Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Kobe Steel, Ltd. announced the start of operation of a next-generation hydrogen fuel supply system for hydrogen power generation, and the world’s first supply of hydrogen fuel to a power generating facility using a hydrogen intermediate fluid vaporizer (IFV) combined with a liquefied hydrogen pump capable of pressurizing above its critical pressure.

The two companies are working on the NEDO subsidized project “Technology development to improve the efficiency and performance of the hydrogen fuel supply system in a hydrogen CGS regional model” to systemize the design and operational know-how of a hydrogen fuel supply system consisting of a liquefied hydrogen pump, IFV, and hydrogen gas turbine, based on a hydrogen gas turbine generator demonstration facility installed at Kobe Hydrogen Energy Center, Port Island, Kobe.

For this demonstration, Kawasaki is responsible for improving the efficiency of the fuel supply system for the gas turbine generator, which utilizes a liquefied hydrogen pump to boost pressure, while Kobe Steel is developing an IFV that enables the utilization of the cold energy derived from liquefied hydrogen. In demonstration tests that began in January, hydrogen fuel was successfully supplied to a wet-type combustion gas turbine. Moving forward, the companies plan to implement the supply of hydrogen to a dry-type combustion gas turbine, the confirmation of operating performance under severe summer conditions, and the verification of the long-term reliability of the liquefied hydrogen pumps.

The hydrogen supplied to power generating facilities must be pressurized, and boosting the pressure of the gaseous hydrogen delivered by conventional supply systems requires high compression force. The use of the liquefied hydrogen pumps in the supply system being developed by Kawasaki and Kobe Steel removes the need for such high compression force, thereby enhancing the energy efficiency of the overall generating system. In addition, the cold energy generated by vaporization in the IFV can be recovered and used for various applications, such as cooling gas turbine intake air, operating refrigerators and freezers, cooling data centers, and air conditioning for commercial and industrial use. Furthermore, the system is scalable to large-capacity liquefied hydrogen power generation, which focuses on the future social implementation of hydrogen CGS at industrial complexes, factories, communities, and other settings.

Kawasaki and Kobe Steel are developing an efficient, safe, and easy-to-use hydrogen supply model for hydrogen power generation, with the aim of establishing a hydrogen supply chain centered on liquefied hydrogen, thereby contributing to the expansion of hydrogen use and the realization of a carbon-neutral society.