Proven, efficient hydrogen compressors
Your partner for hydrogen compression solutions
We are a global market leader in hydrogen compression applications with over 2500+ units operating in hydrogen applications, representing over 2,500,000 installed horsepower and over 100 years of compression experience. We can provide you with the optimum equipment solution for your hydrogen process.
Compressors are needed to move and store hydrogen. From the point at which hydrogen is produced to the point where it is consumed, our wide compression portfolio supports many applications across the hydrogen value chain.
This includes: the gathering of green hydrogen from electrolysis; grey and blue hydrogen produced by steam methane or autothermal reformers (SMRs/ATRs); sending hydrogen through pipelines; compressing hydrogen to the pressure levels required for storage caverns/tanks, ammonia production, e-fuels production, vehicle fuelling stations; liquefaction for vessel transport facilities; and feeding it into gas turbines or other downstream and petrochemical processes.
Our portfolio gives you more technology choices for the optimum solution for your project-specific requirements, considering…
- Volume Flow
- Pressure Ratio
- Gas Composition
- CAPEX & OPEX
- Operating range required
- Footprint
The compressor technology doesn’t “care” about the “colour” of the hydrogen and how it is produced, it simply compresses according to the physics of a low mol-weight gas application. Both reciprocating and turbo compressors cover the complete map of low mol-weight applications. With each product having its strengths in overlapping areas, the choice of the product requires both technical as well as economic considerations. For this reason, finding a solution for hydrogen compression is always project-specific and can even combine both products to find the optimal and most efficient solution for the client’s compression needs. In general, our reciprocating compressors apply to applications which have small suction volume flows, high pressure ratios and/or high process flexibility requirements whilst our centrifugal compressors apply to low compression ratio and medium to high volume flow applications.
Compressor Considerations
To help ensure you develop accurate and optimized solutions, there are key considerations which need to be clearly defined when developing your hydrogen compression solution:
- What is the gas composition and is there water in the gas?
- Is the flow provided the dry flow or the wet flow?
- At what pressure is the gas being provided to the compressor?
- At what temperature is the gas being provided to the compressor?
- What cooling mediums are available on site for process gas cooling requirements between compression stages?
- If there is no water on site, what is the site ambient temperature for finfan air coolers?
- What discharge pressure is required?
- What level of lubrication oil carryover is acceptable downstream of compressor?
- What is the operating philosophy and capacity control requirement?
To understand why these are important, watch our green hydrogen compressor story here.
Speak to our Experts
With over 100 years compression experience, serving a vast compression fleet worldwide, we are globally recognised as a leader in hydrogen compression. Discuss your hydrogen compression needs with our hydrogen experts.
References
Linde - Hydrogen pipeline storage, USA Gulf Coast
- 300 mile hydrogen pipeline and underground storage system providing hydrogen to US Gulf Coast end users
- 22 x electric driven non-lubricated hydrogen reciprocating pipeline compressors since 2001
- Enables Linde to meet customers' planned and unplanned peak demands and allows their system to respond instantaneously to changes in customer requirements.
Brazil refinery
- Scope: 1 steam turbine driven Turbo Compressor
- Application: Hydrotreater
- H₂ rich synthesis gas compression for diesel desulfurization with hydrotreater, increased reliability and availability onsite using proven compression technology
Middle East refinery
- Scope: 19 Process Reciprocating Compressors
- Application: Hydrogen Recycling, Hydrogen Makeup
- Advanced and highly efficient compressors increase the economic viability of refinery operations
