Hydrogen drives the future

November 2010 Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring

sera equips filling station with metal diaphragm compressors.

Hydrogen is energy with potential. Research has been active in the economic utilisation of regenerative energy carriers especially since climate change has become an issue. sera has been working for several years with this technology and continues to stay in close touch with the market. For example, sera has developed a two-stage compressor plant for a mobile filling station where fuel cell operated forklifts can be refilled.

Safe automated filling

All filling station components are installed in one container with the hydrogen supplied in gas cylinder bundles. The compressor takes the hydrogen from the bundles, compresses it to the operating pressure (currently 350 bar) and fills the station reservoir. (Maximum operating pressure depends on the vehicle specification and compressor design.) The plant is monitored by a memory-programmable control system for optimal safety during automatic filling of vehicles. The functionality and safety of these mobile hydrogen filling stations has been tested and confirmed by the German technical certification agency TÜV Nord.

Compressing without oil and solids

With futuristic hydrogen fuel cell technologies, the potential of the sera metal diaphragm compressors becomes evident; they permit oil and solid-free compression of gases such as hydrogen. The compressors integrated into the safety concept simply and flexibly to ensure trouble-free operation of the plant at all times. The high safety standards required for the compression of gases are regularly confirmed to sera by independent testing agencies.

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