Generating High-Purity, Green Hydrogen

Green hydrogen for hydrogen fueling stations

Hydrogen production through water electrolysis is FEST's business. If the energy used for this process is produced from renewable energies such as wind turbines or photovoltaics, the resulting hydrogen qualifies as green. The production of hydrogen is not the only part of the value chain that the FEST Group has set up with partner companies – their systems cover much wider areas of hydrogen technology. Apart from production, this includes technical solutions for the storage, transportation and usage of hydrogen.

The company has recently acquired several contracts for the construction of hydrogen infrastructure across Europe.

The benefits of PEM electrolysis

PEM, short for proton-exchange membrane, is currently the most advanced water electrolysis technology with high power density. FEST emphasizes that this technology has particularly strong benefits when combined with wind energy. PEM systems can be quickly regulated up or down between 10 and 100 % of rated capacity, allowing them to compensate for load changes in the grid with virtually no loss. In practice, this means that water electrolysis goes from standby to full-load operation in a matter of seconds.

Hydrogen fueling station projects across Europe

In Vienna, a system with an output of 3 MW is under construction. From the fall of 2023, the city buses will be converted to fuel cell-electric drive, fueled with hydrogen produced by electrolysis using FEST technology.

Another system with an output of 3 MW will soon go into operation near the Geiranger Fjord in Norway. FEST provides not only the electrolysis system, but the entire solution from compression to storage and refueling. The system is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2023.

FEST is also set to deliver three additional systems in the 2 to 3 MW power class: two for Germany and one for Sweden.

FEST ensures the highest degree of gas purity

Refueling any type of vehicle requires hydrogen of an accurately defined level of purity. To reach the required purity, a downstream gas processing unit improves the hydrogen coming from the stack. This resulting hydrogen will not damage the fuel cell and is safe for fueling ships and other vehicles.

Double diaphragm pump for effective gas drying

Next to purity, moisture content is one of the critical parameters of hydrogen quality, which is why most applications require hydrogen to be dried.

The adsorption material needs to be regularly regenerated to ensure that the drying is effective at all times. Eliminating the moisture absorbed from the gas preserves the desiccant’s effectiveness. To this purpose, the KNF diaphragm pump works in a closed regeneration cycle.

The gas pump is equipped with a double diaphragm to provide an extra layer of safety should the working diaphragm ever fail. The combination of a safety diaphragm and a working diaphragm prevents gas from escaping in the event of a fracture. The optional diaphragm monitoring system provides information on the status of the working diaphragm. The KNF pump is robust, durable, reliable and has low maintenance requirements.