What Role will Valves Play in the Goal for Net Zero?

With the recent commitment from the UK Government to reach Net Zero by 2030 and reduce the impact on climate change, there is increasing pressure on the manufacturing and processing industries to find ways to cut their carbon emissions.

The unprecedented temperatures that occurred in July 2022 and the ever-escalating energy prices that have affected everyone’s pockets, have brought the issue of finding cheaper, environmentally friendly energy sources, to the forefront of everyone’s minds.

Green Hydrogen has become the hot topic of the day, if you’ll pardon the pun, and many companies are now considering the benefits of this method for their energy production.

This relatively new energy source has been estimated to potentially cut our emissions by 78% by 2035, according to Government analysis and the UK’s independent Climate Change Committee.

But what is, ‘Green Hydrogen?’

Hydrogen is the most abundant element available on earth and exists as a colourless, non-toxic gas. When Hydrogen is produced from water via electrolysis, it is referred to as ‘Green Hydrogen.’ Electrolysis is the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

When renewable energy sources like, solar or wind are used to generate the power necessary for the electrolysis process, Hydrogen is produced from the water and has virtually no CO2 footprint.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? But you may be wondering why everyone hasn’t adopted this approach already. The answer to date, has been the high-cost implications, the difficulty with transporting Hydrogen, its effect on metal substrates and its highly flammable nature.

Thankfully, as renewable energy production develops, it has been predicted that the cost of Green Hydrogen should drop by 95% by 2050. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/renewable energy/hydrogen

But costs aside, careful consideration still needs to be given to the type of valves required for processing and storing such a volatile element. As Hydrogen consists of extremely small atoms, it can be absorbed directly into solid metal, which can damage the integrity of your valves and pipelines.

The correct materials, with a low sensitivity to Hydrogen embrittlement, such as austenitic steel or aluminium, may be required and the same can be said for the other valve components, such as seals and lubricants, which also need to be Hydrogen compatible.

Flow Control Solutions have worked with a number of energy providers, such as EDF, over the years and have a range of Flowserve valves which are suitable for the safe processing and storage of Hydrogen.

Within the range of the Worcester 5 Series ball valves, a “Hydrogen Build” option is available. This features bubble tight shut off, enabling it to be used on isolation for bed isolation across pressure swing adsorption (the process by which a solid holds molecules of a gas or liquid as a thin film).

In addition, the Flowserve Valtek Control Valves provide fast stroking anti-surge for compression plus deep cryogenic for separation and storage. Essential when working with gases at extremely low temperatures.

So, I think it is safe to say, that as our outlook on the future of our fragile planet adapts in line with the evidence of the effects that carbon emissions are having on global warming, it will be more important than ever to consider how valves can help us achieve a cleaner, greener way of life.

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