Technology start-up installs ‘flameless’ hydrogen-powered air-heating system at German factory
Source：hydrogeninsight
German technology start-up firm Hyting has successfully commissioned a customer installation of a “flameless” hydrogen-powered air-heating system, which generates heat via a catalytic process in which hydrogen reacts with oxygen from ambient air.
The 10kW system — which Hyting says is the first catalytic hydrogen-powered air-heating system in operation — has been installed at a factory for precision pumps in Offenbach, Germany, and can heat a 1,000-cubic-metre space using hydrogen from a nearby supplier.
The amount of H2 required per kWh of heat has not been revealed, nor has the supplier of the hydrogen. Hydrogen Insight has reached out for clarification.
The unit is based on Hyting’s proprietary technology, which creates heat by reacting hydrogen with oxygen from ambient air, thereby avoiding CO2 or NOx emissions, with the only by-product being water vapour, Hyting said.
“Furthermore, it does not use flammable concentrations of hydrogen at any operating point, making it inherently safe,” the firm added.
Safety concerns around burning hydrogen and the associated risk of explosion have been part of the widespread criticism of hydrogen heating, along with concerns about the maturity and efficiency of the technology and the high running costs.
Just last month, the UK government revealed that hydrogen heating will play only a limited role in the UK, if any, while multiple studies in recent years have discounted widespread use of hydrogen in the heating of buildings due to cost and impracticality.
Hyting said its system will help to cut costs, though, as it will be matched to a heat pump to create a hybrid heating system. This means the hydrogen heating system itself will be used during peak times when electricity costs are at their highest, or in low ambient temperatures.
“By covering peak loads with hydrogen instead of electricity, customers can reduce operating costs from day one,” Hyting said.
“Peak heating for commercial and industrial buildings is a key application for Hyting’s technology because these buildings often face high peak heat demand, limited electrical infrastructure and increasing pressure to decarbonise their energy systems.
“Hydrogen-powered peak heating is an ideal solution — particularly when hydrogen is already available on site or regionally.”
Hyting also said its system can be used in conjunction with other heat sources, such as industrial waste heat, and added that its technology has been proven in a 2,500-hour durability test that was completed without failures or measurable wear on the equipment.