Hydrogen is both: storage and energy, which makes it an effec\u00adtive solu\u00adtion for the energy tran\u00adsi\u00adtion. There\u00adfore we are exploring this as a solu\u00adtion.<\/span><\/p>\n Peter Cool, CTO Intergas<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cFor me, this is what is fasci\u00adnating about the tiny house project: inte\u00adgrating new hydrogen tech\u00adnology into a tried-and-tested product like a boiler and finding a solu\u00adtion for sustain\u00adable fuel. This enables us to reduce CO\u2082 emis\u00adsions,\u201d says Zijl\u00adstra. Two years ago, Intergas embarked on this path. Because, as CTO Peter Cool says: \u201cHydrogen is both: storage and energy, which makes it an effec\u00adtive solu\u00adtion for the energy tran\u00adsi\u00adtion. There\u00adfore we explore this as a solu\u00adtion.\u201d Devel\u00adoper Zijl\u00adstra took on the H2<\/sub> capa\u00adbility of Intergas\u2019 prod\u00aducts as project manager for hydrogen. The first ques\u00adtion to ask was, \u201cHow can we convert an existing boiler so that it can burn pure hydrogen?\u201d<\/p>\n Photo: Miquel Gonzalez | Fotogloria<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n The search for answers began in the company\u2019s own hydrogen labo\u00adra\u00adtory. First of all, that meant going back to the basic prin\u00adci\u00adples of combus\u00adtion tech\u00adnology. After all, hydrogen behaves completely differ\u00adently to natural gas, which is going to be replaced as part of the energy trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adtion in the not-too-distant future. Zijl\u00adstra explains, \u201cWith natural gas, we use its conduc\u00adtivity to monitor the flame. In contrast, a hydrogen flame is not conduc\u00adtive and is almost invis\u00adible. So first of all, we had to find a solu\u00adtion to ensure flame moni\u00adtoring.\u201d<\/p>\n The hydrogen boiler is the result of an inno\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive collab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion with a fantastic team of experts.<\/span><\/p>\n Gerrit Zijl\u00adstra, devel\u00adoper at Intergas<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n With a wide range of test setups and open burners, Zijl\u00adstra got to work at the labo\u00adra\u00adtory, with the major advan\u00adtage that Intergas has short chains of command between the disci\u00adplines required for an advanced boiler: \u201cThe hydrogen boiler is the result of an inno\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive collab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion with a fantastic team of special\u00adists who excel in elec\u00adtronics, physics, embedded soft\u00adware, engi\u00adneering, certi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion, IT, product manage\u00adment, and marketing,\u201d says Zijl\u00adstra.<\/p>\n For Intergas devel\u00adoper Gerrit Zijl\u00adstra (left) and CTO Peter Cool, their hydrogen boiler is a mile\u00adstone in the energy trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adtion. (Photo: Miquel Gonzalez | Fotogloria)<\/p><\/div>\n Hydrogen behaves completely differ\u00adently to natural gas. There\u00adfore, basic research on an open burner was neces\u00adsary. (Photo: Miquel Gonzalez | Fotogloria)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n There are close links beyond the company and national borders too. \u201cWe brought ebm-papst on board at the start of our work on the H2<\/sub> boiler. After all, we suspected early on that the gas valve and the blower would play a crucial role. We already had very good contact with ebm-papst through Enno Vrolijk, the head of gas valve devel\u00adop\u00adment.\u201d<\/p>\n In Enno Vrolijk, J\u00fcrgen Schwalme, head of appli\u00adca\u00adtion and certi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion, the appli\u00adcator Christoph Beck, and Ludwig Hirsch, head of the test work\u00adshop, Intergas found contact persons who can provide both tech\u00adnical support as well as help with all neces\u00adsary formal\u00adi\u00adties. \u201cWe had a lot of inter\u00adesting discus\u00adsions and iden\u00adti\u00adfied poten\u00adtial risks together. ebm-papst also provided us with proto\u00adtypes that are tailored to the char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adis\u00adtics of hydrogen,\u201d says Zijl\u00adstra. These include, for example, a partic\u00adu\u00adlarly tight gas blower and special hydrogen settings for gas valves. However, it also had to be ensured that no sparks from elec\u00adtro\u00adstatic charging occur inside the blower even if there\u2019s a fault. The fact that ebm-papst has been dealing with the element H2<\/sub> for some time quickly paid off for Intergas.<\/p>\n In Enno Vroljik (left) and J\u00fcrgen Schwalme from ebm-papst, Intergas found contacts who have been working on hydrogen for a long time. (Photo: Miquel Gonzalez | Fotogloria)<\/p><\/div>\n From here to the energy revo\u00adlu\u00adtion: for two years, Intergas has been working on hydrogen for heating. (Photo: Miquel Gonzalez | Fotogloria)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAs heating experts we are all about devel\u00adop\u00adment, devel\u00adop\u00adment, devel\u00adop\u00adment,\u201d says Zijl\u00adstra. So when they got an exciting inqiry their moti\u00adva\u00adtion was boosted even further: various insti\u00adtu\u00adtions of the commu\u00adnity of Hoogeveen had come together to build a small mobile house made entirely of sustain\u00adable mate\u00adrials, and oper\u00adated with green hydrogen. In September 2021, the \u201cWater\u00adstof Tiny House\u201d was set to go on tour through the Dutch region of Drenthe as an ambas\u00adsador for green living and to inspire the wider popu\u00adla\u00adtion, students, and those with a profes\u00adsional interest. This was the ideal demon\u00adstra\u00adtion test for Intergas and its first H2<\/sub> boiler. However, by then, it was March already, so there was limited time.