Hydrogen Compressor Technology Review

Hydrogen Compressor Technology Review

The emergence of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier unavoidably leads to the need for efficient compressors in order to facilitate the production and transportation of this fuel. This article presents a review on state of the art of compression technologies for stationary and automotive applications utilizing hydrogen as a fuel, emphasizing both mechanical and non-mechanical types. Furthermore, this review analyses the level of performances potentially achievable for each single technology, highlighting benefits as well as drawbacks.

Classical mechanical compressors use huge amounts of electricity to compress hydrogen gas: a typical piston compressor consumes up to 200 kW/h, which results in a CO2 equivalent emission amounting to around 5 g/kgH2. This large amount of emissions can be substantially reduced by the development of new technologies for adiabatic or isothermal hydrogen compression.

Hydrogen Compressor: An Overview of Technology and Applications

These technologies include ionic liquid compressors developed by Linde, which avoid risks of oil contamination in hydrogen by using a special ionic liquid as a lubricant and coolant. These compressors are also capable of achieving isothermal efficiency levels of up to 60% at low flow rate.

Adsorption Hydrogen Compressors are also currently popular because they require less pressure for storage and enhance safety by preventing the release of hydrogen molecules during compression. They use porous materials such as zeolites, carbonaceous material (e.g. activated carbons or carbon nanotubes), or metal-organic frameworks to store hydrogen by weak Van der Waals interactions. These systems are powered by heat from waste industrial processes or renewable-based electricity and offer a lower cost than mechanical compressors.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *