New achievements in hydrogen products

2018 marks a new year with ground-breaking achievements for the hydrogen industry. Hydrogen was regarded as a novelty 2 years ago, however, it is commonly used in people’s daily lives at present. Different from America, Japan, Korea and other countries, China focuses its attention on the development of 35 MPa hydrogen public transportation at first. 

The hydrogen-powered buses of Yutong, a local vehicle company in Henan, led the country. Yutong hydrogen station, located at the crossing of No.22 Street and Jinqiu Road (Jingkai District, Zhengzhou), is the first station in operation in Henan and also one of the first batches of hydrogen stations applied in the hydrogen-powered buses in China.

▲Yutong Hydrogen Station 

On August 16, 2018, under the scorching sun, Zhengzhou's 727 bus witnessed two new buses fueled by hydrogen and powered by cell, which attracted curious citizens to experience. From Zijingshan to the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone, the two buses ran powered by hydrogen, making great contributions to the green development of hydrogen.

▲Zhengzhou's 727 Bus

As of December 24, 2018, a total of 23 buses fueled by hydrogen and powered by cell had been put into use. These blue hydrogen-powered vehicles became a beautiful scenery in Zhengzhou. All citizens were enjoying the green and comfortable travel when the staff of the only hydrogen station in Zhengzhou were watching the operation of the equipment. As the only professional enterprise to build hydrogen stations in Henan, Censtar has provided relevant technical support for the operation of hydrogen stations.

▲Yutong Hydrogen Station 

On January 6, 2019, with winter approaching, everyone was enjoying the morning in the warm quilt on the weekend. However, Shi Bo, the researcher of hydrogen project in Censtar, received an urgent phone call from Yutong Hydrogen Station: the hose of two hydrogen dispensers at the station didn’t work and couldn’t finish hydrogen filling, which influenced the running of buses... Without hesitation, Shi Bo and Wang Hailong, another researcher of the hydrogen project, came to the site.

The early morning witnessed the rush hour of hydrogen filling. At this time, many hydrogen-powered buses were waiting at the station. Two engineers in Censtar quickly troubleshot the hydrogen dispensers by making them empty, replacing the hoses and other parts, and checked the operation of other equipment and parts for a second time. Although it took only a few minutes, the two engineers were sweating even in the cold winter because of the intense concentration.

▲ On-site Repair 

After the repair work was completed, the two engineers in Censtar did not choose to leave, but guided the hydrogen buses to finish the hydrogen filling at the station while observing the data dynamics of filling equipment. After the hydrogen filling was finished, they were slightly relieved. 

After that, they communicated failure and leakage of the spool of air control valve, which existed in one of the hydrogen dispensers, with the staff at the hydrogen station. This air control valve was imported and the production of current model applied in Yutong hydrogen station had been halted. In this context, engineers in Censtar carried out on-site surveying and mapping activities and returned to the company after communication with the staff at Yutong hydrogen station. The engineers discussed the solutions around the clock and the most feasible approaches with technicians at Yutong. Finally, these problems were solved.

Through this emergency, Censtar recognizes the importance of safety for current domestic hydrogen dispensers and hydrogen stations. From the perspective of R & D, the hydrogen energy researchers in Censtar improved the performance parameters of hydrogen dispensers even above the highest international standards through technical design and structure upgrading. From the perspective of market, Censtar was committed to promoting hydrogen development in the market with a sense of social responsibility. Learning from international market, Censtar made great contributions to the green development of hydrogen energy.