CARBOTURA

Technical Assessment Response
Carbotura, Inc. — Confidential under NDA

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Strictly Confidential · Under NDA

Section 3 · Question 2
the counterparty's question
“How do you protect the sensitive PEM fuel cell catalysts from being damaged or poisoned by trace contaminants?”
Response

PEM fuel cell platinum-group-metal (PGM) catalysts are highly sensitive to trace contaminants — sulfur, chlorine, siloxanes, heavy metals. Carbotura's cleanup train is designed with redundant guard-bed depth so that no single failure allows contaminant breakthrough to the PEM stack. Real-time analytical monitoring at multiple stage boundaries provides early-warning detection before catalyst damage occurs.

Engineering Detail

Multi-layer catalyst protection strategy:

  • Redundant guard beds: dual-stage sulfur removal; dual-stage chlorine polish.
  • Siloxane removal: dedicated adsorption stage upstream of PEM feed (siloxanes accumulate on PEM catalyst faster than sulfur; treated with dedicated capacity even where inlet siloxane concentrations are low).
  • Heavy metals: trapped in upstream particulate + sulfur removal (Hg, As, Se predominantly bond to sulfur guard bed and are removed with it during regeneration cycles).
  • Analytical layer: inline gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS) monitoring at 4 stage boundaries, with automated shutdown logic on any threshold breach.
  • CAFI Digital Triplet: every module operates under a live-data multiphysics simulation monitoring 400+ variables in real time; deviation triggers pre-emptive maintenance before catalyst damage occurs.

Catalyst-life targets: PEM stack replacement cycle sized against a design assumption significantly longer than commercially guaranteed periods, with actual replacement driven by the analytical layer, not a fixed calendar.

Section 3 · Question 3
the counterparty's question
“How much of the facility's self-generated power is consumed internally just to run the gas purification and compression systems?”
Response

Gas purification and compression consume a material fraction of the facility's gross generation — this is a fundamental characteristic of hydrogen upgrade technology. The facility remains net-positive on energy after this parasitic load; that is architectural (see Section 1, Q3).

Engineering Detail

Parasitic load breakdown by category (as % of gross generation):

  • Gas purification (multi-stage cleanup): 4–7%
  • Compression (syngas → PEM feed pressure): 6–9%
  • Cooling loops: 2–4%
  • Controls, sensors, analytical instrumentation: 1–2%
  • Preconditioning (Pregenesis™ where applicable): 3–5%
  • Total typical parasitic load: 16–27% of gross generation.

Range reflects feedstock chemistry, cleanup train complexity, and ambient conditions. Facilities designed for warmer ambients (the host jurisdiction's regions) trend toward the upper end of the cooling-loop range.

Beyond this response

Beyond the design-basis engineering disclosed in this Assessment, additional proprietary internals of the ACM engineering model — measured material dielectric properties, dielectric-property library, tuning parameters, specific catalyst formulations beyond generic type names, precise reagent dosing schedules, and other restricted design internals — remain trade secrets of Carbotura, Inc. and are not disclosed at any stage of the counterparty's diligence, term-sheet execution, Cornerstone Round commitment, or subsequent commercial operation. Verification of the disclosed design basis proceeds through independent third-party review under NDA, OEM guarantees, ASI System Integration Testing (SIT), commissioning, continuous emissions monitoring (CEMS), and CAFI Digital Triplet post-COD performance data. Disclosure level here is partner-safe; proprietary internals restricted in the source engineering system are excluded.