Imagine if you could pump air into a tire while you were filling it, instead of filling it and then using a separate, power-hungry compressor. This project does that for hydrogen by making it at high pressure right from the start. It uses heat and steam to make the process more efficient and cheaper. This removes the need for expensive extra machinery to squeeze the gas for storage.
Hydrogen compression is energy-intensive and expensive, adding significant cost and complexity to the production chain. Current electrolysers produce gas at low pressure, requiring separate, costly machinery to reach the pressures needed for storage and transport.
A 20 kWe pressurized lab-scale SOEL device and a separate short-stack concept that operates without a pressure vessel to reduce balance-of-plant costs.
If you are a hydrogen infrastructure operator dealing with high energy costs for gas compression — this project developed a high-pressure SOEL system that produces hydrogen up to 30 bar. This reduces the need for energy-intensive post-production compression steps.
If you are a refueling station developer dealing with complex and expensive balance-of-plant equipment — this project developed a stack concept without a pressure vessel. This simplifies the hardware needed to reach 10 bar, lowering the overall footprint and cost.
If you are a chemical producer dealing with the high cost of green feedstock — this project developed a method to produce pressurized hydrogen at a target cost of around 3€/kg by 2030. This makes the transition to carbon-free chemicals more economically viable.
The project aims to produce low-carbon pressurized hydrogen at a reduced cost of around 3€/kg by 2030.
Yes, the project provides model-based insights and analysis for scaling the concepts up to 100s MWe.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not listed, but the consortium includes 7 industrial partners and 6 SMEs who are developing the optimized components and stack concepts.
By producing hydrogen directly at pressure, it reduces the need for additional pressurization steps, which lowers technological complexity and improves global process efficiency.
The project involves operating a 20 kWe lab-scale device for 4000 hours to prove the concept.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven with a 58% industry ratio, comprising 12 partners across 5 countries. With 7 industrial entities and 6 SMEs involved, the project is well-positioned for commercial translation, balancing academic research from 2 universities and 3 research organizations with practical manufacturing and system integration expertise.
Contact the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) in France.
Contact us to connect with the PressHyous consortium for licensing or pilot partnerships.
