π www. valve-world. net Valve World November 2025
HYDROGEN
Globe valves poised to play pivotal role in growing LH2 market
Hydrogen is emerging as a leading clean energy source, especially in its liquid form( LH2). Here, Mike
Fink explores the challenges of LH2 production and highlights the critical role control valves play in ensuring safe, efficient, and reliable operations.
By Mike Fink, P. E.
About the author Mike Fink, P. E. is the Director, Sales & Business Development for OPW Clean Energy Solutions and ACME ® Cryogenics and can be reached at michael. fink @ acmecryo. com
Vacuum insulated piping for cryogenic service. Photo: ACME Cryogenics
Anybody who has taken a high school chemistry class can probably recall a few basic facts about hydrogen: 1. it’ s the most abundant element in the universe, 2. it’ s the lightest element in the universe( with one proton and one electron), 3. it holds position No. 1 on the periodic table of elements, and 4. two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen
( H2O) is the chemical composition of water.
What people may not be as familiar with is hydrogen’ s growing role as an energy source, especially as an alternative fuel for vehicles, with some of its backers calling it the perfect“ green” alternative to traditional fossil fuels based on its ability to carry energy, along with the fact that, when used, its only emission is harmless water vapour. The capabilities and benefits of using hydrogen as an energy source have long been recognised by one significant industry: space exploration. Since humans began sending rockets into space, hydrogen has been combined with liquid oxygen to produce the exothermic reaction necessary to create the level of propulsion a rocket or space shuttle needs to break the bonds of the Earth’ s atmosphere. But while hydrogen has earned its bona fides as an energy source, taking it mainstream as a reliable go-to component in the world’ s alternativefuel pool does bring with it some challenges. In this article, we will outline these challenges and then explain the importance of control valves in ensuring that any hydrogen production or handling system operates in the safest, most reliable and most efficient manner possible.
From gas to liquid
The primary challenge in harnessing the potential of hydrogen is that it naturally exists in a gaseous state. That makes it hard to store and transfer. However, when hydrogen is converted into a liquid state, known as liquid hydrogen( LH2), it becomes much easier and more efficient to handle, transport and store. It sounds as if it would be simple, then, to turn gaseous hydrogen into LH2, but that can be much easier said than done.
In reality, the earliest methods for turning hydrogen into LH2 were first invented around 150 years ago. That still doesn’ t make it an easy or straightforward process, such as turning steam into liquid water. The crux of the challenge is that for hydrogen to be converted from a gas to a liquid, it must be cooled to an extremely cold cryogenic temperature of-425 ° F(-254 ° C). That temperature must then be maintained, or the LH2 will revert to its gaseous-hydrogen state. The process of turning hydrogen gas into LH2 hinges on the electrolysis of, for example, water( H2O), or the separation( cracking) of anhydrous ammonia( NH3) or other similar feedstocks. When water is the feedstock, electricity is used to separate the oxygen( O2) and hydrogen( H2) atoms, which are then cooled to the point where they assume a liquid form. To manufacture LH2, gaseous hydrogen( GH2) is produced from water or ammonia feedstocks and then sent to a liquefier plant, where it is compressed and cooled until the hydrogen reaches a temperature of-425 ° F. At this point, it will liquefy, and the resulting LH2 can be harvested.
Handle with care
Due to its highly flammable nature, hydrogen must be handled with care. For storage and transport, it is typically compressed to high pressures( up to 700 bar / 10,000 psig) or cooled to cryogenic temperatures to form LH2 at-425 ° F(-254 ° C). Furthermore, these pressure and temperature parameters must be consistently maintained during storage and transportation; otherwise, the LH2 will revert to its gaseous form. As the benefits of using LH2 as a fuel have been verified and the technologies to manufacture it have been optimised, companies worldwide have emerged that focus on building hydrogen-liquefier plants, with the planned LH2 manufacturing capacity of these plants increasing steadily. In the early days of space exploration, a standard“ big” hydrogen-liquefier plant would have a typical production capacity of 30 metric tons. Today, 100 metric tons is considered a large capacity, but companies in the United States and Australia are contemplating the construction of plants that could produce 200 or even 400 metric tons of LH2 per day.
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