The test involved 300 run cycles of the pump, resulting in 30 tons of liquid hydrogen transfer. This is the equivalent of fueling 1,100 fuel cell buses. The hydrogen transferred was used to refuel hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in California, resulting in zero-emissions transportation. Inspection of the pump revealed that all internal pump components are still in excellent condition, confirming the robustness and longevity of the pump.
The MHI LH2 pump has consistently and reliably achieved an excellent output of 160 kg/h at a discharge pressure of 90 MPa. MHI’s LH2 pump design also ensures that hydrogen loss due to boil-off is negligible, thus enhancing the economics of the hydrogen refueling stations. The pump’s performance is enabling MHI to rapidly integrate it into hydrogen refueling stations and bring the product to the California market in the immediate future.
FirstElement Fuel (FEF) operates a one-of-a-kind field-testing facility for hydrogen cryopumps at its Hydrogen Distribution Hub in Livermore, CA. The field-testing capability allows for multiple, long-run cycles of cryopump operations under real-world hydrogen conditions. MHI and FEF have worked closely together to test MHI’s LH2 pump because of their shared view that liquid hydrogen is required to achieve a full-scale hydrogen society and that liquid hydrogen cryopump technology will be critical to meeting the refueling needs of all hydrogen vehicle classes.
