Our Partnership with Elmdale Welding and Engineering Supplies Ltd

Background

Elmdale Welding and Engineering Supplies Ltd is a family owned and operated business as well as being one of the largest independent distributors for welding products in the UK for the last 50 years. Offering customers, a wide range of quality welding products as well as the highest possible level of service; Elmdale are based in east Anglia but have 4 branches located in Great Yarmouth (Norfolk), Rayleigh (Essex), Hadleigh (Suffolk) and Norwich (Norfolk). Covering industries such as offshore energy, engineering & fabrication, agriculture all the way through to the home welder, Elmdale pride themselves on building strong customer relationships and offer free expert help and advice to customers on welding equipment, materials, and techniques.

Views on Gas Detection

With focus on health and safety being part of the ethos of Elmdale, providing their customers with a better understanding of the ways in which they can be kept safe is paramount. Gas detection is critical in terms of potential safety and can, in some cases, involve an immediate threat to life. Ensuring the correct equipment is provided and maintained is one of the key responsibilities that health and safety officers have. Elmdale have 35 employees with a mixture of experience and expertise, therefore provide the knowledge and understanding that is vital to ensure safety. Elmdale are not just a welding and engineering supplier but also offer hire.

Working with Crowcon

We are delighted to be working with Elmdale Welding and Engineering Supplies Ltd. to provide Crowcon. This partnership will work hand in hand with Elmdale’s current customer database to enhance their portfolio of industrial gases related safety products and services and provide gas detection thereby providing their customers with a full solution in order to keep them safe. “We are extremely excited to be working with Crowcon, as a premium brand focussed on safety Crowcon are a perfect fit for Elmdale. Plus, the addition of Gas detection to our range enhances our already comprehensive offer of products and services associated with the supply and safe use of industrial gases.” Elmdale Welding and Engineering Supplies Ltd. also plan to become an official Crowcon service and calibration centre in the future.

How Hydrogen is Helping the Gas and Steel Industries to Go Green

Green hydrogen, taken from both low carbon and renewable energy sources, can play a crucial role in taking a company – or a country – closer to carbon neutrality. Common applications in which green hydrogen can be used include:

  • Fuel cells for electric vehicles
  • As the hydrogen in pipeline gas blending
  • In ‘green steel’ refineries that burn hydrogen as a heat source rather than coal
  • In container ships powered by liquid ammonia that is made from hydrogen
  • In hydrogen-powered electricity turbines that can generate electricity at times of peak demand

This post will explore the use of hydrogen in pipeline gas blending and green steel refineries.

Injecting hydrogen into pipelines

Governments and utilities companies worldwide are exploring the possibilities of injecting hydrogen into their natural gas grids, to reduce fossil fuel consumption and limit emissions. Indeed, hydrogen injection into pipelines now features in the national hydrogen strategies of the EU, Australia and the UK, with the EU’s hydrogen strategy specifying the introduction of hydrogen into national gas grids by 2050.

From an environmental point of view, adding hydrogen to natural gas has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but to achieve that, the hydrogen must be produced from low-carbon energy sources and renewables. For example, hydrogen generated from electrolysis, bio-waste or fossil fuel sources that use carbon capture and storage (CCS).

In a similar way, countries aspiring to develop a green hydrogen economy can turn to grid injection to stimulate investment and develop new markets. In an effort to kick start its renewable hydrogen plan, Western Australia is planning to introduce at least 10% renewable hydrogen into its gas pipelines and networks, and to bring forward the state’s targets under its renewable hydrogen strategy from 2040 to 2030.

On a volumetric basis, hydrogen has a much lower energy density than natural gas, so end-users of a blended gas would require a higher volume of gas to achieve the same heating value as those using pure natural gas. Simply put, a 5% blending of hydrogen by volume does not directly translate into a 5% reduction in fossil fuel consumption.

Is there any safety risk in hydrogen blending in our gas supply? Let’s examine the risk:

  1. Hydrogen has lower LEL than natural gas, so there is a higher risk of generating a flammable atmosphere with blended gas mixtures.
  2. Hydrogen has lower ignition energy than natural gas and a broad flammable range (4% to 74% in air), so there is higher risk of explosion
  3. Hydrogen molecules are small and move quickly, so any blended gas leak will spread faster and wider than would be the case with natural gas.

