Pure Energy Centre - Hydrogen Fueling Stations and Dispensers
From Hydrogen Products
The Pure Energy Centre is dedicated to pioneering the design and development of high-pressure hydrogen filling stations and dispensers, ranging from 350 to 700 bar for maximum safety. Our journey began in 2005 and has led us to establish a cutting-edge 700 bar 24/7 hydrogen dispensing facility today. With a proven track record, we have garnered expertise in every aspect of hydrogen alternative fuel, encompassing production, compression, storage, and dispensing. Our commitment is to provide customized solutions tailored to the unique hydrogen dispensing needs of each end user. Our filling stations are purpose-built and meticulously tailored to your specific requirements, featuring state-of-the-art safety and operational innovations. Every aspect of our design and manufacturing adheres to the standard functionality of a gasoline dispenser.
Product Details
We offer a wide variety of hydrogen dispensers that allows you to fill different types of vehicles including cars, forklifts, trucks, buses, boats, bikes, motorcycles, tractors and many other special types of vehicles. At our state-of-the-art facilities, we can manufacture, supply and deploy hydrogen fueling stations in different configurations, all of which can be installed on your hydrogen hyways.
We have different cabinet size solutions, single or dual hose units, all with specialised internal sequencing systems associated with innovative control and management systems. Safety is very important to us and our team of hydrogen experts custom build each dispenser to maximise safety and to ensure they are manufactured to the appropriate level of details.
We deploy and operate fast and slow hydrogen fueling stations with the aim is to accompany you in delivering zero-emission vehicles. We can supply a wide range of dispensing pressures including 50 bar, 100 bar, 175 bar, 200 bar, 350 bar and 700 bar. Other configurations are also possible.
Our Hydrogen Station Specifications
- Fill pressures: 250/350/700 barg at 20ºC which equates to 3,600/5,000/10,000 psig at 70ºF
- Operating temperature of the dispenser: -40ºC to +5OºC
- Accuracy: +/- 1%
- Electrical supply: 120/240 VAC, 50/60Hz
What are the advantages of hydrogen fueling stations?
There are many advantages to having a hydrogen refueling station. Some of these advantages are summarised below:
- It is possible to produce zero emissions H2 fuel from production to fueling.
- If you buy a hydrogen gas station, and you use it in conjunction with renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power, then you’ll end up with running your fleet of vehicles with no carbon footprint.
- By producing your own fuel locally and on demand, you’ll clearly develop energy security and independence from any form of imported hydrocarbon fuel.
- Having locally produced hydrogen allows you to decide on its purity, meaning that if a fuel cell vehicle needs high-grade H2 gas, then you can just produce it at your site and fuel your vehicles without having to get specialised costly delivery.
What is the price of a Hydrogen fuelling station?
There is no right or wrong answer to defining a hydrogen fuel station cost. This is better explained by using an analogy to asking how much does a car cost. In this case, it all depends on whether you are buying a small car or a big car.
But it also depends on what options you want to add and select such as you may want a big engine, a really nice radio, a large screen, a fridge, and many other options. This also depends on the manufacturer. This is exactly the same for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles stations.
In the case of an H2 station, the prices do fluctuate between £50,000 to £120,000 (and sometimes a little more). Note that this is only the price for the dispenser – that is the device that dispenses the hydrogen into the vehicles. This price does not include the hydrogen production system (i.e, electrolyzer), the storage system, the compression, and the cooling.
The price will be higher for complex hydrogen fueling station with the complete system including the cooling and communication.
What do I need to consider before buying a hydrogen charging station?
There are many different things that you need to consider before buying a ‘hydrogen charging station’ (like some calls it). Below are some of the most prominent points which will be further described.
- Types: Passive valve station or active booster station hydrogen fueling station.
- Proven track record: Has the manufacturer has installed these hydrogen filling stations in Europe, Oregon, UK, California or at many other locations around the world.
- Maintenance: Do the manufacturer offers maintenance contracts and are these available in long term such as 5 years etc.
- Monitoring: Can you get your Hydrogen fueling station remotely monitored. This is usually optional, but best to have it. You may decide to save a couple of pennies on not buying this option, but it is usually best to have it.
- Installation: Do you want your hydrogen pump station packaged for easy installation or you prefer to have a local integration. Nowadays most people prefer to buy stations that are easy to install and therefore choose to buy a containerised solution that we call at the Pure Energy Centre the Hypod.
- Quality assurance: Do you need specialised marking such as CE marked. There are many standards available and deviating from the one the manufacturer is used to offer can lead to more costs. The Pure Energy Centre offers many different types of standard options.
Why do I need a Hydrogen Filling Station?
If you have a fleet of vehicles, buses, forklifts, tractors, motorbikes or you have a hydrogen internal combustion engine converted vehicle, you need a hydrogen filling station (also called a Hydrogen Dispenser or simply hydrogen station).
The aim is to be able to fill vehicles with hydrogen fuel safely. The objective is also to fill a vehicle in less than 5 or 10 minutes. The lower the hydrogen filling time (meaning fast filling), the more expensive is the hydrogen fuel station(s).
