Liquid Hydrogen from Refinery Waste Gases

Abstract

In the spring of 1955, the Defense Department foresaw the start of experimentation with significant quantities of liquid hydrogen at many facilities in the California area, They therefore started a program to make available this, then rather unusual fluid., The Stearns-Roger Baker sfield Plant is the result (see Fig. 1). This was to be a small, hastily built plant that would supply liquid para-hydrogen to users in the area in moderate amounts (100–6000 gal) for about one year, A much larger plant was to have been put in operation at the end of a year, replacing the first. Baker sfield started limited production in November, 1957 and full production in January, 1958 and is still in operation, Most of this time it has been producing at a monthly rate above the rated design capacity, (Design capacity is still classified.) At present, the plans for this plant are not fixed; it may be operated for several more years.