In the UK, domestic and industrial heating accounts for half of the UK’s energy consumption and one third of its carbon emissions. Since 2019, the UK’s first project to inject hydrogen into the gas grid has been underway, with trials taking place at Keele University. The HyDeploy project aims to inject up to 20% hydrogen and blend it with the existing gas supply to heat residential blocks and campuses without changing the gas-fired appliances or piping. In this project, Crowcon gas detectors and flue gas analyser are being used to identify the impact of hydrogen blending in terms of gas leak detection. Crowcon’s Sprint Pro flue gas analyser is being used to assess for boiler efficiency.

Crowcon’s Sprint Pro is a professional grade flue gas analyser, with features tailored to meet the needs of the HVAC professional, a robust design, full selection of accessories and 5-year warranty. Read more about the Sprint Pro here.

Hydrogen in the steel industry

Traditional iron and steel production is considered one of the largest emitters of environmental pollutants, including greenhouse gases and fine dust. Steel making processes rely heavily on fossil fuels, with coal products accounting for 78% of these. It is thus not surprising that the steel industry emits around 10% of all global process- and energy-related CO2 emissions.

Hydrogen may be an alternative for steel companies seeking to drastically reduce their carbon emissions. Several steel makers in Germany and Korea are already cutting emissions through a hydrogen reduction steelmaking method that uses hydrogen, not coal, to make steel. Traditionally, a significant amount of hydrogen gas is produced in steel making as a by-product called coke gas. By passing that coke gas through a process called carbon capture and storage (CCS), steel plants can produce significant amount of blue hydrogen, which can then be used to control temperatures and prevent oxidation during steel production.

In addition, steel makers are producing steel products specifically for hydrogen. As part of its new vision of becoming a green hydrogen enterprise, Korean steelmaker POSCO has invested heavily to develop steel products for use in the production, transport, storage and utilisation of hydrogen.

With many flammable and toxic gas hazards being present in steel plants, it is important to understand the cross sensitivity of gases, because a false gas reading could prove fatal. For example, a blast furnace produces a great deal of hot, dusty, toxic and flammable gas consisting of carbon monoxide (CO) with some hydrogen. Gas detection manufacturers that have experience in these environments are well acquainted with the issue of hydrogen affecting electrochemical CO sensors, and thus provide hydrogen-filtered sensors as standard to steel facilities.

To learn more about cross sensitivity, please see our blog. Crowcon gas detectors are used in many steel facilities across the world, and you can find out more about Crowcon solutions in the steel industry here.

References:

  1. Injecting hydrogen in natural gas grids could provide steady demand the sector needs to develop (S&P Global Platts, 19 May 2020)
  2. Western Australia pumps $22m into hydrogen action plan (Power Engineering, 14 Sep 2020)
  3. Green Hydrogen in Natural Gas Pipelines: Decarbonization Solution or Pipe Dream? (Green Tech Media, 20 Nov 2020)
  4. Could hydrogen piggyback on natural gas infrastructure? (Network Online, 17 Mar 2016)
  5. Steel, Hydrogen and Renewables: Strange Bedfellows? Maybe Not… (Forbes.com, 15 May 2020)
  6. POSCO to Expand Hydrogen Production to 5 Mil. Tons by 2050 (Business Korea, 14 Dec 202 0)http://https://www.crowcon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/shutterstock_607164341-scaled.jpg

Detecting Gas, Saving Lives: in the Steel Industry

Many hazards in the steel industry seem obvious, however following a recent audit, the World Steel Association is holding its second “Steel Safety Day” on 28th April to highlight the invisible hazards that present very real risks in today’s steel processing industry. Among the five key areas under the spotlight is “gas and asphyxiation”. We think World Steel Day is a terrific initiative and want to do our bit to spread the word.

Continue reading “Detecting Gas, Saving Lives: in the Steel Industry”