A key requirement for the hydrogen industry is safety

Hydrogen energy has a high energy density and is therefore considered to be the energy carrier of the future. With the booming trend of development, the requirements for functional safety and industrial information security are also increasing. Because hydrogen, like all fuels, is potentially very dangerous. The safety principles tested and available in the automation industry and functional safety can also be applied to the hydrogen industry.

In addition to traditional safety functions, safety automation technologies can also take on additional tasks, such as dynamic pressure and temperature monitoring or safe compliance with the load limits of downstream structures. Automation also ensures secure data exchange and visualization of health and diagnostic information, where applicable.

In France, our automated system PSS 4000 already provides security for the distribution of hydrogen at 10 public hydrogen filling stations. The customer is a European manufacturer of hydrogen refueling stations and is looking for an experienced safety expert. Pierre Magnetic has been working with this customer since 2023 and has provided a comprehensive safety solution while guaranteeing the economical operation of the hydrogen refueling station. At present, the two sides plan to expand the cooperation to other projects.

Electric vehicles: Safe and efficient charging systems

The MADELAINE Project in Austria – “Multi-adaptive DC EV Charging Infrastructure Network” is researching new DC charging systems. The goal is to provide a modular, flexible charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. For example, at charging stations in public parking lots, multiple charging points can operate in different modes. For example, hybrid operation is possible, in which individual vehicles can be charged quickly, while several others can be charged more slowly. In short, just a few charging modules are enough to quickly charge a large number of electric vehicles with direct current. The results of the MADELAINE project are expected to improve the energy efficiency of the parking system.

Here, the automation system PSS 4000 is also a central part of controlling the necessary safety functions, such as the allocation of different charging currents to the correct charging points.