{"id":3107,"date":"2024-09-12T12:49:24","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T08:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.phoenixcontact.com\/marketing-ae\/?p=3107"},"modified":"2024-09-12T12:49:25","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T08:49:25","slug":"safe-signal-handling-for-the-hydrogen-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.phoenixcontact.com\/marketing-ae\/safe-signal-handling-for-the-hydrogen-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Safe signal handling for the hydrogen economy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Compact Ex i isolators for quick and error-free connection in various applications<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Green hydrogen (H\u2082) is emerging as a crucial alternative to fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal. Chemical plants, refineries, copper smelters, steelworks, and the mobility sector, aim to use it to achieve climate neutrality. Ex i isolators are employed to safeguard systems from explosions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In 2023, the German government decided to significantly enhance the role of hydrogen in its updated national strategy by 2030. They aim to have 95 to 130 TWh of hydrogen available by then, with demand projected to reach 500 to 600 TWh by 2045. For comparison, Germany consumed around 866 TWh of natural gas in 2022. To meet these targets, the entire hydrogen value chain must be rapidly expanded. From production by electrolyzers from renewable energy to storage, processing, and distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenges in the use of hydrogen<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hydrogen\u2019s high energy content and carbon-neutral combustion, producing only water (H\u2082O), are significant advantages. However, handling H\u2082 requires caution due to its properties. It is fourteen times lighter than air, leading to rapid evaporation in open-air systems. It also has high diffusivity, allowing it to penetrate other media. Hydrogen is also highly explosive, with a minimum ignition energy of 0.02 mJ, one of the lowest among flammable gases. It belongs to the most dangerous ignition group IIC, along with acetylene and carbon disulfide. It also has a wide explosive range from 4% to 77% by volume in air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Explosive<\/a>
Explosive limits of hydrogen under atmospheric conditions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Ex i type of protection for secondary explosion protection<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Manufacturers and operators of hydrogen plants, like electrolyzers and transfer points, must conduct a risk analysis to identify potential explosion hazards and their likelihood (zoning per EN\/IEC 60079-10). They must implement primary explosion protection measures to prevent explosive atmospheres, or secondary measures to prevent ignition sources, following the EN\/IEC 60079 standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intrinsic safety (Ex i) protection is widely used in measurement and control technology for potentially explosive areas. It offers a cost-effective design compared to flameproof enclosures (Ex d) and allows maintenance and alterations during operation. According to EN\/IEC 60079-11, Ex i protection limits the energy conducted to and stored in potentially explosive areas. This ensures that any potential spark energy remain below the minimum ignition energy, preventing incendive surfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Limiting the energy conducted into the Ex area<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Intrinsically safe circuits typically consist of three elements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n