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In the last few years, since the investments have started increasing dramatically in the hydrogen space, the vast majority of the industry has been focused on addressing the production challenge. With over 1046 (clean) hydrogen projects, 38 million tons of annual production capacity projected by 2030, fast-improving electrolysis efficiency and decreasing costs, the green hydrogen production industry is not there yet, but it is on-track. The next challenges for hydrogen are storage and transportation.

Innovative technologies that optimize energy efficiency will play a critical role in reducing the energy demand of numerous applications, thereby lowering the overall projected demand and meeting the Paris climate goals. One forward-looking example is the use of industrial waste heat generated during the production of green hydrogen and fed directly back into the manufacturing process.

With our BUTTING Group products, we have long been a contributor to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. BUTTING CryoTech offers impressive evidence of this by supporting the increased use of renewable energies.

Hydrogen storage is critical to facilitate the scale-up of the hydrogen industry in its contribution to the decarbonisation of society over the coming decades. The lined rock shaft storage technology being developed by Gravitricity, known as H₂ FlexiStore, meets a critical need for medium storage volumes that alternative methods cannot viably provide, while offering significant benefits in terms of safety, cost, and geographical flexibility.

To help achieve the targets set out in the Dutch climate agreement, Gasunie has been assigned by the Dutch government to develop a hydrogen network by 2030, connecting large hydrogen production facilities nationwide – including 4 to 8 GW of electrolyser capacity – with industrial clusters, storage facilities and neighbouring countries. This high-capacity hydrogen network has a length of approximately 1,200 km, of which 80% consists of repurposed natural gas pipelines with an average diameter of 36 inches. In the German part of the Gasunie network, the HyPerLink project realises a 660 km hydrogen network using a similar approach. The HyWay27 study has shown that existing pipelines can be repurposed at minimal cost compared to the development of new pipelines.

Alkaline electrolyzers operate within a temperature range of 80–90°C, with a design temperature typically closer to 120°C. The widely used standard stainless steel 304L can provide satisfactory service life in caustic environments such as the pulp and paper industry. However, in the case of alkaline electrolyzers, it is necessary to eliminate or minimize corrosion to keep the systems clean and ensure a long service life with minimal maintenance and part replacement. In strongly caustic solutions, chromium is the key element in stainless steel to resist corrosion. Duplex grades are generally higher alloyed in chromium than austenitic grades and have proven to perform very well in caustic service at high temperatures. This makes them suitable materials for alkaline electrolyzers, especially in heat exchangers and piping that are not exposed to high-pressure hydrogen gas.

Scaling up hydrogen electrolysers is critical to enabling the global production of competitively priced green hydrogen. Recent metrics have shown varying signals as to whether the supply chain has the capacity to ramp up electrolyser manufacturing to meet the expected demand towards economies of scale. Mott MacDonald’s hydrogen specialists in the Asia-Pacific region share their insights into some of the challenges currently impacting the hydrogen industry and expected solutions based on analysis and lessons learned from recent hydrogen projects.

A sustainable hydrogen economy can only succeed through safe and affordable storage, transport, and distribution of hydrogen. For this purpose, several technologies are available such as gaseous hydrogen (GH₂), liquid hydrogen (LH₂), ammonia, liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), and pipelines – each with their respective advantages, disadvantages, and areas of application. Compared to other storage and transport solutions, the LOHC technology based on benzyl toluene offers promising synergies for industrial off-takers and has huge benefits in terms of safety and handling.

As hydrogen becomes more prominent in the portfolio of technologies for reducing carbon emissions, more attention has been directed towards its safe transport, storage, and end use. Most hazard scenarios involve the unintended release of hydrogen, which can result from improper design, assembly, or operation of hydrogen containment systems. One important aspect of design is the selection of materials, particularly those comprising the pressure boundaries of hydrogen containment components. From the perspective of unintended hydrogen release, materials selection is focused on two particular concerns related to hydrogen ingress: 1) hydrogen permeation rates in materials, which dictate the leak rates through pressure boundaries, and 2) the potential for hydrogen to degrade the mechanical properties of materials, which can lead to failure of pressure boundaries and sudden release of hydrogen. This article focuses on the second concern, and more specifically on the hydrogen-induced degradation of metals. In gaseous hydrogen environments at near-ambient temperatures, failure resulting from hydrogen-induced degradation of metals is typically referred to as ‘hydrogen embrittlement’.