Eric M. Rud, Eaton, USA, explains why reliable lube oil filtration is an important consideration in the production of hydrogen at very low temperatures, and details a project that the company completed under sub-zero conditions.
H
ydrogen is fundamental to a global sustainable economy, as it is an environmentally-friendly, mobile energy source that can be stored, and is carbon neutral when used in manufacturing. When utilised as a fuel, its only combustion product is water. Beyond vehicles, many energy-intensive industries such as steelmaking can benefit from a combustion process that is free of carbon-containing pollutants.
Hydrogen also plays an important role in fertilizer production for farming. In the Haber-Bosch process, hydrogen and nitrogen form ammonia, which is the basis for a number of different fertilizers. Increasingly, hydrogen production is carried out at large-scale across the world to support the growing demand for fuel cells, transportation fuels, and a ready supply of gas that is critical to petroleum refining, food processing, metal treatment, and other industrial processes.
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