A hydrogen energy system will require the production of hydrogen from coal-based gasification plants and its transmission through long distance pipelines at 70 � 100 bar. To overcome some problems of current gasifiers, which are limited in pressure capability, two options are explored, in-plant compression of the syngas and compression of the hydrogen at the plant exit. It is shown that whereas in-plant compression using centrifugal machines is practical, this is not a solution when compressing hydrogen at the plant exit. This is because of the low molecular weight of the hydrogen. It is also shown that if centrifugal compressors are to be used in a pipeline system, pressure drops will need to be restricted as even an advanced two-stage centrifugal compressor will be limited to a pressure ratio of 1.2. High strength steels are suitable for the in-plant compressor, but aluminium alloy will be required for a hydrogen pipeline compressor.
Plant Exit and U.S. Imports from Low-Wage Countries
