What Are Some Industrial Uses of Hydrogen?

Hydrogen is the most plentiful element in the universe and is now becoming a viable fuel source for many applications. Due to its efficiency and low environmental impact, the interest in hydrogen being the "fuel of the future" continues to grow. The many features and benefits to hydrogen make it an ideal choice for many up-and-coming industrial applications. A few of the more common applications are:

1. Fuel Cells
   
   Fuel cells are designed to produce electric current from a chemical reaction and can act as a power supply similar to a lead-acid battery. Hydrogen is used as the fuel supply to the fuel cell due to its high calorific value as well as chemical makeup and electrical conductivity. In addition, since the only byproducts of the process are water vapor and heat, hydrogen is considered to be environmentally friendly. Fuel cells can be used to power material handling equipment, transportation vehicles, and even homes and businesses.

2. Hydrogen Production/Generation
   

   Hydrogen can be produced in several different ways, but natural gas reforming is the most widely used method for producing hydrogen today. Having hydrogen production on-site allows hydrogen supply to be scaled up or down as needed, increasing operational efficiency and eliminating the need to have hydrogen delivered. On-site generation avoids the permitting issues associated with storing large quantities of liquid or gaseous hydrogen and eliminates recurring logistics burden and safety issues from transporting hydrogen.

3. Hydrogen Delivery/Filling Stations
   

   Hydrogen filling systems are similar in function to a gas pump at a gas station. These systems are used to refuel the tanks that supply hydrogen to the fuel cells used in material handling equipment, as well as other fuel cell powered vehicles such as cars and buses. The ability to refuel on-site eliminates the need to charge lead-acid batteries that are traditionally used for electric vehicles. This greatly increases operational efficiency, reduces downtime, and eliminates charging areas to open up valuable floor space in the factory.  

As you can see, hydrogen is used as a fuel process media across many different industries and applications. Used in OEM equipment, pressure sensors play an important role in the safe, efficient, and reliable operation in material handling equipment, power generation, hydrogen production/distribution and many other applications.

When choosing a pressure sensor for a system, the selection of one with compatible wetted material is the most important decision in the process. If an incompatible wetted material is used with hydrogen, a sensor may be prone to hydrogen embrittlement, leading to premature failure in the application.

The wetted material of Setra’s Model AXD is made from 316 stainless steel material and is compatible with hydrogen, making the sensor an ideal pressure sensor option in any of the mentioned applications.