Hydrogen liquefaction at industrial scale requires about 10-15 kWh/kgH2 of electrical input depending on the age and size of the installation. It is possible to reduce the energy demand to 6-8 kWh/kgH2, but this requires an increase in plant capacity to about 50-150 tons per day (TPD), significant capital expenditures and an increase in operational cost.
The HyLICAL Research and Innovation Action (RIA) aims at developing and validating a high-performance liquefier based on the alternative concept of magnetic refrigeration. Simulations and small-scale laboratory demonstrators have indicated that this concept can potentially meet the targets of 8 kWh/kgH2 and a liquefaction cost of 1.5 €/kgH2 already at small scale (<1 to 5 TPD). This makes this technology very attractive for the localised production of liquid hydrogen (LH2) from renewables and avoids the need for transport over long distances via truck, rail, or ship or through a network of pipelines.
The centerpiece of HyLICAL is the liquefier prototype. With it, we will push the boundary for magnetic refrigeration technology and catapult it from the laboratory environment (TRL3) towards a setting that is relevant for industry (TRL5). We will validate the liquefier performance for volumes in the order of 100 kg/day. We will also evaluate how the technology scales and look carefully for “showstoppers” that prevent us from going to large production volumes (100 TPD). The technology developed in HyLICAL is also applicable to other cryogens (e.g. helium) and is not limited to liquefaction per se but is also ideally suited to minimize boil-off losses during transport and storage of liquefied gases. This has immediate impact on how storage tanks can be designed with respect to maximizing space utilization via different shapes. This will also translate into more relaxed safety considerations since there will only be minimal pressure build-up during transport and storage. This in turn leads to potentially large savings in the manufacturing cost for tanks because they only have to withstand pressures in the order of 1-2 bar with such an efficient recovery and boil-off management system.
An important part of this RIA will be focused on materials development. Here, the researchers will find novel materials that rely less on so-called critical raw materials (CRM) such as rare-earth, are abundant, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly. Another major activity will be devoted to developing the required magnetic field source (superconducting magnet). Yet another activity will deal with simulations at materials, device, and system level. This data will then be correlated to experimental results and the feedback loop between theory and experiment will allow the researchers to improve the performance of the liquefier prototype to meet the targets.
In addition to the R&D activities on materials and devices, HyLICAL will address high-level issues related to the safe use of LH2, and contribute to the development of regulations, codes, and standards. We will also look carefully how LH2 fits into the overall hydrogen value chain, analyse its potentials, use cases and challenges. Finally, we will contribute to the development of European road maps for LH2 with focus on heavy-duty mobility and transport.
The HyLICAL consortium consists of 14 international partners and is a healthy mix of research organization, SME, and Industry from across Europe. The project will act as a seed for follow-up activities targeting higher TRL and will be an important stepping stone towards implementing magnetic refrigeration as an alternative liquefaction method for hydrogen (and other cryogenic gases).
