Periodic Reporting for period 3 - COSMHYC DEMO (COmbined Solution of Metal HYdride and mechanical Compressors: DEmonstration in the Hysoparc green H2 MObility project)
Berichtszeitraum: 2024-01-01 bis 2024-12-31
Hydrogen will be a key for achieving clean mobility, in particular for heavy-duty transportation. Although the number of Hydrogen Refuelling Stations (HRS) is increasing, the development of a refuelling infrastructure remains a major issue. Today, the compressor remains 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 hydrogen 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 project is about to demonstrate that it is well adapted to commercial use for a wide range of hydrogen applications. Within the project, the COSMHYC solution has been designed, constructed and integrated in a new dual-pressure HRS supplied with green hydrogen. 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 hydrogen technologies. The HRS is now operating and supplies 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 integrated further innovations on the compression solution. A long term demonstration phase within the HRS in now starting. The compression solution is about to be CE-certified and meets latest refuelling standards, incl. for hydrogen purity. An advisory committee is supporting the partners to validate the solution against the needs of end-users. Market entry is prepared through a techno-economic analysis and extensive communication, dissemination and exploitation activities, aiming to maximise the economic, environmental and societal impacts of the project.
The project started early 2021 with a comprehensive analysis of requirements of HRS end users and with the conception of an overall concept for the integration of a metal hydride compressor and a mechanical compressor:
- The metal hydride compressor has been designed 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 composition of rare earth free metal hydrides were selected, and a specific heat treatment was developed for optimized performances.
- The two stages mechanical compressor prototype includes two heads and newly developed oil and crank system to be suitable for actual manufacturing and usable for field-operation.
Based on the preparatory steps and studies completed during period 1, comprehensive construction work was conducted during Period 2, resulting in the installation of the new HRS currently operated with the new mechanical compressor. The concept also includes a hydrogen filling center which will enter in operation once green hydrogen will be produced. To realize the hybrid compression concept, a central “gas hub” has been designed and successfully installed to allow optimal interconnection of all subcomponents and ensures the proper flow of hydrogen in different operating scenarios.
Mid 2024 the permitting process for the installation and operation of the innovative metal hydride compressor has been successfully closed. And, at the end of 2024, a main milestone has been achieved with the delivery of the new build metal hydride compressor on the site of the HRS. The certification process of the MHC is underway with the involvement of a notified body and expected to be completed soon, paving the way for future commercialization of this innovative technology.
- The metal hydride compressor has been designed 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 composition of rare earth free metal hydrides were selected, and a specific heat treatment was developed for optimized performances.
- The two stages mechanical compressor prototype includes two heads and newly developed oil and crank system to be suitable for actual manufacturing and usable for field-operation.
Based on the preparatory steps and studies completed during period 1, comprehensive construction work was conducted during Period 2, resulting in the installation of the new HRS currently operated with the new mechanical compressor. The concept also includes a hydrogen filling center which will enter in operation once green hydrogen will be produced. To realize the hybrid compression concept, a central “gas hub” has been designed and successfully installed to allow optimal interconnection of all subcomponents and ensures the proper flow of hydrogen in different operating scenarios.
Mid 2024 the permitting process for the installation and operation of the innovative metal hydride compressor has been successfully closed. And, at the end of 2024, a main milestone has been achieved with the delivery of the new build metal hydride compressor on the site of the HRS. The certification process of the MHC is underway with the involvement of a notified body and expected to be completed soon, paving the way for future commercialization of this innovative technology.
COSMHYC DEMO is 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.
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.