As an increasing number of hydrogen projects are implemented globally, particularly in Namibia, South African pumps manufacturer KSB Pumps and Valves has developed some of its pumps to cater to the “exacting requirements” needed to transport ultrapure water used in hydrogen production.

“When transporting ultrapure water, it is important to avoid the introduction of ions to prevent ion poisoning of the electrolysis stack,” explains KSB business strategist Ulrich Stahl.

This is achieved using a pickling and passivation process, followed by a cleaning process – both of which have been process execution and quality testing according to ASTM G93/G93M Standard certified – in conjunction with the casting of specific, high-quality surface finishes.

KSB has built on its experience in other industries, resulting in its gaining a “great deal” of experience in electrolysis, he adds.

Since hydrogen, as the smallest molecule, can only be pressurised by a compressor in its gaseous state using equipment and processes that require “very high capital expenditure and equally high operational expenditure”, it is more beneficial to undertake this process while hydrogen is in its liquid state.

This requires increasing the system pressure of the medium circulating through the stack during electrolysis.

“We primarily recommend our multi-stage booster pumps, specifically our Movitec, for this purpose,” says Stahl.

The Movitec is a multistage, vertical high-pressure centrifugal pump in ring-section design. The suction and discharge nozzles of identical nominal diameters are arranged opposite to each other – referred to as in-line design – and is close-coupled.

Fast-Tracking the Change

Stahl says the challenge of the hydrogen economy is introducing new technologies to market as quickly as possible and then upscaling them.

“As a global technology provider with many years of experience in critical processes, we believe that KSB is exactly the right partner for this process,” he adds.

Consequently, the company has decided to work as closely as possible with the key players in the hydrogen ecosystem from the outset to ensure that it is involved in the development process and gains the necessary experience.

“This is how we have become the leading supplier of pumps and valves along the hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation and storage value chain.”

On the Radar

KSB is actively engaging with two Namibian hydrogen projects – in the hope of supplying its products – says KSB Pumps and Valves Namibia MD DeWet Van Wyk.

“The Hyphen hydrogen project aims to build a massive 3 GW electrolyser facility, near Lüderitz, with production of green hydrogen set to begin by 2026,” he points out.

At full capacity, Hyphen will produce three-million tonnes of green hydrogen a year. It will draw on 6 GW of renewable energy, generated from wind and solar power, ensuring that the hydrogen it produces is entirely green and emission-free.

The hydrogen will be exported primarily to Europe, with Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, allocated as a key destination for energy integration.

Further, the Daures project, in the Erongo region, is focusing on leveraging Namibia’s climate and space to develop large-scale hydrogen infrastructure.

“These projects will also require the expansion of towns to accommodate thousands of new jobs and the building of residential, industrial and port infrastructure,” he enthuses.

KSB, with its South African manufacturing ability and access to global supply chains, is well poised to support the expected magnitude of the hydrogen economy, as entire regions would have to be transformed.

The transformation will span developments from residential housing to essential services, and it is critical that the infrastructure is in place to sustain the thousands of people who will work on these projects.

“As a result, KSB is planning for full cycles of equipment and services that will be needed for the hydrogen production process and the influx of workers and services,” concludes Van Wyk.