However, there are people who only have one vehicle. In this particular case, you do not really need fast filling. As such filling of 1 hour or more is sometimes acceptable to the end user.
The Pure Energy Centre has designed and developed both types of stations and therefore is in the unique position to advise what is best for your application. Click here to contact us.
What types of hydrogen refilling stations are available?
There are many types of hydrogen fuel stations that can be built and installed. The main types are as follows:
- 350 bar
- 700 bar
- Other hydrogen dispensing pressures.
The 350 and 700 bar stations are the most prominent types of hydrogen fuel dispensers. However, there are other types of hydrogen gas dispensers. The main difference between the 350 / 700 bar and the other hydrogen fueller is found in the dispensing pressure.
In 99% of the time, you’ll find people discharging hydrogen into a vehicle at 350 and 700 bar. However, there are hydrogen storage technologies that are only able to store hydrogen at ‘low pressure’ such as metal hydride storage. There are also some other storage technologies that can store hydrogen at 50, 175, 200 and 300 bar.
When using these ‘lower’ pressure storage technologies, there is a need for a lower pressure hydrogen dispensing unit.
The Pure Energy Centre is able to provide solutions for these particular cases with safe gas dispenser hydrogen.
What is a 350 bar hydrogen fill station?
A 350 bar fill station is simply a station that fills up a hydrogen vehicle with H2 fuel compressed at 350 bar pressure.
In essence, such station first needs a source of hydrogen. This can be produced onsite or delivered via trailers. If you need a source of hydrogen to be produced onsite, the Pure Energy Centre can provide you with hydrogen electrolyzers from small to large scale.
Now that you have your source of hydrogen fuel defined, you can start thinking about the station. The next question you need to ask yourselves is the following:
Do I need fast filling or slow hydrogen filling?
To put this into context, if you need to fill several vehicles in a row, then it is best to have a fast filling solution. If you only have one vehicle, then you only need a slow filling dispensing unit. There are cost, design and installation implications for both filling solutions.
Usually, the faster the filling, the higher the cost of the station.
350 bar hydrogen dispenser fast filling
In this case, you want to dispense hydrogen gas quickly within a constraint storage bottle that is installed in a vehicle. For this, and to dispense at 350 bar pressure, you would first need to store the hydrogen at a higher pressure than 350bar.
In essence, you need to get a compressor and pressurize the hydrogen to a pressure that is 450 or 500 bar high. To do so, you need to have a bank of a storage system that is static. In other words, you need a set of stationary hydrogen bottles or tanks that are installed at your site. The tanks must be able to handle the high pressure.
Note that you can pressurize hydrogen at an even higher pressure than 450 bar if you want. But the 450 and 500 bar are what the industry use the most. The important point is that hydrogen must be stored at a higher pressure than the pressure used in the car or vehicle.
Like this, when you have 450 bar pressure, you can release the hydrogen in the car storage system until it reaches the wanted end pressure, that is 350 bar. This is where the dispenser comes into play.
How does a 350 bar fast filling hydrogen station work?
As you have the hydrogen stored at a higher pressure (i.e., 450 bar or other), you can use the hydrogen service station to dispense safely the gas into the vehicles.
In a rapid filling station, a complex set of valves, pipes and control system comes into play. The valves are either open or close and the pipes are run in a way that hydrogen is safely delivered to the vehicle. In addition, there is a complex safety system that shuts down the dispenser in case there is a safety issue.
A good example is when it is warm and that hydrogen has been stored south facing. In this case, the sun will make the hydrogen gas temperature rise. So, when you’ll dispense hydrogen into your vehicle, the gas temperature will continue to rise.
At a given threshold set within the control system, the dispenser will stop dispensing the gas and you’ll be locked out. This is a safety feature to protect you and your equipment (the car).
Note that the dispenser must comply with the latest SAE J2601 fueling protocols. The Pure Energy Center hydrogen dispensers comply with this standard specifically developed for vehicles.
An example of a fast filling hydrogen dispenser design is shown on the below picture. It is the device that has the H2-Fuel Dispenser sticker on it on the left-hand side of the picture.
350 bar hydrogen dispenser slow filling
There are many different ways of developing a slow filling station. The simplest way is to get a compressor connected to a hydrogen filling hose. A hydrogen hose must be flexible.
Before connecting the compressor to the hose you need to ensure that there is a safety system in place with a venting gas unit. The gas that is being produced locally is directly pressurised into a vehicle at the speed of the compressor.
The higher the compressor flow, the faster is the refilling. In turn, the slower the flow is, the longer it will take to fill the vehicle. There are other alternatives to the above methods, such as when tube trailers are being used.
If you have any particular case for filling vehicles, such as the use of salt caverns for storing the hydrogen, do not hesitate to contact the Pure Energy Centre Team of experts at +44 (0) 1957 711 410.
Alternatively, you can fill the form by clicking here.
What is a 700 bar hydrogen fill station?
A 700 bar hydrogen station consists of a dispenser that allows to fill up a hydrogen vehicle with H2 fuel compressed at 700 bar pressure.
