent slowly with increasing time. A higher temperature in the hydrogen reduction promoted a high purity of iron powder, but no significant change in the reduction occurred above 950˚C. Sequence reduction process by an alternating environment of hydrogen and inert gases effectively removed the oxide scale in the iron powder, which lowered reduction temperature and/or shortened reduction time.

For the hydrogen economy system being tried starting with the 21st century, the fields that was not dealt with so far, such as the safety measure for large leakage accidents, the safety problem at infrastructures like a hydrogen station, the safety problem in terms of automobiles depending on introduction of hydrogen cars, the safety problem in a supply for homes like fuel cells, etc., are being deeply reviewed. In order to establish a safety control system, an essential prerequisite in using and commercializing hydrogen gas as an efficient energy source, it is necessary to conduct an analysis, such as analysis of hydrogen accident examples, clarification of physical mechanisms, qualitative and quantitative evaluation of safety, development of accident interception technologies, etc. This study prepared scenarios of hydrogen gas leakage that can happen at hydrogen stations, and predicted damage when hydrogen leaks by using PHAST for this.