<\/p>\n A major chal\u00adlenge for us was that the tech\u00adnology is further along than the regu\u00adla\u00adtions.<\/span><\/p>\n Gerrit Zijl\u00adstra, devel\u00adoper at Intergas<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cA major chal\u00adlenge for us was that the tech\u00adnology is further along than the regu\u00adla\u00adtions. We were unable to use certi\u00adfied compo\u00adnents because there simply weren\u2019t any certi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtions,\u201d says Zijl\u00adstra. \u201cBut ebm-papst helped us in the certi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion process that we had to undergo for the tiny house demon\u00adstra\u00adtion test.\u201d Expert J\u00fcrgen Schwalme explains: \u201cEven before the tiny house project, we had sat with different testing centers, such as DVGW-EBI, and worked with them to eval\u00aduate risk analyses and to deter\u00admine and perform the neces\u00adsary tests and inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtions. We also partic\u00adi\u00adpated in the Euro\u00adpean \u2018Testing Hydrogen in Gas Appli\u00adances\u2019 project, or THyGA for short, and were invited in the stan\u00addards consor\u00adtium to partic\u00adi\u00adpate in drafting the Euro\u00adpean guide\u00adline for the use of 100 percent hydrogen for gas valves in heating tech\u00adnology. Our network in Europe enabled us to provide Intergas with very quick support in the collab\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion with Dutch testing center Kiwa.\u201d<\/p>\n Hot water on the march with hydrogen: The Water\u00adstof Tiny House was on tour through the Nether\u00adlands as an ambas\u00adsador for green heating. (Photo: Miquel Gonzalez | Fotogloria)<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n Since then, the tiny house has completed its tour and has left a lot of lasting impres\u00adsions. \u201cThe visi\u00adtors were thor\u00adoughly impressed, and the first thing many of them did was check whether warm water actu\u00adally comes out of the tap,\u201d says Zijl\u00adstra, who was there himself at some stops.<\/p>\n The tiny house is now at its final loca\u00adtion in Hoogeveen, and Intergas is starting its next hydrogen project: a part of the village Wagen\u00adborgen in Groningen, with houses from the 1970s, will be connected to a hydrogen network at the end of 2022. From that moment on the resi\u00addents of 33 houses will heat with a hybrid system\u200a\u2014\u200awith hydrogen boilers and small heat pumps from Intergas.<\/p>\n With the 100\u2009percent hydrogen boiler we are ready for a sustain\u00adable future. This is pretty exciting for us.<\/span><\/p>\n Gerrit Zijl\u00adstra, devel\u00adoper at Intergas<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n However, with older houses, some of which are even listed as a histor\u00adical monu\u00adment, it is often not possible to install heat pumps for heating to bring them up to a level that is in line with the energy trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adtion. \u201cFor these houses, hydrogen is a simple solu\u00adtion that is also quick to install: based upon our expe\u00adri\u00adence with current gas boilers, an installer only requires a morning to install an H2<\/sub> boiler. With hydrogen tech\u00adnology, we can accel\u00aderate the trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adtion,\u201d says Gerrit Zijl\u00adstra, adding: \u201cWith the 100\u2009percent hydrogen boiler we are ready for a sustain\u00adable future. This is pretty exciting for us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cExciting!\u201d When Gerrit Zijl\u00adstra talks about the tiny house, he get\u2019s excited. It is not even the cube\u2019s modern cozi\u00adness, measuring 3.45 by 11.95 meters, that makes the physi\u00adcist light up. In fact, the reason he is so excited cannot even be seen. Instead, it is some\u00adthing that is felt: despite the Nether\u00adlands\u2019 winter winds, [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,8],"tags":[205,167],"class_list":["post-15860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blowers","category-heating","tag-innovation","tag-sustainability"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15860"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15988,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15860\/revisions\/15988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2022\/02\/Intergas-Tiny-House-ebm-papst-wasserstoff-1-660x306.png\")
Tests in the hydrogen labo\u00adra\u00adtory<\/h2>\n
\n
![](\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2022\/02\/Intergas-Tiny-House-ebm-papst-wasserstoff-3-960x609.jpg\")
<\/div>![](\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2022\/02\/Intergas-Tiny-House-ebm-papst-wasserstoff-4-960x609.jpg\")
<\/div>Close links during the devel\u00adop\u00adment<\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2022\/02\/Intergas-Tiny-House-ebm-papst-wasserstoff-7-960x609.jpg\")
<\/div>![](\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2022\/02\/Intergas-Tiny-House-ebm-papst-wasserstoff-8-960x609.jpg\")
<\/div>Help with certi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion<\/h2>\n
\n
![](\"https:\/\/ebmpapst-7237.kxcdn.com\/en\/files\/2022\/02\/Intergas-Tiny-House-ebm-papst-wasserstoff-5-960x609.jpg\")
From tiny house to resi\u00adden\u00adtial area<\/h2>\n
\n