Control-oriented modeling and observation of a single cell proton ceramic electrochemical reactor for single-stage ammonia cracking to compressed hydrogen

A novel proton ceramic electrochemical reactor has recently been proposed for the efficient extraction of hydrogen from ammonia. This reactor integrates heat management, ammonia dehydrogenation, hydrogen separation, and compression into a single, streamlined process. Despite its potential, the operation and monitoring of the reactor pose significant challenges. Effective management of the complex nonlinear interactions between electrical, chemical, and thermal processes is essential to avoid performance degradation and ensure safe operation of this new electrochemical reactor. Our contributions are a first step for addressing these challenges through two key innovations. First, we introduce a control-oriented, and computationally efficient model for a single cell of the electrochemical reactor. Second, we leverage this model to develop a soft sensor based on observer theory, that uses real-time measurements to estimate the hydrogen mass fraction and the partial pressures of hydrogen at both sides of the ceramic membrane and the membrane area specific resistance.