By Clare Frederick, Jason A. Engel of K&L Gates
According to the joint EPO-IEA report summarizing patent trends in the hydrogen economy (summarized here), technologies related to storage, distribution, and transportation of hydrogen are among the most critical challenges for large-scale deployment. Standardized infrastructure for hydrogen trade is essential to allow the market to function and flow.
While trends show that established technologies have generated high levels of patent-related activities, emerging technologies such as the use of hydrogen carriers are key to encouraging widespread hydrogen distribution systems. Patent filings in the fields of liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) and ammonia cracking, two example hydrogen carriers discussed below, have increased since 2011.
Conventional storage and transportation of hydrogen relies on liquid-compressed hydrogen, which is stored at either extremely high pressures or extremely low temperatures. LOHCs and ammonia cracking enable hydrogen to bond with a stabilized carrier, which allows for safer and more economical transportation. The two examples below illustrate the types of improvements that have been patented recently.
Ammonia Cracking
Ammonia cracking is the process of using ammonia as an energy carrier for transporting hydrogen. In this process, hydrogen is first produced through means such as electrolysis and then combined with nitrogen extracted from ambient air using an air separator to produce green ammonia, which can be transported using conventional means. Once the green ammonia arrives at its destination, the compound is separated into hydrogen and nitrogen using an ammonia-cracking process.
Topsoe A/S recently received US Patent No. 11,511,991 (‘991 Patent) issued 29 November 2022, entitled “Autothermal Ammonia Cracking Process.” The ‘991 Patent discloses a process for ammonia cracking that reduces or eliminates the need to remove residual nitrogen oxides from the cracked gas. (NOx), a common byproduct of ammonia cracking, are gases that contribute to air pollution and present health hazards.
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