Specially designed membranes appear to function properly when operated at the high temperatures and pressures found inside fire-flooded oil reservoirs (Technical Report now Available)
With partial funding from the Western Canadian Innovations Office (WCIO), Proton Technologies Canada Inc. is conducting experiments on the first laboratory Hygenerator™ through the Gate Research Group at the University of Calgary to determine whether specialised membranes can function in known operating field environments.
First, the laboratory apparatus is operated to mimic the high temperatures and pressures found in oil and gas reservoirs undergoing combustion. The apparatus, or Hygenerator™, is then filled with a synthetic mixture of gases which mimic the by-product gases in the field, including a combination of hydrogen, carbon oxide and carbon dioxide.
Laboratory analysis shows that the membranes, designed by Proton, increase in efficiency at higher temperatures, allowing more and more hydrogen to pass through as temperatures increase to real world conditions. As expected, the membrane only allows a pure stream of hydrogen through, leaving the carbon oxides in the apparatus.
A Report is now published with a summary of key results from the lab testing. Download the report here:
Laboratory Evaluation of Hydrogen Flow through Proton Technology Membrane System