SAFE: technology, practicality and global vision to support decarbonization

Founded in 1975 with headquarters in San Giovanni in Persiceto near the city of Bologna in Italy, the company began by working on hydraulic systems supplying plastic moulded products for foundries, the scrapping of presses and other applications. With an immediate international vocation, in 1979 it produced the first hydraulic compressor for the compressed natural gas (CNG) market in New Zealand. It presently has a prominent position in the energy infrastructure business and reports to the parent company SAFE CEC, which also includes IMW Industries Ltd., a Canadian company known for its natural gas compression solutions that has enabled the Group to strengthen its presence in the American markets, and the Idro Meccanica brand, specialising in innovative technologies in piston compressors and gas processing equipment.

Since 2012, SAFE and its subsidiaries have belonged to the Landi Renzo Group, which employs more than 1,200 people worldwide and is a global leader in natural gas, hydrogen and CO2 pressure management systems. It is present in more than 50 countries around the world through its subsidiaries, joint ventures, network of distributor partners and workshops and develops 90% of its business abroad. The R&D department consists of 120 engineers with research and development activities in the mechanical, electronic and mechatronic fields. The Group has been listed in the Euronext STAR Milan segment on the Italian Stock Exchange since June 2007 as Landi Renzo S.p.A. and generates revenues of more than 300 million euros.

SAFE can boast more than 50 years of experience in the production of systems and solutions for the compression and decompression of natural gas and biomethane. The use of both mechanical and hydraulic technologies, as well as their combination, has enabled the development and production of a portfolio of products and integrated solutions which are capable of covering the entire value chain: from post-generation, to transportation, up to distribution, with pressures ranging from 0.3 bar to 950 bar – also through the launch of new compression systems aimed at fostering the development of hydrogen from renewable sources.

Its activities range from the design and manufacture of high-efficiency compressors to maintenance services and technical support. The company also offers its expertise as a ‘system integrator’ with compressors from other OEMs. The company’s extensive product portfolio guarantees tailor-made solutions to meet a wide range of requirements, including recent applications such as hydrogen blending on plants that were originally developed for natural gas, ammonia and CO2 compression on both CO2 capture plants and syngas handling (a particular gas mixture used in steam reforming, for example).

From gas recompression in wells to turbine feeding, from underground gas storage to gas recovery and collection, up to distribution for industrial, private and mobility applications, SAFE’s offer is truly tailor-made and accompanied by a unique, customised response. There are also compression solutions consisting of compact single or double skid designs with the compressor coupled to an electric or gas engine as well as all auxiliaries including cooling, filtration systems and pulsation dampers.

The highest standards of service and safety are guaranteed through soundproofed enclosures equipped with gas and fire detection systems.

To this end, SAFE offers customers remote monitoring and diagnostics of all plant parameters in real time via a secure connection system. It is also possible to vary all the operating parameters of the installation, as well as display data in real-time mode.  In addition, there are notifications on the status of the plant, based on both past and current data, and automatic notifications in the event of a maintenance request or alarm. Multiple configurations are available for displaying data with the possibility of easily downloading and exporting them to files and consulting them from mobile or desktop. Finally, both active and past alarms can be viewed even when the system is offline.

The zero-emission future needs hydrogen.

The company’s half century of history, 30 of which have been dedicated to hydrogen, has enabled SAFE hydrogen compressors to set the benchmark for reliability.

In the MDE/H, DDE and TDE/H range, the compressors are designed with self-lubricating seals, manufactured from PTFE material, with an average life cycle of more than 5,000 operating hours. The wide pressure range and low energy consumption – achieved through reduced speed – allows them to offer the market high efficiency at a reduced TCO.

In addition, the oil-free configuration guarantees the purity of the gas, and the Distance Piece (DP) isolates the hydraulic drive from the gas system, thus guaranteeing the generation of 100% pure compressed hydrogen at all times. The distance piece B-type also protects the hydrogen from any contamination during the compression phase, which allows for high hydrogen quality and purity to be achieved. The MDE/H, DDE and TDE/H series of hydraulic compressors are machines with a highly flexible and simplified design due to the piston rod being the only moving component to which the oil and hydrogen pistons are fitted.

In general, the entire product range of SAFE hydrogen compressors offers high flexibility. Through its characteristic design the company is able to provide up to 3 compression stages through a single cylinder and with the twin configuration this capacity can be doubled. It also has a wide operating spectrum, as a single cylinder can work in a very diverse pressure delta.

Another of SAFE’s features is the modularity of its products, which can be supplied in two configurations according to customer requirements. The ‘in series’ configuration to develop multi-stage pressure jumps is flanked by the ‘in parallel’ configuration to handle increasing flow rates or design the system with redundancy using ‘ready to start’ units.

The Bologna-based brand’s hydrogen product portfolio also includes mobile hydrogen charging units. They are all equipped with a regulator capable of measuring the amount of hydrogen supplied to the vehicle by controlling its pressure, temperature and density, as well as the relevant on-board electronics. These products represent a point of excellence of our R&D department and enable us to handle the refuelling of heavy transport vehicles with pressures of around 350 bar as well as vehicles with pressures of up to 700 bar.

Presently, SAFE is recognised as a benchmark in the energy sector, particularly in natural gas and hydrogen pressure management systems, and together with its ability to innovate, is also able to keep up with the constant evolution of the market. With a solid background and a strong commitment to sustainability, the brand makes a real contribution to energy transition for a cleaner and more sustainable future, where the hydrogen carrier plays a leading role in the decarbonisation journey.

For further information, visit SAFE’s official website: https://safegas.it/ .