Pilot Deployment of Ekona’s Pulse Methane Pyrolyzer (PMP) Solution for Clean Hydrogen Production

Solution Developer

Ekona Power Inc.

Project Description

This project will demonstrate a pilot-scale methane pyrolysis solution that delivers decarbonized hydrogen at costs on par with conventional steam methane reforming (SMR) systems, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%, and provides a pathway for scaling up clean hydrogen solutions for Canadian industry.

Ekona’s novel pulsed-methane pyrolysis (PMP) solution converts natural gas into hydrogen and solid carbon, thereby drastically reducing CO2 emissions. The pyrolysis reactor uses combustion and high-speed gas dynamics to dissociate feedstock methane. This unique solution is low-cost, scalable and solves carbon fouling issues that plague other pyrolysis strategies. The PMP reactor can be integrated with industry-standard balance of plant, simplifying industrial process integration. Finally, the PMP solution is not reliant on carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) infrastructure, renewable electricity or feedstock water, so it can be flexibly deployed wherever natural gas infrastructure exists.

In this project, Ekona will test its pilot-scale PMP reactor with a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to evaluate performance against system requirements and assess reactor integration with industry-standard carbon separation and hydrogen purification equipment. The team will design, build and test a multi-core reactor to evaluate the integration of multiple reactors operating in sequence and demonstrate scale-up of the pyrolysis platform. The scaled-up reactor will then be incorporated into a fully integrated PMP system for test and evaluation in Ekona’s Burnaby test facility. Finally, Ekona will design, assemble and commission a 1 tonne per day pilot plant for subsequent operations and demonstration with project collaborators (Cenovus Energy and TransAlta).

Benefits/Outcomes

• Drastic reduction of CO2 emissions

• Potential applications include oil and gas processing, Natural Gas decarbonization and ammonia production

• Low-cost technology

• Note: Emissions reduction estimates are based on early analysis by proponents and will be monitored and reported throughout the project.

Project Resources