Pictured: CIMC ENRIC undertook the manufacture of 70 MPa skid-mounted fully integrated hydrogen refueling station equipment
China Times (www.chinatimes.net.cn) reporter Lu Xiaoxiao reported in Beijing
The theme of this Winter Olympics is green, and hydrogen energy shines in the field of clean energy. From the Winter Olympic Games to the Winter Paralympic Games, hydrogen energy is constantly providing green power, hydrogen vehicles, hydrogen torches, hydrogen refueling stations, behind the wonderful moments in the arena, it is indispensable to support the systematic application of hydrogen energy.
Zhong Yingxin, secretary of the board of directors of CIMC ENRIC, said in an interview with the "China Times" reporter that during the entire Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, in addition to hydrogen energy, there are also some green electricity applications such as wind and photovoltaics, and the demonstration effect of clean energy will guide the industry and enhance the public's confidence in clean energy, including hydrogen energy, the entire industrial chain technology will also be greatly improved, and the industry will enter a period of rapid development.
Hydrogen energy industry technology continues to make breakthroughs
The hydrogen energy industry has been able to continue to develop, relying on continuous technological progress. In recent years, the production, storage, transportation, application and other related industrial chain technologies of hydrogen have iterated rapidly, including key supporting technologies such as hydrogen refueling stations and hydrogen storage bottles.
Li Huaien, president of CIMC Hydrogen Energy Research Institute under CIMC ENRIC, told the China Times that from the Ice Cube to the Yanqing Competition Area to the Zhangjiakou Competition Area, CIMC Hydrogen Energy provided more than 30 hydrogen tube bundle containers, more than 10 50MPa hydrogen storage cylinder groups and a set of 70Mpa fully integrated hydrogen refueling station equipment for the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, providing services for the Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics, ensuring the supply of hydrogen such as torches and more than 800 hydrogen fuel vehicles.
High-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage is the main hydrogen storage method at this stage, which has the characteristics of fast hydrogen filling and discharging speed and simple container structure, and is also the mainstream of current technology. The 70 MPa skid-mounted fully integrated hydrogen refueling station equipment, which was put into use for the first time at the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, has achieved a number of technological breakthroughs.
According to reports, the 70 MPa skid-mounted fully integrated hydrogen refueling station equipment is the first multi-functional fully integrated hydrogen refueling device such as gas discharge, pressurization, control and AI intelligent monitoring system in China; it is the first 70Mpa filling system that meets the T40 level in the SAE J2601 refueling protocol, and the integrated efficient and convenient hydrogen refueling device equipped with infrared data communication function; it is the first multi-gas source skid-mounted hydrogenation device that can simultaneously meet the gas supply of 20Mpa and 30Mpa hydrogen trailers; it is the first explosion-proof skid-mounted hydrogen refueling device that completes the whole machine It is the first integrated skid-mounted explosion-proof cold water system, the first integrated skid-mounted safety system and the first application-integrated large-screen skid-mounted device.
Li Huaien said that there were similar hydrogen refueling station equipment sets in China before, but the degree of integration is not high, CIMC Enric this time will be all the functional equipment, including compressors, two sets of explosion-proof refrigeration unit hydrogenation machine control system, safety monitoring system, video surveillance system, are put into the container, structural design and single design is very difficult. 70MPa is equivalent to 700 times the atmospheric pressure, which is very large, and the requirements for the entire system, all components, piping systems, valves and installation and manufacturing processes must be more stringent.
But the project also encountered difficulties in the experimental process, Li Huaien mentioned that the 70 MPa pry-mounted fully integrated hydrogen refueling station equipment needs to be tested for pressure and leakage, in order to ensure safety, the test pressure should reach a maximum of 103 MPa, and to maintain 24 hours, this intensity is very, very large. But there are always leaks during the test, the hydrogen molecule is particularly small, and the leak point is not easy to find. When the problem could not be found, the heart was very anxious, the team from the parts, pipeline segmentation and other aspects of one by one to check, spent a long time, and finally solved the problem.
"The testing process was a great test of care and patience." Li Huaien sighed, "To ensure that the product is foolproof, pressure and leakage test, you need to observe for more than 24 hours continuously, after the leak point is found, you have to observe for another 24 hours, the team once had two days and two nights of continuous rotation, plus the weather was very cold at that time, everyone was really not easy." ”
The commercialization of hydrogen energy will take many hurdles
Hydrogen has special physical properties, clean and low-carbon, high calorific value, flammable and explosive is also its non-negligible characteristics, so the safe application of hydrogen energy is crucial, but also the current hydrogen energy equipment to overcome the technical difficulties.
The 70 MPa skid-mounted fully integrated hydrogen refueling station equipment has done special treatment in terms of explosion protection, Li Huaien introduced, from product design to manufacturing, the entire process, every link, must fully consider safety issues, strict safety measures. Every component in the container is explosion-proof, and some unit components even need to be specially customized with suppliers, and the explosion-proof unit configuration of this equipment is the most advanced in the domestic hydrogen refueling station.
In addition, because the project is configured for the hydrogen refueling station in Zhangjiakou Racing Area, it is necessary to face extremely cold weather conditions outdoors, and the 70 MPa skid-mounted fully integrated hydrogen refueling station equipment has also been designed for low temperature protection. According to reports, most of the materials in the equipment are made of stainless steel, which is more suitable for use in low temperature environments. The parts involved in the liquid inside are all equipped with antifreeze, and if the temperature is low to a certain extent, the automatic control system of the device also enables heating devices and insulation devices. The container itself also has a protective effect, which can ensure the normal operation of the equipment at low temperatures.
Due to high costs and other issues, hydrogen energy has not yet achieved large-scale commercial applications. Li Huaien analyzed that if hydrogen energy is to become a mass energy source, economy, low cost and easy to use are indispensable. From an economic point of view, the hydrogen energy industry needs to first reduce the cost of hydrogen production and equipment. It is believed that after the terminal application reaches a certain scale in the future, the upstream and downstream costs of hydrogen energy will decrease, and the commercialization of hydrogen energy will be higher.
The use of hydrogen energy in the Winter Olympic Games and the Winter Paralympic Games has undoubtedly promoted the development process of the entire hydrogen energy industry. Zhong Yingxin said that the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is a large-scale clean energy demonstration project, and its influence is not only in China, but also in the world. Since it is water after combustion, the use of hydrogen energy does not have any carbon emissions, and is considered to be the most promising secondary energy source in the 21st century. Thanks to its clean and low carbon, high calorific value and high conversion rate are its most important characteristics, hydrogen energy will be one of the main paths for China to achieve carbon neutrality in the future.
To be able to contribute to the Winter Olympics and The Winter Paralympic Games, Li Huaien, who has been in the industry for more than 20 years, is deeply honored, "It is certainly very exciting to participate in the work of the Winter Olympics and the Winter Paralympic Games, and the torch and service vehicles of this sports event have chosen hydrogen energy as energy, showing the country's determination to save energy and reduce emissions, and also proved that we chose the direction of hydrogen energy in that year, which is very gratifying." I hope that in the future, hydrogen energy will account for a considerable proportion of China's energy structure, which can enter thousands of households and make our lives better. ”