Featured Articles

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’.

Storage and transportation of hydrogen in liquid state offers several advantages. Liquid hydrogen (LH₂) has a higher density and requires a lower storage pressure compared to gaseous hydrogen. However, hydrogen turns into liquid at -253°C, which brings its own challenges. The very low temperature as well as the risk of flammability make it a challenging medium. Stringent safety measures and reliability are thus a must when designing valves for this application.

The cylinder plays a crucial role in the application of gaseous hydrogen. It is indispensable, regardless of whether it is used for stationary applications, mobile storage during transportation, or at the vehicle level. The search for a product that offers sufficient storage capacity and is constructed in a way that ensures safe handling of hydrogen is an ongoing process.

Water electrolysis (WE) is key to decarbonising hard-to-abate industries such as fertilizers and steel. Four main technologies – alkaline (AWE), proton exchange membrane (PEM), solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC), and anion exchange membrane (AEM) – can be found in the market, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. This article provides a short review of these technologies and analyses their impact on the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH).

Established in 1889, PRUSS is a globally trusted supplier of control valves and actuators for various industrial sectors. Recognising the role of hydrogen in the future energy landscape and leveraging decades of expertise in flow-control solutions for hydrogen service, PRUSS now provides an extensive range of valve products for large-scale systems used in water electrolysis, hydrogen transport, storage, and industrial applications. To learn about the company’s latest projects and developments, we talked to Wilfried Drehmel, CEO of PRUSS.

The inaugural Hydrogen Tech World Expo & Conference is around the corner! Bringing together hydrogen experts from around the globe, this two-day event provides an excellent opportunity to meet with leading equipment and component manufacturers, system developers and service providers from across the hydrogen value chain, as well as to learn from and talk to engineers, system integrators, technology innovators and end users. Join us in Essen on 4 and 5 April!

With more than 25 years of experience in PEM electrolysis and – as a daughter company of MAN Energy Solutions – operating under the umbrella of the German giant Volkswagen, H-TEC SYSTEMS has all it takes to realise its strategic objective to become one of the top three players in the global PEM electrolyser market. As the company prepares to go large scale, we talked to Jonas Wahl, Director of Product Management, to learn more about the company’s current projects and vision for the future.

Two major challenges are hiding behind the investments in green energy production. They arise from the fact that (variable) renewables are often produced at the wrong time and place. Therefore, the development of both storage and transportation capacity is crucial. Sweco shares lessons learned from the first large-scale project developments with VoltH2.