A significant milestone was reached on August 8th when a kilogram-scale heavy water production pilot unit, operated by Shaanxi Hydrogen Yi Dual Energy Technology Co., Ltd., successfully met all experimental parameters at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Industrial Park in Yulin Economic Development Zone.
The successful completion of the full-process validation marks a critical step forward, laying a solid foundation for future ton-scale heavy water production pilot projects. This initiative stands as the first research endeavor to receive dedicated funding support from the "Three Modernizations" Research Institute within the Yulin Economic Development Zone.
Heavy water, an indispensable core strategic material for nuclear fusion applications, has long been subject to foreign technological barriers and industry封锁. Zhang Wenwei, General Manager of Shaanxi Hydrogen Yi Dual Energy, explained that compared to traditional production methods, the company leverages its independently developed PEM and AEM advanced hydrogen production technologies to introduce a novel process of embedding green hydrogen into pure water for heavy water production. This innovative approach involves extracting hydrogen isotopes from green hydrogen under the action of self-developed precious metal catalysts to generate heavy water.
Following the success of the pilot phase, the company plans to further refine the high-end isotope new material research and development system within the zone. Plans include constructing a 1GW electrolyzer production line to locally consume wind and solar power for green hydrogen production, thereby replacing energy-intensive coal-based hydrogen. Leveraging this new process, the company aims to mass-produce reactor-grade high-purity heavy water for applications in radiation nuclear fusion, biomedicine, high-end electronics manufacturing, and other premium sectors.
This initiative is expected to foster deep integration between wind and solar resources, traditional coal chemical industry, and hydrogen energy new materials, ultimately building a distinctive circular industrial ecosystem unique to Yulin. It is understood that Shaanxi Hydrogen Yi Dual Energy is a research-oriented enterprise established in the Yulin Economic Development Zone through a collaboration between Beijing Hydrogen Yi Energy Technology Co., Ltd. and the Shaanxi Dual Energy Applied Technology Research Institute.
The company specializes in two main business segments: the production and assembly of complete PEM and AEM electrolyzer hydrogen generation systems, and kilogram-scale heavy water preparation. They fully possess self-developed technologies spanning the entire chain from catalysts, membrane electrodes, and electrolyzers to complete systems, holding more than 30 core patents. Currently, both the PEM and AEM technology routes have achieved mass production, with products tailored to serve low-carbon transformation in the coal chemical industry, hydrogen metallurgy, and high-purity hydrogen supply for semiconductors.
Comments