Hydrogen compressors play a crucial role in various industries, especially in the emerging hydrogen energy sector. They are essential equipment for compressing hydrogen gas to meet the requirements of different applications, such as hydrogen storage, transportation, and utilization in fuel cells.
Reciprocating Hydrogen Compressor: It works similar to a common reciprocating compressor. The driver rotates the crankshaft through a coupling. The connecting rod and cross - head convert the rotary motion of the crankshaft into the reciprocating motion of the piston. As the piston moves back and forth in the cylinder, the volume of the cylinder changes. When the piston moves to increase the volume, hydrogen gas is sucked into the cylinder. Then, when the piston moves to reduce the volume, the gas is compressed, increasing its pressure.
Diaphragm Hydrogen Compressor: The motor drives the crankshaft - connecting rod mechanism to make the piston move in the cylinder. The piston drives the diaphragm to deform. The deformation of the diaphragm changes the volume of the gas chamber, thereby sucking in and compressing hydrogen gas. The diaphragm isolates the gas from the lubricating oil and other components, ensuring the purity of the hydrogen.
Reciprocating Hydrogen Compressor:
High Pressure Ratio: It can achieve a relatively high pressure ratio in a single - stage compression, which is suitable for applications requiring high - pressure hydrogen, such as hydrogen refueling stations.
Good Compression Efficiency: It has high - compression efficiency in a certain pressure range, especially for small - and medium - flow applications.
Wide Flow Range: It can cover a wide range of flow rates, from small - scale laboratory applications to medium - scale industrial production. However, the larger the flow rate, the larger the size and weight of the compressor.
Diaphragm Hydrogen Compressor:
Gas Purity Protection: The diaphragm provides a perfect seal, preventing gas leakage and ensuring the high purity of hydrogen, which is crucial for some applications with strict requirements on gas purity, such as in the electronics industry.
Low Maintenance: Since there is no direct contact between the gas and the lubricating oil and other moving parts, the maintenance workload is small, and the service life of the compressor is relatively long.
Suitable for Small - Flow and High - Pressure Applications: It is often used in small - scale hydrogen production and high - pressure hydrogen storage systems, such as in some hydrogen - powered vehicle refueling stations and laboratory - scale hydrogen supply systems.
Hydrogen Refueling Stations: Hydrogen compressors are used to compress hydrogen gas to a high pressure (usually 35MPa or 70MPa) for filling hydrogen - powered vehicles.
Electronics Industry: High - purity hydrogen is required in the electronics industry for applications such as semiconductor manufacturing. Diaphragm hydrogen compressors are often used to ensure the purity of hydrogen.
Energy Storage: With the development of renewable energy, hydrogen is increasingly used as an energy storage medium. Hydrogen compressors are used to compress and store hydrogen for later use in fuel cells or other applications.