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, alongside and . is often spoken of as a green , its 10MW PEM facility, designed Its presence is perhaps at its most application for power-hungry heating to produce 1,300 tonnes of Hydrogen – industrial or fuel? sophisticated level in the US, where Air would be a stretch for the renewables per year is planned to come on-stream Products operates the 960km-long Gulf sector in the short-term. at Shell’s Rheinland refinery, the largest Two hundred years of hydrogen, from Coast hydrogen pipeline which can supply These are the drivers behind the H21 in Germany, in 2020. The refinery a total of 1.5 million Nm3 per hour of Leeds City Gate project in the north of requires approximately 180,000 tonnes of hydrogen to companies along the Gulf which aims to use hydrogen hydrogen per year for processes such as town gas to decarbonised energy Coast in Texas and Louisiana. as a heating fuel in the future energy the production of low sulfur . By Stephen B. Harrison It is common to refer to ‘captive’ mix. The project plans to take natural Hydrogen demand on refineries is production when referring to gases that gas from the North Sea and convert anticipated to take another step up in the ur sun creates energy through thousands of kilometres to markets in the beginnings of the modern industrial might be produced by an industrial gases that to hydrogen using next few years, as marine bunker fuel join the fusion reaction of hydrogen Europe. The more recent emergence of gases are much more recent company, but are produced by the end- reformers. produced in diesel, gasoline and aviation kerosene in to form : that’s been liquefied (LNG) production, and can be traced to 1902 when Carl user themselves, for example a steel works the process will be captured and stored the list of low-sulfur fuels. To comply going on for millions of years. predominantly from sources in Australia, von Linde built the first cryogenic that owns and operates its own ASU for in underground caverns to avoid its with the latest MARPOL Annex VI OHere on earth, the use of hydrogen as Qatar and the US has enabled Asian plant with the intent to oxygen production. If we were to include release to the atmosphere. The hydrogen regulations, ship operators may choose to an energy source commenced 227 years consumers to benefit from natural gas produce oxygen. the vast quantities of ‘captive’ hydrogen can then be distributed in gas pipelines, burn fuel oil with 0.5% sulfur content, a ago when William Murdoch lit his house and has led to a further ramp down in the Approximately 30 years later, industrial production on refineries, fertiliser and like the current method of natural gas big reduction from historic levels of 3.5%. and office in , from use of town gas as a fuel worldwide. scale commenced chemicals plants, then hydrogen would distribution. Hydrogen as a transportation fuel town gas – a of hydrogen, carbon Combustion of natural gas is seen as using steam methane reformers. At this undoubtedly become the most significant De-carbonised Hydrogen production Much attention is currently being given monoxide and carbon dioxide – which a cleaner alternative to coal for electrical time, commercial hydrogen production industrial gas worldwide today. One might speculate that in the future to ‘electro-mobility’ and the need for he produced in a small retort in his back power generation. It is, however, a fossil was associated with the chemicals the hydrogen to be injected into the zero emissions transportation in urban yard. Over the next century, gas works fuel and creates carbon dioxide emissions industry with names such as ICI and Hydrogen as a heating fuel distribution grid could be produced centres. At present, electrically-powered and gas distribution pipelines were built which contribute to global warming. So, BASF owning many early . The The UK invested heavily in natural gas by renewable , such as cars with energy storage in lithium-ion across the UK to keep the country warm the next energy transition will be the was closely linked to distribution infrastructure to exploit using solar power batteries are the dominant form of electro- and well lit. search for decarbonisation and this is and fertilisers production. the benefits of North Sea gas. This has – thus enabling a decarbonised heating mobility. However, the use of hydrogen to The commercialisation of natural the goal that will see a re-emergence of It is only in more recent decades that resulted in the country having a high fuel supply. For this purpose, the use of create electrical power in a fuel-cell is an gas from the North Sea led to a broad hydrogen as a gaseous fuel. tonnage scale hydrogen production has proportion of its heating requirements polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) emerging alternative. Many car-makers decline of town gas production in the become part and parcel of the industrial derived from natural gas. To meet the technology for industrial scale hydrogen now offer hydrogen powered cars and the UK. Natural gas reserves in Russia have Hydrogen as an industrial gas gases sector. From that late start, it is vision of a de-carbonised future, an production is fast becoming a realistic fuelling infrastructure in Europe has now also been exploited in recent decades Despite the advent of hydrogen notable that hydrogen is now firmly alternative heating source must be