A special road tanker carrying 179 kilograms of hydrogen for fuel cells on March 28 slowly left a plant being operated by Sinopec Qilu Petrochemical Company in Zibo city – located in East China's Shandong province.
It marked the point where the plant had moved from using the hydrogen it produced for itself, to selling it to markets in China.
The hydrogen plant, located in the Linzi district, is the only one producing chlor-alkali – the two chemicals used in the production of hydrogen – for Sinopec.
With its low costs, good quality and purity up to 99.99 percent, the hydrogen produced at the plant is understood to be fully in line with national automotive fuel cell hydrogen standards.
Linzi district was recognized as a large-scale hydrogen production base under Zibo's development plan for the hydrogen energy industry issued on Oct 22, 2021. Hydrogen-filling equipment entered the pilot production stage on Dec 30 last year.
After research and development, Sinopec Qilu completed relevant procedures and on Feb 22 obtained a hydrogen mobile vessel pressure filling license, so the factory's hydrogen could be shipped out and sold.
Shandong Huaben Energy Co Ltd, which operates a hydrogen refueling station in Linzi district, entrusted Shandong Baoqing Energy Co Ltd – which is qualified to transport hydrogen – to fill the hydrogen from the plant on March 27.
"Hydrogen pressure is high, so filling safety is very important. The operation mustn't be careless, so it takes more than two hours to fill 200 kilograms of hydrogen," said the plant technician Huang Dexin.
Huang said that for safety, the front and the body of the road tanker needed to be separated when filling up, as well as carry out electrostatic treatment of the tank body to prevent a dangerous electrostatic charge.
A road tanker carrying 179 kilograms of hydrogen gets ready to deliver its load to market. [Photo/zbnews.net]
