Tokyo, Japan, March 31, 2021 – Kaji Technology Corporation and Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that they jointly completed developing and demonstrating an electrochemical hydrogen pump system at the end of February this year. This effort was under a project “Development of Technologies for Hydrogen Refueling Stations / Development of technology related to cost reductions for hydrogen refueling stations / Development and demonstration of electrochemical hydrogen pump system” that the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) is sponsoring.
The electrochemical hydrogen pump system including the Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) is the system which utilizes oxidation-reduction reactions of the hydrogen to compress hydrogen by using renewable energy etc. Kaji Technology and Toray sought to commercialize an electrochemical hydrogen pump system with a world-leading performance of 4.1Nm3/h x 40MPa. Toray is in charge of developing the PEM and stack, which are vital for electrochemical hydrogen pump. Kaji Technology developed the electrochemical hydrogen pump system with the stack. Kaji Technology made and installed a 19.6MPa electrochemical hydrogen pump system prototype (see note 1) at the electric power storage technology research site that the Yamanashi prefectural government runs in Komekurayama, Kofu City.
Demonstration testing at the site used the pump system compress green hydrogen produced by solar energy with a 25kW PEM type electrolyzer employing Toray PEM. That setup was the fruit of a NEDO-sponsored project “Development of Technologies for Realizing a Hydrogen Society / Development of hydrogen energy system technology / Development of Systems using Renewable Energy-derived Hydrogen P2G system technology development aiming at building a CO2-free hydrogen society” (see note 2). Kaji Technology and Toray became the first in Japan to fill hydrogen cylinders compressed to a high pressure (19.6MPa), thereby reaching their demonstration testing goal. This was the first demonstration of a continuous PEM type electrolyzer and PEM type hydrogen pump system in Japan.
The electrochemical hydrogen pump system is compact, free of the vibration and noise compared with conventional mechanical hydrogen compressor. The system could thus serve in diverse applications necessitating hydrogen compression. They include all sorts of power-to-gas facilities, as well as setups for filling hydrogen cylinders and fuel cell forklifts. The two companies will continue working to commercialize electrochemical hydrogen pump systems running at higher capacities and pressures.
Kaji Technology participates in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Zero-Emissions Challenge, which seeks to leverage corporate innovations to decarbonize the economy. That company is also a member of the Japan Hydrogen Association, launched on December 7, 2020, and is developing, manufacture, and sell compression equipment infrastructure in keeping with that organization’s vision for a hydrogen economy.
Toray’s medium-term management program, one element of Project AP-G 2022, is the Green Innovation Business Expansion Project. This companywide initiative seeks to contribute to social progress by providing solutions to environmental, resources, and energy issues.
Toray will contribute to progress with hydrogen production (electrolyzer), hydrogen infrastructure (hydrogen compression and storage), and hydrogen utilization (fuel cell) that contributes to the realization for a Carbon Neutral Society by developing, manufacturing, and selling polymer electrolyte membrane, carbon paper, gas diffusion layer, and other materials for electrolyzer, electrochemical hydrogen compression, and fuel cell.