Hydrogen as a Solution to the Crises

Even a year ago, hydrogen was the saving element in the decarbonization of industry and transport. Since then, an energy crisis has emerged alongside the climate crisis, which could give an additional boost to the development of green hydrogen as an energy carrier. It is not concepts or technical expertise that is lacking, but timely implementation.

Major hydrogen projects have already been announced worldwide, including in Canada, Germany, and Japan. But to produce green hydrogen, renewable energy generation first needs to be expanded. For the most part, offshore wind turbines should provide the green electricity required. To get the most out of wind energy, the blades must have the optimal inclination angle. If the wind is blowing too strongly, the system must be moved into a protective position to prevent an impending overload. Rotary encoders and vibration and acceleration sensors from Pepperl+Fuchs provide these required values. Last but not least, surge protection modules are required to shield control technology and signal transmission against lightning strikes.

The green electricity produced is converted into hydrogen and then transported or temporarily stored until it reaches the respective destination. Hydrogen is transported either by sea in gas tankers, by land in trucks, or, not least, via pipes and pipelines. Transporting hydrogen poses some technical challenges, since its chemical properties make it highly explosive. Pepperl+Fuchs offers an extensive portfolio of connection technology components for explosion protection. A range of interface modules and terminal boxes from the SR series provide safe signal transmission in gas pressure control and measurement systems. 6000 Series purge and pressurization systems are used in devices for hydrogen analysis.

Valves on the pipes and pipelines control the gas flow. F31K2 dual inductive sensors are just one option for ensuring safe valve position feedback in hazardous outdoor areas. The intrinsically safe mobile devices and smart glasses from the Pepperl+Fuchs brand ecom also supply mobile workers and plant operators with important information in real time when carrying out maintenance work on valves.

For the generation and broad industrial use of green hydrogen, the most important thing is the generation of green electricity using renewable energies. As a solution provider in the field of industrial sensors and industry-wide expert in functional safety, Pepperl+Fuchs supplies the right components along the hydrogen value chain.

At a Glance:

• Decarbonization is changing the way energy is produced
• "Green" hydrogen is the future of energy production
• Sensors and explosion-protected components can be used to build safe automated processes