École Nationale Supérieure de
Techniques Avancées

Résumé

The X-fuel demonstrator project at Ecole Polytechnique is a power-to-methanol system with an interdisciplinary approach that implicates the production of green methanol from a solar photovoltaic installation feeding several subsystems where processes such as water electrolysis and carbon dioxide extraction via Bipolar Membranes (BPMs) take place. In this first stage of the project a state-of-the-art summary is presented followed by the proposal of a model to simulate the system. This approach allows to gain knowledge on the operation of individual units of the system and performance analysis of proposed configurations for the catalytic reactor. Regarding the preselected configuration, carbon dioxide conversions up to 26% were found with an average methanol production of 497 mL/h. Results in form of a list of specifications for the main modules is provided as well as recommendations for next steps of the project and the implementation of the system.