found. proposition. grown to more than 100 stations. with pipelines transporting the fuel over production, as town gas, 227 years ago, established in the top three industrial Whilst electricity from renewable sources Under the project name ‘Refhyne’ a The hydrogen infrastructure in 40 | gasworld • May 2019 gasworld.com/specialfeatures May 2019 • gasworld | 41 SPECIAL FEATURE – HYDROGEN FUEL WHAINTERNATIONAL,INC. TOMORROW’S ENERGY Germany is at the forefront of this AT HIGH ! development in Europe and a joint venture between , Linde, Daimler, Shell, Total and OMV plans ARE YOUR to develop a nationwide network of 400 hydrogen refuelling stations by 2023. It HYDROGEN is notable that the collaborators here are major energy companies and industrial SYSTEMS gases leaders, in addition to the auto- industry. The hydrogen required in these fuelling stations can either be SAFE? produced in centralised steam methane YOUR reformers and transported to the fuelling station, or generated in-situ through the APPLICATION: electrolysis of water using solar power. So, H FLAMMABLE a decarbonised production route using 2 GAS renewable electrical power is also possible. H2

© Coregas | Coregas-Hyundai 2 Impact across the gases value chain hydrogen filling station. H2 The industrial gas majors are not the only participants in the sustainable mobility “...the nation has gases, companies in the industrial gases DATA-DRIVEN SAFETY. space. Regional players, such as Coregas value chain have a genuine contribution H O in Australia, also have skin in the game tremendous plans to play to make. 2 2 through their supply of compressed The situation is like the application of a role in the hydrogen As the continues to grow, so do hydrogen to the refuelling station at industrial gases cryogenic technology to the risks. Protect your equipment and personnel with Hyundai’s Australian headquarters in New economy. Frankly speaking, LNG; the extension of packaged gases world-renowned safety services from WHA. South Wales. at Coregas, so do we” logistics to the distribution of LPG and Executive General Manager, Alan expertise in pressurised systems being For over 30 years, our engineers have used data- OUR SOLUTION: Watkins comments that, “energy working pressure. Vehicles with Type IV stretched into CNG. driven tools to help clients understand, evaluate, and diversity is a huge topic in Australia. We hydrogen tanks will hence use less fuel to Interestingly, the oil and gas sector with Hydrogen MHZ 400 from Mehrer. mitigate the risks associated with hazardous fluids. are challenging Qatar to be the world’s take drivers further.” related downstream operations number one exporter of LNG and the The drive towards hydrogen is and processing is one High up to 1000 bar nation has tremendous plans to play a broadening the palette of players in of the largest customer segments for Absolutely oil-free compression  Failure Analysis role in the hydrogen economy. Frankly this part of the industrial gas arena. the industrial gases industry alongside and diaphragm speaking, at Coregas, so do we.” Companies such as ThyssenKrupp and . Applications range from Air- and water-cooled compressors Industrial gas manufacturer Siemens are knocking on the door with tonnage oxygen supply for FCC catalyst Plant and process reliability  Hazard Analysis Worthington Industries sees fibre- their large-scale electrolytic hydrogen regeneration and high consumption of Your specifi c system design wrapped, -lined Type IV cylinders production expertise. In the fuelling nitrogen for tank purging and inerting  as one major trend that will continue stations sector, smaller companies such for operational safety. So, collaboration Testing shaping the future of the sector. as Hydrogenics have been able to deepen would clearly be preferred. Fortunately, in “Composite cylinders with a working their involvement and others such as the topic of hydrogen energy, there seem  Technical Training pressure of 700 bar, are becoming the McPhy have emerged on the scene, to be enough niches and the sector is standard in the automotive sector. A car creating tremendous impact in just over a growing in such a dynamic that all has limited space for hydrogen tanks, so, decade of operations. available expertise will be both welcome to compete with other fuel options on and required. gw range, manufactures are using smaller Conflict around the corner? Schedule a free consultation with tanks at higher pressure,” said Gabi With their interests in hydrogen as a one of our experienced engineers. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Zeilerbauer, Worthington Industries transportation fuel, the industrial gases Director of European Sales for Industrial companies are clearly entering a domain Stephen B. Harrison is a consultant at products. that has been home to the energy majors sbh4 GmbH and Principal, Germany 1.575.523.5623 “An additional benefit of Type IV is over recent years. Can we expect conflict? at Nexant E&CA. He was previously weight reduction. Type IV cylinders yield Through their expertise in hydrogen global head of Specialty Gases & wha-international.com a 60% weight reduction over Type I steel production and core competencies related Equipment at Linde Gases. cylinders with the same volume and to handling high pressure compressed 42 | gasworld • May 2019 gasworld.com/specialfeatures May 2019 • gasworld | 43

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