Air Liquide commissions world’s largest hydrogen storage facility
Air Liquide has recently commissioned the largest hydrogen storage facility in the world, an underground cavern in Beaumont, Texas, in the Gulf Coast region of the US.
This hydrogen storage cavern complements Air Liquide’s supply capabilities along the Gulf Coast, offering flexibility and hydrogen supply solutions to customers via Air Liquide’s Gulf Coast Pipeline System.
The underground storage cavern is 1,500 m deep and nearly 70 m in diameter. The facility is capable of holding enough hydrogen to back up a large-scale steam methane reformer (SMR) unit for 30 days. Hydrogen is typically reformed from natural gas, since it is present in very small quantity in the air. As such, it is of great benefit to have a large, interconnected storage solution to optimize supply to customers reliably and efficiently. Hydrogen is used in the refining process to desulfurize fuels and in a number of other industrial and manufacturing processes.
This new hydrogen cavern follows the commissioning of Air Liquide’s first pure helium storage facility in Germany in July 2016. These initiatives illustrate Air Liquide’s technologies and engineering capabilities to provide a reliable supply chain.
“Air Liquide’s investment in the world’s largest hydrogen storage cavern is supported by the strength of the refining and petrochemicals markets along the US Gulf Coast and the rising demand for hydrogen,” Michael Graff, Member of the Air Liquide Group’s Executive Committee and Executive Vice-President for the Americas, said. “This unique facility positions us to deliver even greater value to customers through innovative solutions.”
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