Periodic Reporting for period 1 - COSMHYC DEMO (COmbined Solution of Metal HYdride and mechanical Compressors: DEmonstration in the Hysoparc green H2 MObility project) Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2022-06-30 Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project Hydrogen mobility is gaining unprecedented momentum through the deployment of passenger & heavy-duty FCEVs. Although the number of Hydrogen Refuelling Stations (HRS) is increasing, the development of a refuelling infrastructure remains a major issue. Today, the compressor is the most challenging component in an HRS in terms of costs and reliability. The COSMHYC consortium developed an innovative compression solution for hydrogen, which combines metal hydride and diaphragm compressors. This solution specifically addresses the needs of H2 mobility. In previous research projects, comprehensive tests enabled this technology to reach TRL5. The solution is now ready for real-life validation within the COSMHYC DEMO project. The aim is to demonstrate that it is well adapted to commercial use for a wide range of H2 applications. The project includes design, construction and integration of the demonstrator in a new dual-pressure HRS supplied with green hydrogen from solar-powered water electrolysis. This HRS is a central part of HYSOPARC, a project implemented by CCTVI (a grouping of municipalities) near Tours, France, for driving regional development based on H2 technologies. The HRS will supply a fleet of 700 bar passenger vehicles, 350 bar utility vehicles and a 700 bar garbage truck. This project presents a great opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness and versatility of the innovative compression solution. The consortium will achieve further innovations on the compression solution followed by a 15 month demonstration phase within the HRS. The compression solution will be CE-certified & will meet latest refuelling standards, incl. for hydrogen purity. An advisory committee will support the partners to validate the solution against the needs of end-users. Market entry will be prepared through a techno-economic analysis and extensive communication, dissemination and exploitation activities, maximizing the economic, environmental and societal impacts of the project. Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far The project started early 2021 with a comprehensive analysis of requirements related to the end users of the HRS to be built for the planned demonstration. Also, possible green hydrogen supply options for the HRS were considered, namely onsite green hydrogen production (depending on additional project funded by the French agency for environment and energy) and the option of buying green hydrogen to be delivered by trucks. Based on these requirements, the overall concept was set for the integration of the metal hydride compressor and the mechanical compressor at the HRS site. The concept also includes a hydrogen filling center to refill mobile storages for regional distribution of green hydrogen.Once specifications, requirements and overall concept were set, the partners started the practical preparation of the demonstration site. Detailed layout of the site was established and permitting activities were launched. Most preparatory steps and studies were completed during period 1, and based on this work, the civil work and installation of the HRS will start early in period 2. The compressor prototypes to be demonstrated in a combined way later in the project, were developed:- A standardized design for the metal hydride compressor module was developed, as a supply compressor getting hydrogen at low pressure from the supply source up to 450 bar. The development of the prototype into an ISO standard 20 feet container with subsystems, took into account its footprint and positioning onsite as well as regulations & requirements. The compressor is integrating new metal hydrides compressive reactors, with optimized heat exchanger. New compositions of rare earth free metal hydrides were selected, and a specific heat treatment was developed for optimized performances. At the end of period 1, the new metal hydrides are ready to be manufactured and the new reactors and the compressor ready to be assembled.- Also, a two stage mechanical compressor prototype was developed and is already assembled. The two heads (one for each compression stage), the oil system and the crank system were developed to be suitable for actual manufacturing and usable for field-operation.Furthermore, the detailed concept for the compressors’ integration in the HRS, as well as the technical design of the filling center, have been completed.In parallel, a protocol for the long-term testing of the combined compression solution as well as a system allowing optimal monitoring of commercial operation were developed by the consortium. This will allow both accelerated stress testing and assessment of the techno-economic performance of the demonstrator. Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far) COSMHYC DEMO will be the first ever demonstration of both the metal hydride compressor and the combined COSMHYC compression solution under real life conditions, and will represent a unique progress of TRL for those technologies. The new metal hydride compressor is the first prototype designed at real scale for commercial use in a Hydrogen Refueling station. Also, the new dual head mechanical compressor is a first of its kind prototype. When combined in the COSMHYC compression solution, a validated capacity between 200 kg/day and 1400 kg/day is expected, depending on inlet pressure, thanks to the high capacity metal hydride compressor in baseload and the peak capacity of the mechanical compressor.A numerical model allowing to simulate the operation of the full HRS system has been set to extrapolate the operation of a 2 tons/day HRS. This technical and economic scalability to 2000 kg/day is enabled through to the modular design of the metal hydride compressor, the duplex strategy of the mechanical compressor and their optimal combination via an appropriate control strategy. The project will allow to drastically reduce electricity consumption needed for compression, especially in the case of available waste heat sources. Reliability will be increased as the new technology and its maintenance-friendly design intrinsically require little maintenance. The technology will also allow hydrogen compression, and thus HRS installation, in urban areas, thanks to a low noise level. Finally, the demonstrated compression solution will contribute to significantly improve the economic viability of Hydrogen Refuelling Stations by allowing a TCO reduction between 31 and 45%, depending of the availability of waste heat. By combining all these advantages, the COSMHYC compression solution will significantly contribute to the faster deployment of hydrogen mobility and thus to the clean energy transition. COSMHYC DEMO scope and system integration Illustration of refueling Hydrogen at the new COSMHYC DEMO HRS
