Imagine trying to blow up a balloon, but the balloon is made of fragile ceramic plates that crack easily. This project uses 3D printing to create strong, specially shaped ceramic parts that can handle high pressure without breaking. This means hydrogen can be produced already compressed, skipping the need for heavy and expensive external pressure tanks.
Current high-temperature electrolyzers use fragile flat ceramics that cannot handle pressure, forcing companies to use expensive, bulky, and energy-inefficient external pressure vessels to compress hydrogen.
A 3D-printed SOEC stack consisting of 30 cells capable of producing 2.14 kW in a 630 cm³ volume.
If you are a gas grid operator dealing with the high cost of compressing green hydrogen for injection—this project developed a stack that operates at 5 bar. This allows for direct Power-to-Gas (P2G) integration without needing costly, impractical high-pressure vessels.
If you are an HRS operator dealing with bulky equipment and high energy loss during compression—this project developed an ultra-compact stack with a power density of 3.4 kW/L. This reduces the physical footprint of on-site generation by one third compared to current standards.
If you are a plant manager dealing with the high material costs of decarbonizing industrial heat—this project developed 3D-printed cells that reduce raw material use by 76%. This lowers the capital expenditure for installing high-temperature electrolysis systems.
It eliminates the need for expensive and energy-inefficient external pressure vessels by building pressure-resistance directly into the cell geometry. Additionally, it reduces raw material usage by 76%.
The project involves industrial partners experienced in mass manufacturing of ceramics via 3D printing and is being developed in a pilot line to ensure scalability toward MW-size systems.
Based on available project data, specific IP or licensing terms are not disclosed, but the project is product-driven with a consortium including 4 industrial partners.
The project aims to reach stack level and laboratory scale validation by 2025.
It integrates directly into P2G and HRS workflows by producing compressed hydrogen at 5 bar and 850°C, removing the intermediate compression step.
The consortium is highly balanced for commercialization, featuring a 50% industry ratio with 4 industrial partners and 3 SMEs. The collaboration spans 4 countries (DK, ES, FR, IT), combining academic research from 2 universities and 2 research centers with practical expertise in 3D ceramic printing and glass-to-metal sealing, covering the entire value chain from material science to end-user application in P2G and HRS.
Contact FUNDACIO INSTITUT DE RECERCA EN ENERGIA DE CATALUNYA
Contact us to connect with the HyP3D consortium for licensing or pilot partnerships.