As per the 350 bar, you would need a source of hydrogen and a means to store it as well as pressure it. If you have all of these, you need to answer the following question:
Do you need 700 bar fast filling or slow hydrogen filling?
Again, if you have a fleet of vehicles, then it is best to have a 700 bar fast filling solution. If you only have one vehicle, you can go ahead with a slow filling dispensing unit. What you need to remember is that there are costs, design and installation implications that differentiate both filling solutions.
As per the 350 bar system, the faster the filling, the higher the cost of the station. In this case, the cost involves cooling hydrogen so that you can safely fill the vehicles. And cooling hydrogen is not cheap as you need a specialised cooling system in place that can extract the heat from hydrogen gas fast and safely.
700 bar hydrogen dispenser fast filling
In this case, you again want to store the produced hydrogen at a higher pressure than the one stored in the vehicle. Say that hydrogen in the vehicle will be 700 bar, the current industry accepted storage for these applications is to pressurise hydrogen to 900 bar and store it in a stationary system.
To do so, you’ll need to get a compressor. Now that you have stored the hydrogen at 900, you can start dispensing it into the vehicle tank.
How does a 700 bar fast filling hydrogen station work?
Usually, you have three sets of hydrogen storage tanks that are separated by a complex valve system. The dispensing starts by opening the first storage tank and the gas that is inside that tank is released into the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.
The hydrogen will equalise between the vehicle tank the stationary one. When this is done, the first storage tank is closed. The second one is now opened and the process is repeated.
When equalisation is reached, the second storage tank valve is closed and the third one is opened. Again, when there is equalisation between the vehicle tank and the third stationary tank, the refuelling process is complete. The third tank valve is closed and the end user can remove the hose safely from the hydrogen vehicle and go away from the station.
However, though the above seems simple, there is a fairly complex safety system that monitors the system parameters and allows the filling to take place in a safe way. The safety system has to manage all of the valves, the temperature of the gas, the flow of the hydrogen, the ambient temperature, but also the operation of the cooling system.
In essence, at 700 bar pressure, and when hydrogen is being dispensed, the gas starts to heat up. This heating up process gets worse as pipes in the car are small in diameter. As such a specialised cooling system is used to ensure that the hydrogen is cooled at -400C and at times at up to -600C.
It is this complexity that makes hydrogen filling station price high.
700 bar hydrogen dispenser slow filling
There are many different ways of developing a 700 bar slow filling station. As per the 350 bar station, the simplest way is to get a compressor connected to a hydrogen filling hose and starts filling a vehicle. Yet again, the higher the compressor flow, the faster is the refilling.
There are other alternatives to the above methods with tube trailers, salt cavern, etc.
If you have any particular case for filling vehicles, such as the use of salt caverns for storing the hydrogen, do not hesitate to contact the Pure Energy Centre Team of experts at +44 (0) 1957 711 410.
Alternatively, you can fill the form by clicking here.
What does the Pure Energy Centre Do?
The Pure Energy Centre designs and manufactures hydrogen filling stations at both 350 and 700 bar (but also at other pressures). In essence, we supply different types of hydrogen fuelling stations with different output pressures.
We have dual hose solutions. In a dual hose solution, two hoses are connected to a dispenser, allowing two vehicles to be filled at the same time. We also offer hybrid solutions, where with a single station you can fill 350 bar vehicles but also 700 bar ones.
In addition, we can supply single hose hydrogen fueling stations with varying output delivery flow depending on the application such as buses (say 20kg a minute and higher or lower if need be). The pressure we can operate is up to 700 bars hydrogen filling while we can compress hydrogen and store it at 900 bar.
For this high pressure and if you need fast refilling, we provide cooling solutions tailored to your application. Note that we offer a standard 350 bar hydrogen fueling station but also a 200 bar option. Also, note that we can provide different filling pressure for hydrogen bottles such as the MCP storage system or tube type trailers. Do not hesitate to contact us for a quotation.
The Pure Energy Centre has designed and built many hydrogen fueling stations. These hydrogen stations are able to fuel 700 bar (70 MPa) fuel cell vehicles and comply with the recognized SAE J2601 fueling protocols.
We can supply communication-based hydrogen fueling with -40˚C pre-cooling to maximize safety. We have an optional containerized assembly for ease of transport and shipment. With this containerized solution, you are able to relocate your fueling station in no time.
Our offer also includes a modular solution, where further hydrogen fueling stations can be added as and when the project needs.
Pure Energy Centre hydrogen fueling station features
- Maximum working pressure 700bar
- Hose outlet mounted on the top of the cabinet to minimizing hose wear but can be relocated depending on applications
- Hydrogen fueling station control system with temperature compensation, to control filling pressure & sequencing valves
- Available in cascading or dispensing mode hydrogen fueling pressures, including heat of compression compensation
- Electronic computer for sale, volume, and unit price if required
- Inlet valves are pneumatically actuated (design may change and vary based on the application)
- Valves are spring loaded to close if power is removed from the dispenser
- MODBUS or other communication protocols available for remote monitoring requirements. Note any new design will be charged.
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