Thyssenkrupp : Innovation Leadership, Fulvio Federico, CTO

7. Innovation Leadership

Fulvio Federico

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thyssenkrupp nucera looks back at >30 years of leading innovation in modern industrial electrolysis

BM					CFI
				First project on new
First Uhde Single Element Bipolar
UHDENORA JV among Uhde	tkUCE JV among thyssenkrupp	increased capacity
Membrane electrolyzers	and	in 2001	electrolysis and	,	20 MW module
			merging also former Chlorine
			Engineers Corp. in 2015

		HCl-ODC2		NaCl-ODC2		e-BiTac v7 and
		First industrial reference		Market Entry		BM Gen. 6plus
		plant, energy saving		25% energy saving CA		Latest high efficiency
		hydrochloric acid recycling		electrolysis		electrolyzers
Power Consumption
19841 - 1994	1997	2003	2012	2013	2018	2020	2021

Current Density (specific production capacity)

BM single element Gen.3	BM single element Gen.6
First laser-weldedcell,	First Full Zero-Gap cell incl.
internals made possible	flexible elastic element and
acidified operation	combined with
	independent sealing

BiTAC

World's first zero-gap cell which	AWE	CA
made 6kA/m2 possible

Carbon2Chem

AWE (Hydrogen)

Demo Plant 2 MW (stack portion of 10 MW unit)

1 GW p.a. fabrication

De-bottlenecked production

of 15,000 cells p.a.

1. Much longer experience before with mercury amalgam cells 2. Joint Development with Covestro and De Nora; ODC = Oxygen depolarized cathode; HCl = Hydrochloric Acid; NaCl = Sodium Chloride Developments with De Nora advanced coatings and half-shells / bipolar elements manufacturing

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Example | Successful implementation of disruptive innovations - unique advantage of thyssenkrupp nucera

energy saving compared to

25% conventional CA electrolysis

Gas Diffusion Electrode

Gas Diffusion Electrode (GDE) by De	Applied in large scale	Applied in NaCl-ODC
Nora typically used in Fuel Cells	HCI-ODC electrolyzers	electrolyzers
	(2003)	(2013)

Proprietary technology with joint development partners Covestro and Industrie De Nora; ODC = Oxygen depolarized cathode; HCl = Hydrochloric Acid; NaCl = Sodium Chloride

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thyssenkrupp nucera developing an industry leading electrolyzer cell design with De Nora

Contributions thyssenkrupp nucera

Design of cell, electrolyzer and balance of plants

Selection of separator (membrane/diaphragm)

Other parts including:

• Selection of corrosion resistant materials
• Current distribution & electrical contacts
• Gas-liquidfluids handling & distribution
• Sealing
• Adaptations for different operating conditions, procedures, concepts (e.g. with or without ODC)

thyssenkrupp nucera cell		Contributions De Nora

Anode and cathode catalytic coatings, and GDEs

- +

Manufacturing of half-shells

BM

(single element)

Holistic collaboration in cell design, electrochemical components and manufacturing process

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thyssenkrupp nucera's leading design and manufacturing know-how crucial in developing the AWE cell

Hydraulic design

• Improved hydraulic and fluid dynamics
• Optimized feed of reactants to the catalytic centres for effective kinetic of electrochemical reactions
• Design mitigates local concentration gradient for best efficiency and longevity

Electrical design

• Electrical current uniform distribution to the electrodes
• Uniform distribution by continuous laser welding
• Design minimizes ohmic losses

Mechanical design

• 100% leak proof cell throughout service life ensuring to avoid emissions any time
• Strong flange and bolts forces compressing the gaskets for superior sealing
• Design improves safety and environmental protection

Zero gap

• Combination of expanded-metal current distributor with a woven mesh cathode enables a "zero gap" over the whole membrane area
• Elastic element with compression independent from sealing
• "Zero gap" improves separator life and performance

Know-how and technologies needed for implementing effectively high current density and high efficiency1

1. Density and efficiency assessment based on Eurochlor data

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