Hydrogen – for sure

Safety Concepts for Green Hydrogen

Lars Traut has been with Dräger since 2010, starting in sales for stationary gas detection systems in Stuttgart. His career took him to Lübeck in 2013, where he took over product marketing for stationary gas detection technology. From 2019 onwards, he worked in product management for digital products, which proved particularly valuable for his current role in the CleanTech sector. He assumed his current position in 2023 and has since brought digital solutions and innovative approaches to his customers' projects. In his role as Business Development Manager for CleanTech, Lars Traut supports a wide variety of companies involved in CleanTech. Their common denominator: replacing fossil fuels with future-proof solutions – particularly based on green hydrogen and its derivatives. His customers require safety concepts, gas detection technology, personal protective equipment, and, above all, his expert advice.

Challenges in the Transformation Phase

What Lars Traut conveys at the beginning of every project: "There is no single solution for all applications." Individual projects are too diverse – even when they involve the same energy source. A practical example: Many new pipelines are being built to ensure widespread hydrogen distribution, but existing natural gas pipelines are also being converted to transport hydrogen. Due to the special characteristics of hydrogen, extensive adaptations and modernizations are often necessary. On the one hand, hydrogen places high demands on the material used (hydrogen embrittlement and corrosion), and on the other hand, the operational safety concept may require changes to the explosion-hazard zone classification. "Such challenges arise more frequently during a transformation phase," Lars Traut notes.

Capable of action at all times

Lars Traut works with established companies from traditional sectors such as the chemical industry, but also with many exciting, young, and innovative companies. The start-up spirit characterizes many cleantech companies, but clear legal regulations are often lacking. Lars Traut and his team must address the specific risks and challenges of each application. His goal: "It's about ensuring that customers with innovative processes and systems remain capable of action at all times. Together, we examine how legal and regulatory requirements can be met, which gas detection technology should be installed, and how personnel can be sustainably qualified. We are often asked to provide advice on the preparation of risk assessments and explosion protection documents, as well as on safety concepts and training." This advice is summarized under the term Safety Emergency Management (SEM). "With our expertise, we offer complete safety solutions as a complete package. This clearly distinguishes SEM from simply assembling individual building blocks for operational safety. We help our customers set the (right) course for the future in a phase of change." Traut emphasizes the importance of dialogue – both internally at Dräger and with customers. The exchange of information and networking are crucial for successfully developing new projects. "I act as an intermediary, passing on quality contacts to sales and building a bridge between potential customers and Dräger's expertise. In this way, we not only contribute directly to occupational safety, but we also support young companies in establishing their own sustainable safety culture," Traut summarizes his work and that of his colleagues.

Digitalization and Data: The Key to the Future of Renewable Energies

In Product Management, Lars Traut helped shape Dräger's digital gas detection technology world. Smart software solutions now also play a crucial role in cleantech projects, where data collection and processing are central. This experience helps him successfully shape this dynamic, digitally driven sector and offer customers innovative solutions. He and his team regularly think beyond tried-and-tested products and services. The industry is constantly evolving. The field of applications is continually expanding, along with the corresponding demand for products and services. Lars Traut sees emerging trends and developments in the following areas: For example, the monitoring of transmission lines via fiber optic cables using Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) could play an increasingly important role in the future. DAS uses fiber optic cables and transforms them into continuous acoustic sensors. In this way, the currently proven point detection method could be supplemented by an acoustic measuring system that uses fiber optic cables to detect the smallest pressure differences, such as those that occur during a gas leak under high pressure. This principle is already used in the monitoring of transmission lines.

Another application is digital gas dispersion modeling, a protective measure that goes beyond conventional operational and structural explosion and fire protection. Gas dispersion simulations also support the development, design, and effectiveness testing of protective measures both outdoors and, in particular, indoors. In the event of a leak, the dispersion behavior of a gas cloud can be simulated – taking into account live measurements from existing gas detection technology and environmental parameters – and used to avert hazards. The principle can also be used in emissions monitoring, for example, to locate leak points.

Smart software solutions from Dräger are already in increasing demand. "In the cleantech sector, we have many market participants for whom data acquisition is extremely important," emphasizes Lars Traut. He is convinced: "The future of renewable energies is closely linked to digitalization and the smart use of data to develop efficient, sustainable, and safe solutions."