During the recent European Hydrogen Congress held in Madrid, we took the opportunity to gauge the potential interest of future hydrogen refueling station operators in a product we expect to start developing in July. This product is a mobile testing bench for HRS, which, among other things, checks the purity of the hydrogen. This bench is designed for hydrogen refueling stations (or hydrostations) powered by electrolysis-produced hydrogen, so the sensors we’ve predefined in the conceptual design are for humidity and oxygen.
During one of the discussions testing the concept, someone asked us, “Aren’t you measuring anything else? I think you should measure this, that, and the other.” This made us stop and think because the person who mentioned it has been in the sector for a long time, so we decided to check the standards. Here are the conclusions we’ve reached:
- As we anticipated, electrolyzers only need to analyze oxygen and humidity, regardless of whether it’s PEM or ALK technology. The presence of other impurities is considered practically impossible (though we’ll add some nuances in a moment).
- In addition to the electrolyzer, the rest of the supply chain must be analyzed (the electrolyzer is just the beginning of the chain). This includes pipes, valves, instruments, tanks, and compressors. It’s crucial to thoroughly study what might be present in these components.
- The commissioning and maintenance of the installation are, in themselves, potential sources of contamination. Therefore, this needs to be studied independently, which might lead to the conclusion that other impurities should be measured.
We hope this post has made you think as it did us. If you need help with your hydrogen project, remember that Lean Hydrogen is a green hydrogen consulting and engineering firm.
Visit our website: https://leanhydrogen.whdev.es or write to us at info@leanhydrogen.whdev.es
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