As one of the world’s largest hydrogen suppliers, The Linde Group is systematically putting the building blocks in place to position hydrogen as a future mobility enabler. Both Linde and BOC have achieved significant milestones in this area over the last fiscal year. The joint aim of our activities is to put the technology and infrastructure in place to allow hydrogen to be used as both as an environmentally friendly fuel and an innovative storage and transport medium for energy produced with regenerative sources. This means focusing on the entire hydrogen value chain, from production through storage and transport to refuelling. We are concentrating both on vehicles powered directly by hydrogen as well as on cars that turn gaseous hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen into electricity through fuel cellsGlossary.

We operate numerous hydrogen production and supply facilities to meet future demands in this area. Both increasingly tight legal requirements regarding fuel purity and emissions and the depletion of fossil fuels (coal, crude oil and natural gas) call for a sense of responsibility and the foresight to develop alternatives and enabling technologies in good time.

The merger between Linde and BOC means we are ideally equipped to meet these challenges. The new company consolidates the strengths of both partners to form one of the industry’s leading global players, now operating over 150 hydrogen production facilities worldwide.

Perfect team
Linde and BOC demonstrated their synergised strengths well before the merger with Linde BOC Process Plants (LBPP). This joint Linde-BOC subsidiary is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma (USA), and has been building plants for BOC for years. Last year, three hydrogen plants delivered to BOC by LBPP commenced operations in the US, for instance. The hydrogen complex on the Sunoco refinery site in Toledo supplies up to 120 million standard cubic feet of hydrogen per day (approximately 3,360,000 cubic metres) to the Sunoco and neighbouring BP refineries as well as other customers in the region. The facility also supplies the Sunoco refinery with steam.

In Lima, Ohio (USA), BOC invested around USD 40 million in equipment and pipelines to supply the Valero Energy Corp. refinery and other regional customers.

And the new facility in Salt Lake City, Utah, supplies the Chevron and Holly Corp. oil refineries there with over 26 million standard cubic feet of hydrogen daily (approximately 728,000 cubic metres).

BOC also pushes H2 fuel
The last year has also seen further efforts by BOC to increase public awareness of hydrogen as a clean and sustainable fuel. BOC’s Sustainable Energy Team participated in the National Hydrogen Association’s annual meeting and exhibition in Long Beach, California, for example. BOC also sponsored public test drives in electric fuel-cell vehicles in Vancouver, Canada, and on the 115 kilometre Hydrogen Highway between Vancouver and Whistler during the biennial GLOBE environmental event.

BOC is currently involved in developing a fuel-cell-powered sports car, destined to set new standards in emissions, performance and reach. This LIFECar is based on the Morgan Aero Eight, equipped with four electric motors (one at each wheel). The motors draw their energy from a QinetiQ fuel cellGlossary.