On Thursday, February 22 the first hydrogen refueling station in the Northern Netherlands from PitPoint has been opened. As part of a joint project between the consortium members OV-Bureau Groningen Drenthe, Qbuzz, AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals, Groningen Seaports, het Ministerie van Milieu en Waterstaat, and PitPoint, and to create a hydrogen-based infrastructure in the Groningen region, the refueling station is used to fill hydrogen busses of Qbuzz.

Resato International supplied the hydrogen compressor system for the setup. To find out more about the project, we have asked our Chief Technology Officer, Theo Post some questions.

What makes this project a milestone in Resato’s vision for hydrogen?

It is our first booster system that is integrated into a refueling system from a third-party. We have gained experience with fueling hydrogen-powered cars with our technology from a small-scale refueling station in Groningen that we developed for fleet owners. However, for us, this project was a key prototype to scale up the technology and to improve our compression technology. Therefore, I can say that the integration of the PitPoint hydrogen compressor system is a milestone for us to enable a safe and reliable future with hydrogen.

What was the biggest challenge for the development of the compressor at PitPoint?

A major challenge for the technical development of the gas booster was to reach a stroke volume of 40 liters with a low supply pressure of hydrogen 1.9 bar. From the side of project management, we faced a four-month timeline to develop and deliver the booster which was challenging. We managed this successfully by having a close cooperation between PitPoint and Resato.

What makes the Resato hydrogen compressor system safe?

The gas booster is developed in accordance with international and European standards. Our booster is built to avoid the contamination of oil with the hydrogen gas in pressure chamber in the booster. For us, this is a basic requirement for making it safe. Moreover, the gas booster system and their components are specially designed for the use of hydrogen gas. To enable this, we worked closely with our suppliers to define the best-suited materials for hydrogen gas.

What are you especially proud of in the design of the compressor?
I am particularly proud of the intelligence of the compressor system. Hydrogen projects center around sustainability and the energy transition.  We want to contribute to this with our compressor technology. Our gas booster for the Delfzijl project uses a smart pump system that generates the minimal hydraulic power necessary to provide the needed mass flow of hydrogen. Electricity consumption of the hydraulic drive is reduced, making the booster more environmentally friendly and economical.