The Background:
The DOLPHYN (Deepwater Offshore Local Production of Hydrogen) project is a ground breaking initiative aimedat generating green hydrogen offshore using wind energy. As part of its development, a 500 kW Small Scale Trial (SST) was launched to validate the integrated operation of water treatment, electrolysis, and auxiliary systems mounted on a floating barge. Given the complexity and safety critical nature of hydrogen production, especially in an offshore setting, the trial system required a centralised control solution to enable safe, remote, and coordinated operation of all subsystems.
The Client:
Booth Welsh partnered with a major UK-based energy engineering firm to deliver a bespoke control system solution for the offshore hydrogen production trial. The end client is a global leader in sustainability-driven project development, which is advancing floating wind-based hydrogen production as a future-proof energy model.
The Solution
Booth Welsh designed and delivered a bespoke, fully integrated Hydrogen Unity Control Panel (UCP), designed to function as the operational "nerve centre" for the floating hydrogen production system.
The Panel featured:
- A Siemens S7-1500 PLC (Programmable Logic Controller)
- A 15.6” WinCC Unified HMI (Human-Machine Interface) – The HMI screen on the control panel project displayed process mimics for systems such as the Chiller, Diesel Generator, Electrolyser, Inclinometer, PID control, and Trends Overview, along with alarms, system information, and historical data, all colour-coded by pipework content.
- Safety Relay based Emergency Shutdown system (ESD)
- A redundant power supply and comprehensive internal diagnostics
- SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) integration for real-time supervisory control and analytics
- Communication via Modbus TCP/IP for interfacing with the Nel C30 electrolyser and inclinometers
- A 4G module was incorporated to transfer data to a land based system for analysis
- Comprehensive alarm and interlock management ensuring safe, responsive operation
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Documentation Deliverables & Assurance
To ensure full lifecycle support, Booth Welsh supplied an extensive PDF documentation package covering:
Supplier Document Schedule Functional and Detailed Design Specifications General Arrangement and Power Distribution drawings Power and Heat Calculations Communication Network and Wiring Schematics FAT and SAT Procedures with Results Operator & Maintenance Manual Project Execution Plan and Progress Reporting Panel Certificates and Traceability Documentation End-to-end documentation assured system traceability, design compliance, and ease of handover for client stakeholders.
Project Execution & Collaboration
Booth Welsh followed a collaborative, design-led engineering process:
Worked closely with all stakeholders and vendors to align on interface requirements and protocols Held regular progress updates with transparent milestone tracking Conducted Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) to validate system performance Provided a commissioning engineer on site who connected via Virtual Reality to a remote based instrument engineer to provide guidance on the resolution Delivered a modular, scalable system that supports future integration with commercial offshore wind-to-hydrogen facilities
The Outcome
The system's modular and scalable architecture was deliberately designed to support seamless transitions, allowing future offshore deployments to replace the diesel generator with a wind turbine power source as part of upcoming trial phases.
- Booth Welsh’s comprehensive control solution not only met the demanding offshore operational and safety requirements but also laid the groundwork for scalable green hydrogen production from renewable sources.
- By integrating automation, safety, and communication into a single offshore-ready package, Booth Welsh contributed to validating the DOLPHYN project’s innovative vision, paving the way for future commercial deployments of floating wind-powered hydrogen systems.
Case Studies
The Benefits.
Seamless System Integration & Operational Control
Enhanced Safety & Compliance in a High Risk Environment
Rapid Deployment with Scalable, Modular Architecture