HyCO2

HyCO2 is advancing the next generation of hydrogen compression technology. The project will upscale and demonstrate an innovative metal hydride hydrogen compressor (MHHC) to meet different application needs, especially in mobility, distribution and industry. HyCO2 aims to tackle one of the main bottlenecks in building a hydrogen-based economy: compressing hydrogen at high capacity, at high pressure and at low cost. 
 
The new MHHC will run on a thermally driven system which uses heat instead of mechanical energy to compress hydrogen more efficiently. The metal alloys involved in the compression absorb hydrogen at low temperature and release it at much higher pressure when heat is applied, resulting in a silent operation with no moving parts. At the same time, the selection of metal alloys is oriented towards sustainability and reduced dependency on critical raw materials, targeting those that are non-toxic, highly recyclable and abundantly available. 
 
On of the main features of the new compressor is a modular design that allows it to scale up to higher flow capacities and adapt to different pressure demands. An integrated heat pump and an innovative hydrogen-based heat box will also ensure reliable thermal availability, even where no external heat is accessible. 

What will HyCO2 achieve? 
Today’s commercial solution reaches an-outlet pressure of 380 bar at a flow rate of 30 kg/h. HyCO2 will take the technology from lab-scale demonstrators to a TRL 5 prototype, targeting pressures of up to 900 bar and flow rates of up to 150 kg/h. At the end of the project, a full-scale demonstration will target compression of 30 kg of hydrogen to 900 bar in 12 minutes, equivalent to refuelling a heavy-duty truck. 

The project has a budget of approximately 5 million euros and is part of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership programme (Horizon Europe). The consortium is formed by a crosscutting mix of leading research organisations, industrial technology providers, and innovation ecosystem actors, bringing together 7 partners across Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Italy, Germany, and Denmark. 

THE ROLE OF FBK

In the project, the Center for Sustainable Energy leads the package of activities related to the study of applications and, in particular, is responsible for

• defining the use cases for the metal hydride compressor technology that will be developed
• defining the detailed CFD and ROM models, and
• developing the dynamic model of the system
• Later in the project, FBK will also be responsible for conducting life cycle assessment and techno-economic analyses.