Hydrogen Technologies

Hydrogen presents a unique, cross-system opportunity for a fundamental transformation in the energy landscape and is rapidly emerging as a vital alternative energy source for reducing emissions. It can be produced from a wide variety of sources, including water, natural gas, biomass, and even waste. When used in fuel cells or burned, hydrogen produces only water as a by-product, making it a zero-emission energy source. This quality makes hydrogen a critical component in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. Furthermore, hydrogen has a high energy density, allowing it to store large amounts of energy in relatively small volumes, which makes it ideal for reducing carbon footprints and serving as a substitute for fossil fuels.

The transition to a hydrogen-based energy system requires the advancement of hydrogen technologies across the value chain, from production to storage and distribution to utilization. Among these technologies, hydrogen storage and transportation, particularly hydrogen blending and compression, play key roles in fully harnessing the benefits of hydrogen. Blending hydrogen into natural gas pipelines requires an understanding of hydrogen, an awareness of how the blend of hydrogen and natural gas will behave, an assessment of the pipeline infrastructure that will house the blended gas, a review of the compression equipment that will move the blended gas, and even a consideration of how the blended gas will impact domestic infrastructure.

Hydrogen Compression

The impact of hydrogen blending can be theorized from the differences between hydrogen and natural gas as well as requirements for hydrogen compressors in other applications, such as storage or refineries.

Diaphragm, reciprocating, and centrifugal compressors all have their places in the hydrogen realm, but each compressor can outperform the others in specific applications. Diaphragm compressors have the ability to reach high pressures with little to no leakage, and its oil-free design can compress high purity H2, which make it ideal for hydrogen fueling stations or other applications with high purity standards. Reciprocating compressors can compress hydrogen with a few design differences to handle the smaller H2 molecule over a heavier gas. Reciprocating compressors are often used in hydrogen applications in refineries and chemical plants. Centrifugal compressors help in high-capacity hydrogen applications, such as with cryogenic H2, but the low mole weight of H2 can cause sealing concerns and sizing limitations due to the centrifugal inherent design.

At CCPGE, we provide our clients with technologies and insights in hydrogen compression, particularly focusing on the assessment of existing devices and piping for hydrogen blending. Below are some examples of hydrogen compression projects that CCPGE has been involved in: