The Hungarian government has unveiled plans to support different projects for converting surplus electricity into gas energy. One of the winning tenders is the “Aquamarine” project, which includes a hydrogen plant in an underground gas storage facility owned by Hungarian Gas Storage Ltd. The produced hydrogen is mixed into natural gas and utilized in their own gas engines and furnaces, therefore reducing CO₂ emissions. In addition, the aim is to conduct an industrial-scale experiment for the long-term storage of hydrogen in underground gas storage at pressures above 100 bar to reduce storage volume. A diaphragm compressor system by Burckhardt Compression is used to compress the hydrogen from 30 to 250 – 300 bar.

The diaphragm compressor is being manufactured at Burckhardt Compression in Shenyang, China, and will be shipped as a skidded compression unit to GanzAir Compressortechnics LLC in Hungary. The compressor skid includes lube oil system, motor, gas cooler, instrumentation and control system and a closed cooling water loop with air cooler. The MD10-L compressor system is specifically designed for hydrogen applications and capable of compressing hydrogen at a high pressure while ensuring high purity.