| There are many hurdles involved in a smooth transition towards a hydrogen economy. One of the biggest is possibly “the last mile”. To take off, hydrogen has to be on tap – wherever and whenever drivers need it. Linde has adopted a two-prong strategy to this challenge. On the one hand, it continues its efforts to extend networks of stationary refuelling facilities. On the other, it has developed an innovative mobile refuelling station to serve remote areas or regions that do not yet have stationary facilities.
On the hydrogen trail
One of the first stops on the hydrogen trail may be an innovative mobile supply solution, traiLH2™. Developed by Linde Gas with the support of the state of North-Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) in Germany, traiLH2™ refuels both liquid hydrogen (LH2) and gaseous hydrogen (CGH2). This joint effort underscores NRW’s leading role in the development and distribution of fuel cell and hydrogentechnologies. It also underpins Linde’s position at the forefront of hydrogen-based innovations along the entire value chain, from production to delivery.
Kickoff during 2006 FIFA World Cup™
Trials for this mobile, self-sufficient hydrogen refuelling unit were kicked off during the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. During the competition, traiLH2™ was used to successfully test refuelling procedures for various Hyundai vehicles. In fact, Linde met Hyundai’s entire hydrogen delivery and infrastructure needs during the FIFA World Cup™.
Based on the success of the first field trials and the strong market interest, Linde plans to market the new unit worldwide. It will be used to refuel cars and buses in public service. Deployments for BMW, MAN and specific fairs and events are already lined up. “traiLH2™ is a fully flexible concept capable of providing a refuelling infrastructure for early-stage demonstration across a range of applications. It also has the potential to bring hydrogen to remote, rural locations.
We are confident that this represents an important milestone in the further expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure,” explains Andreas Ziolek, head of the NRW fuel cell and hydrogen network.
Tokyo to Berlin ... Perth to Sacramento
In collaboration with the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP), which is one of the largest European projects devoted to sustainable mobility, Linde Gas continues to expand its network of stationary hydrogen fuelling facilities, which currently includes stations in Japan, Australia and the US.
The most recent landmark was the opening of Berlin’s third refuelling station. The second public hydrogen fuelling station in Berlin, the system is integrated into a new, conventional TOTAL service station. Hydrogen buses and automobiles of various kinds can be fuelled here with LH2 or CGH2. The service station provides a platform for the European hydrogen project HyFLEET:CUTE, which will also be started in Berlin with a fleet of some 14 hydrogen buses.
traiLH2™ is a totally self-contained mobile refuelling unit. Thanks to its integrated fuel cell, which is supplied from the on-board hydrogen, it operates independently of existing power networks – giving drivers the freedom to “fill‘er up” just about anywhere. The hydrogen is stored in the semitrailer in liquid form. Given that LH2 has a higher energy density than CGH2, this increases the energy capacity. |
knowhow 2/2006 complete issue (PDF 2,08 MB)
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