Green hydrogen is increasingly playing a strategic role in the transition to green energy: it has excellent qualities as a fuel, chemical agent and energy and storage carrier and has a high potential for use especially in the most difficult sectors to decarbonise such as heavy industries, the chemical industry, and the transport sector. Because of its characteristics, green hydrogen can play a decisive role in a zero-emission world, in fact, electrification through renewable energies will be the main, as well as the most efficient route to decarbonisation.
Advances in modern technology have led developing countries to consume energy at an alarming rate; in fact, every year our planet’s energy needs are greater than the year before.
High quality standards and a commitment to sustainability make CD Automation the ideal partner to achieve decarbonisation targets without sacrificing performance or reliability.
How can CD Automation contribute to this aim?
Energy Storage is crucial for long-term sustainability. Hydrogen can be stored in large quantities for long periods of time: the energy produced is not lost over time and can be stored on an industrial scale and recovered as a reserve energy source when needed. For example, in processes requiring high temperatures, such as those used in the steel industry, in refineries, or in fertiliser production, stored hydrogen can be used as a raw material for industrial applications. Moreover, today it can be transported through existing pipelines mixed with natural gas, and in the future, with the investments envisaged in the European Hydrogen Strategic Plan, dedicated pipelines will also be built in Italy.
Find out how CD Automation’s portfolio of advanced thermal technologies can help achieve a zero-emission solution for hydrogen fuel production and storage.
- Green hydrogen production:
there are now several electrolysis methods for producing hydrogen, including polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM), alkaline and solid oxide. In all cases, an anode and cathode are separated by an electrolyte that separates hydrogen from oxygen molecules when current passes between the electrodes. Tank heaters and heat tracing products are the ideal solution for maintaining the temperature of auxiliary processes such as frost protection of demineralised water tanks, KOH and NaOH preheating and temperature management of piping systems. - Blue hydrogen production:
blue hydrogen production involves splitting hydrogen from natural gas by steam reforming or Auto Thermal Reforming. Although this process produces CO2 as a by-product, the CO2 is captured and stored, unlike the production of grey hydrogen where it is released. Heat is required in methane reforming reactors as a way of providing uniform heat distribution to the catalyst bed that breaks down methane into pure hydrogen and carbon-based emissions. In order to eliminate additional emissions from fuel-powered systems, electric heaters are a clean, zero-emission alternative to blue hydrogen generation. - Hydrogen storage and treatment
while some hydrogen generating facilities use the energy source locally, most require storage for transport or grid power when demand is needed. A few storage methods exist, ranging from small-scale compression tanks to large-scale underground salt caverns. Regardless of the storage method, the extraction of hydrogen from storage typically involves depressurisation, which can pose many problems for piping and valve systems due to the significant drop in temperature. There are many solutions to combat the effects of depressurisation, including in-line auxiliary heaters, heat tracing or localised component heaters. Depending on the end use of the hydrogen fuel, the gas may require treatment to vaporise condensate or other contents that would otherwise saturate the hydrogen stream. Using process heaters designed for the specific application and process requirements to ensure optimal gas quality for conventional and new-generation turbines.
Storing hydrogen, how to do it
Hydrogen can be stored and transported as:
- liquid at low temperature and at atmospheric pressure: storage of liquid hydrogen requires cryogenic temperatures. Liquid hydrogen has a higher energy density than gaseous hydrogen, so getting it to the required temperatures can be very expensive. In addition, storage tanks and facilities for storing cryogenic liquid hydrogen must be insulated to prevent evaporation in the case that heat is carried into the liquid hydrogen due to conduction, convection, or radiation.
- in the form of chemicals where hydrogen is bound in a stable but reversible manner. Here, hydrogen can be stored using materials. There are three types of materials for storing hydrogen: those that use adsorption to store hydrogen on the surface of the material, those that use absorption to store hydrogen within the material. The third way is hydride storage, which uses a combination of solid and liquid materials.
- high-pressure gas, in which case storage requires the use of high-pressure tanks.
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