US hydrogen infrastructure player GenH2 has produced a mobile liquid hydrogen plant, aimed at industrial test applications.
The LS20 mobile liquid hydrogen system is an end-to-end liquefication and storage system, designed for transportation and energy backup applications. It is deployed where needed as a trailer, and has an output of up to 20kg of liquid hydrogen per day (the equivalent of around 666kWh of energy).
The mobile liquefaction unit can be deployed where needed, to support pilot projects and tests for applications such as data centers, says GenH2. It can also be delivered as a lab unit.
Hydrogen has been proposed as a way to store energy while allowing excess renewable power to be captured and delivered where needed. In July 2022, Microsoft produced a 3MW backup system with equivalent performance to today's diesel generators using two shipping containers of hydrogen fuel cells. Toyota and NREL have announced plans for a 1MW fuel cell backup, and Equinix is also experimenting with the technology in Singapore.
The LS20 is aimed at hydrogen researchers and potential industrial customers, and has the capacity to produce hydrogen on demand when and where it is needed. It produces between two and 20kg of liquid hydrogen per day, which contains nearly 2400 Megajoules, the equivalent of 666kWh of energy. This would be enough to back up a 330kW facility for two hours.
The unit needs a source of hydrogen, perhaps from an electrolysis unit or storage tank, and can be powered by a portable generator or another power source. It has a 400-liter storage tank with a claimed "zero-boil-off" feature. To prevent loss, evaporated hydrogen is captured with a gas recovery bag, and the system has hydrogen detection sensors, oxygen monitoring, and flame detectors, along with pressure relief devices and an emergency venting system.
The system has a storage tank that can be detached for liquid hydrogen transport, and ultra-light hydrogen tanks are available for mobile applications such as cars, drones, and trucks.
"The development of the LS20 has been a culmination of decades of experience and engineering within and in conjunction with NASA," said Jong Baik, chief technology officer of GenH2. "Providing researchers and developers of hydrogen infrastructure with a modular, efficient way of getting their hands on liquid hydrogen is a vital requirement to advance the hydrogen economy."
GenH2 also makes larger systems providing up to 100kg or 1000kg of liquid hydrogen per day.