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Mitsubishi Corporation Succeeds in Generating 35MPa High Pressure Hydrogen Without a Compressor Publication date: 19-April-2004 Source: Mitsubishi Press Release
Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), Japan’s largest general trading company announced today that it has achieved the world’s first production of high-pressure hydrogen gas without a compressor through its prototype electrolyser High-pressure Hydrogen Energy Generator (HHEG). HHEG, a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser developed solely by Mitsubishi Corporation, holds a cell stack in a high pressure vessel, which stores high-compressed hydrogen gas generated by electrolysis. As the world’s only high-pressure PEM electrolyser, HHEG is different from other commercial electrolysers currently on the market, such as HHOG, because it is able to produce high-pressure by itself. (HHOG is an electrolyser, in which MC co-owns the patents, that has sold more than 50 units in Japan since 1997.) The capacity of the prototype is 2.5Nm3/h and its maximum pressure level is 35MPa (5,000psi). MC plans to develop a model that can produce 30Nm3/h and 40MPa. This would meet the current standard for hydrogen refueling stations in various demonstration programs. MC expects to introduce commercial products based on this technology into the market in 2005. The target markets will be small scale industrial applications, hydrogen refueling stations for fuel cell vehicles, back-up power units that incorporate stationary fuel cells, and systems that link with renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. Fuel cell vehicles under development by world automobile manufacturers adopt 35MPa (5,000psi) compressed hydrogen gas as its fuel, which is currently only available through compressors. However, these compressors usually use a multi-step system comprised of a piston-type and a diaphragm type. This kind of system is not practical because it requires frequent replacements of core components and consumes large amounts of electricity. These systems also have low durability. Therefore, many manufacturers around the world are now competing to develop a practical hydrogen compressor and major governments are also supporting this challenge. HHEG technology offers a solution to the obstacles of current compressors, with its low electricity consumption and high efficiency. The automobile industry is now developing fuel cell vehicles that run on 70MPa (10,000psi) compressed hydrogen gas. As HHEG can theoretically be upgraded up to 100Mpa (about 15,000psi), MC believes that this revolutionary technology can contribute to the realization of 70MPa fuel cell vehicles on the road as early as 2006-2007. ~

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), Japan’s largest general trading company announced today that it has achieved the world’s first production of high-pressure hydrogen gas without a compressor through its prototype electrolyser High-pressure Hydrogen Energy Generator (HHEG).

HHEG, a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser developed solely by Mitsubishi Corporation, holds a cell stack in a high pressure vessel, which stores high-compressed hydrogen gas generated by electrolysis. As the world’s only high-pressure PEM electrolyser, HHEG is different from other commercial electrolysers currently on the market, such as HHOG, because it is able to produce high-pressure by itself. (HHOG is an electrolyser, in which MC co-owns the patents, that has sold more than 50 units in Japan since 1997.)

The capacity of the prototype is 2.5Nm3/h and its maximum pressure level is 35MPa (5,000psi). MC plans to develop a model that can produce 30Nm3/h and 40MPa. This would meet the current standard for hydrogen refueling stations in various demonstration programs. MC expects to introduce commercial products based on this technology into the market in 2005. The target markets will be small scale industrial applications, hydrogen refueling stations for fuel cell vehicles, back-up power units that incorporate stationary fuel cells, and systems that link with renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.

Fuel cell vehicles under development by world automobile manufacturers adopt 35MPa (5,000psi) compressed hydrogen gas as its fuel, which is currently only available through compressors. However, these compressors usually use a multi-step system comprised of a piston-type and a diaphragm type. This kind of system is not practical because it requires frequent replacements of core components and consumes large amounts of electricity. These systems also have low durability. Therefore, many manufacturers around the world are now competing to develop a practical hydrogen compressor and major governments are also supporting this challenge. HHEG technology offers a solution to the obstacles of current compressors, with its low electricity consumption and high efficiency.

The automobile industry is now developing fuel cell vehicles that run on 70MPa (10,000psi) compressed hydrogen gas. As HHEG can theoretically be upgraded up to 100Mpa (about 15,000psi), MC believes that this revolutionary technology can contribute to the realization of 70MPa fuel cell vehicles on the road as early as 2006-2007.