2025/10/15
ID: 5093

Sustainable, smart, safe

Hydrogen trailer control with valve terminal solution

Hydrogen makes sustainable energy mobile. With the intel ligent trailer control system HY.Runner from GP Joule, transporting hydrogen is more efficient, safer, and more environmentally friendly. The Festo valve terminal VTUG and the solenoid valve VOFC provide a space-saving design on the trailer chassis, as well as additional safety.

 

From generating to using renewable energy, GP Joule as an integrated energy supplier is active along the entire energy value chain. The newly developed trailer control system HY.Runner won the German Renewables Award as “Hydrogen Innovation of the Year” in November 2024. It is the second project of GP Joule to receive this prestigious award. HY.Runner is already being used in HY.CITY.Brermerhaven, a model region for the production and use of hydrogen.

 

Smart controlled sectors

The intelligent trailer control system ensures that the hydrogen produced in electrolyzers is delivered to hydrogen filling stations or industrial customers as efficiently as possible. The advantages of this innovative solution are the optimum utilization of the hydrogen quantities in the trailer and the networked communication between the electrolyzers, filling stations, and mobile hydrogen reservoirs. The central component of the innovative solution is the process control system running directly via the trailer as the hydrogen is being filled and removed. The hydrogen storage sectors are smartly controlled so that as much hydrogen as possible can flow to the filling stations as quickly as possible.

 

The hydrogen supply can be drawn off remotely at any time, resulting in greater flexibility and high precision in hydrogen distribution. In addition, a standardized interface makes the trailer independent of the stationary remote station. By monitoring all the operating conditions, safety is increased and integration into the safety concepts of filling and extraction points is simplified.

 

Pneumatically functional and safe

The intelligent control system is housed in the lower frame area of the trailer chassis. This means that a pneumatic solution that was both sturdy and space-saving was required. The choice was made for the valve terminal VTUG from Festo. With its high pneumatic functionality and electrical modularity, it can be quickly integrated into various automation solutions and can be easily configured, too. Thanks to its compact dimensions, it is perfect for use in the HY.Runner. To meet the high SIL safety standards, the valve terminal VTUG is actuated using the Festo solenoid valve VOFC. The indirectly controlled pilot valve is designed for particularly demanding operating conditions and is suitable for safety-related systems up to SIL3.

 

Green Hydrogen Bremerhaven ecosystem

HY.Runner is showcasing its strengths for the first time in the regional energy transition project HY.CITY.Bremerhaven, which was initiated by GP Joule Hydrogen GmbH and Green Fuels GmbH. The project uses renewable energy from local wind turbines to operate a 2-megawatt electrolyzer. The hydrogen extracted is stored directly in a trailer with an intelligent control system and delivered to a publicly accessible H2 filling station. With the electrolysis capacity, up to 34 buses and more than 190 cars can be refueled every day.

 

Festo is exhibitor at Hydrogen Technology World Expo in Hamburg/Germany: Stand 6J40

 

Festo est à la fois un acteur mondial et une entreprise familiale indépendante basée à Esslingen am Neckar en Allemagne. Depuis ses débuts, Festo établit des normes en matière de technologie d'automatisation industrielle et de formation technique, contribuant ainsi au développement durable de l'environnement, de l'économie et de la société. La société fournit une technologie d'automatisation pneumatique et électrique à 300 000 clients d'automatisation d'usine et de processus dans plus de 35 industries. Le secteur LifeTech, avec la technologie médicale et l'automatisation des laboratoires, devient de plus en plus important. Les produits et services sont disponibles dans 176 pays du monde. Dans le monde entier, environ 20 600 employés dans environ 60 pays avec plus de 250 succursales ont généré un chiffre d'affaires d'environ 3,45 milliards d'euros en 2024. Sur ce total, plus de 8 % sont investis chaque année dans la recherche et le développement. Dans l'entreprise apprenante, les mesures de formation et de développement représentent 1,5 % du chiffre d'affaires. Festo Didactic SE est l'un des principaux fournisseurs d'enseignement et de formation techniques et propose à ses clients du monde entier des solutions complètes d'apprentissage numérique et physique dans l'environnement industriel.

© Festo SE & Co. KG
KP Joule
Electricity from wind is converted to hydrogen in electrolyzers and, smartly controlled by the Festo valve terminal VTUG and solenoid valve VOFC, is fed directly into the mobile hydrogen trailer.
© Festo SE & Co. KG
Hydrogen production
Green energy from wind farm to hydrogen filling station: Hydrogen production site of the eFarm project in North Frisia, Germany, initiated by GP Joule.

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