What are the core equipment and main application scenarios of the hydrogen energy industry?

What are the core equipment and main application scenarios of the hydrogen energy industry?

Hydrogen energy has several core advantages: eco-friendliness, high efficiency, diverse storage and transportation methods, and a wide range of application scenarios. The hydrogen energy industry chain includes hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and transportation, and hydrogen refueling stations. The chemical industry is the main application scenario of hydrogen energy.

1.Hydrogen production: Electrolyzer is the core equipment for green hydrogen production.

Green hydrogen is hydrogen energy produced by electrolyzing water from renewable energy sources such as photovoltaics and wind power. Green hydrogen basically does not produce greenhouse gases during the hydrogen production process. It is the most ideal form of hydrogen energy utilization.

The main methods of hydrogen production include hydrogen production from fossil fuels, hydrogen production from industrial by-products, and hydrogen production from electrolyzed water.

Alkaline water electrolysis for hydrogen production is the most mature and lowest-cost technical route for water electrolysis for hydrogen production. The electrolyzer is the core equipment and value center for alkaline water electrolysis for hydrogen production. At present, there are three main technical routes for hydrogen production by electrolyzing water: alkaline electrolysis (AWE), proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis and solid oxide electrolysis (SOEC) electrolysis.

2.Hydrogen storage, transportation and hydrogen refueling stations
In the development process of the hydrogen energy industry, hydrogen storage and transportation are the key bridge connecting the hydrogen production end and the demand end. Therefore, efficient and low-cost hydrogen storage and transportation technology is a necessary guarantee for large-scale hydrogen use. According to the storage state of hydrogen, storage and transportation methods can be divided into gaseous storage and transportation, low-temperature liquid storage and transportation, organic liquid storage and transportation, and solid-state storage and transportation.

High-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage technology has high maturity and low cost, and is the main hydrogen storage method in my country at this stage. According to the application fields, gaseous hydrogen storage bottles include hydrogen storage bottle sets for hydrogenation stations and vehicle-mounted hydrogen storage bottles.

A hydrogen refueling station is a specialized place for filling hydrogen fuel for fuel cell vehicles. Compressors, hydrogen storage bottles, and hydrogenation machines are the three core equipment of the hydrogen refueling station.

3.Chemical industry is the main application field of hydrogen energy
Hydrogen is an important raw material in synthetic ammonia, synthetic methanol, petroleum refining and coal chemical industries, and a small amount of by-product gas is used as industrial fuel that is recycled to support combustion. At present, industrial hydrogen mainly relies on fossil energy production, and there is huge potential for alternative applications through low-carbon clean hydrogen in the future.