The objective of the initiative, financed by IVACE, is to develop a technically viable prototype to obtain a new way of producing hydrogen at low cost, from the heat recovered from the chimney of ovens with very high working temperatures.
Blue Plasma Power, a company located in Espaitec, leads GASPLUS, a project in collaboration with the Institute of Ceramic Technology (ITC-AICE) and financed by the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness (IVACE) through which a prototype will be designed that allows working in continuous flow to determine the reduction of fuel consumption, oxidizer and emissions of high temperature industrial furnaces, such as those used in the manufacture of ceramic frits.
In this sense, the purpose is to develop a functional high-temperature combustion process based on the transformation of natural gas into a synthetic gas (syngas) rich in hydrogen to promote the decarbonization of the industry. Thus, BluePlasma Power technology acts as a tool to achieve the global objective set by the European Union to reduce CO2 emissions in 2050, since it is a process capable of reducing environmental and economic impacts in industries with consumption. gas-intensive, such as companies in the frits and enamels, glass and metal casting sectors, thanks to the reuse of residual heat from its patented production process and the adoption of a novel natural gas reforming process with steam. water.
Climate change and industrial decarbonization
Global warming, as a result of industrial gas emissions, has received exclusive attention in recent times from governments and companies through political decisions and government aid, starting with the International Climate Change Conference that took place in Paris in 2015. The development of CO2 capture and utilization (CCU) technologies and the displacement of fossil-based energy with renewable energy are fundamental to achieving the European Union's global objective of reducing CO2 emissions in 2050. .
Some unquestionable facts are: CO2 production contributes more than 60% to global warming; The processes of selective capture and use of CO2 at low cost currently constitute an important challenge in terms of energy efficiency, with the CO2 capture process representing around 70% of the current total cost of CO2 recovery and storage.
CO2 that comes from the use of fossil fuels is responsible for around 65% of greenhouse gas emissions and plays a critical role in climate change. Among the different strategies described for improving the reuse of CO2, the transformation of CO2 into chemicals or fuels with high added value are considered winning strategies. Europe's accession to the Kyoto protocol sets very clear objectives and commitments for all member states, to reduce greenhouse gases and promote the use of products and processes with low environmental impact.
GASPLUS
The GASPLUS system applied in high temperature furnaces, generally fed with natural gas and pure oxygen as an oxidizer, reduces the consumption of natural gas by around 25% and the corresponding oxygen by the same order, through the in situ generation of hydrogen by through a reforming process of part of the natural gas, used in the combustion process with water vapor, the latter generated with the residual heat of the combustion gases at the exit of the furnace chimney. The hydrogen formed together with the other fuel gases generated in the reforming process, and the unconverted natural gas, are combusted in the same oxy-combustion burner of the furnace where it is applied. Associated with the reduction of fuel, there is a decrease in CO2 emissions of the same order of magnitude.
The system consists of a heat recovery mounted in the furnace chimney, where the heat of the combustion gases at the exit of the furnace, at a temperature close to 1.000ºC in a first stage, generates the water vapor necessary to the reforming process and in a second stage preheats the oxygen prior to combustion. The water vapor generated is mixed with the natural gas, before entering the reforming reactor where a plasma torch in a catalytic environment (also patented by BluePlasma Power), makes it possible to reform part of the gas with water vapor. natural at ambient pressure and at temperatures close to 500ºC and at line pressure. The mixture of gases generated, mainly composed of hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide, at a temperature close to 450ºC, are sent to the burner installed in the oven for combustion with previously heated oxygen. The estimated consumption reduction of around 25% comes partly from the recovery of residual heat from the combustion gases and partly from the hydrogen provided by the water vapor in the reforming process.
Blue Plasma Power
Blue Plasma Power is a company with its own patented technology, specialized in the recovery of organic waste into products with high added value. This technology reduces CO2 emissions while respecting our commitment to the environment. It also makes conventional fuels profitable, increasing their efficiency and producing significant energy savings.
The specialty of the Castellón technology company is to integrate existing technologies that form synergy to obtain innovative compact production lines, producing final products at low cost. The technology that it has developed and patented allows, on the one hand, to valorize organic solid waste that is not recyclable with conventional technologies, through a base technology of photocatalytic hydrogasification with plasma, where hydrogen and synthesis gas are obtained, to convert it into energy. electrical, thermal or in a liquid bio-product that can be used as a bio-solvent for the chemical industry, or as a bio-additive for diesel and gasoline.
On the other hand, the technology developed by the company allows natural gas to be reformed through HGC with plasma, achieving, with a lower investment, doubling the efficiency of conventional technologies and acting as a carbon dioxide (CO2) sink, contributing to energy independence, generating employment and improving the rural economy.
