Technologies and innovations for a future sustainable hydrogen economy

Vision: "TechForH2 is an internationally leading excellence centre for application driven multidisciplinary hydrogen research with focus on heavy transport that accelerates the transition to a sustainable energy system by building on national strengths for global impact."

TechForH2 is coordinated and led by Chalmers, which owns the centre together with RISE. The industry partners involved in the centre's activities are Volvo, Scania, PowerCell, Johnson Matthey, Oxeon, GKN Aerospace, Insplorion, Siemens Energy and Stena.

The total budget is SEK 162 million over a five-year period in the first stage, with the possibility of an extension for another five years.

TechForH2’s way to configure its efforts is to start up five multidisciplinary research projects. These projects address three research fronts, i.e., technology integration, technology development and cutting-edge technology innovation. Among these five projects, RISE contribution is focused on the following research areas:

1. Lightweight composite storage solutions for cryogenic hydrogen. The project runs jointly between material technology, cryogenics & heat management and the vehicle level understanding disciplines, enjoying a broad interest from industry. It targets ultra-light and low-cost on-board hydrogen storage solutions with potential use in multiple transport modes developing fuel systems and liner-less tanks. (Contact persons: Thomas Bru, David Mattson)
2. Additive manufacturing for hydrogen fuel supply systems. The project runs jointly between the manufacturing, the cryogenics & heat management, and the safety & sensors disciplines, targeting additive manufacturing methods for fuel nozzles. The nozzles will be designed to support the gradual transition from a low carbon fuel mix, i.e. operation on hydrogen as well as hydrogen carriers in mixture with low carbon fuels. The additive manufacturing technology developed is highly interesting for a wide range of applications across the transport modes. (Contact person: Marcus Gullberg)
3. Nanoplasmonic hydrogen sensor maturation. The project explores hydrogen sensor technology in general and nanoplasmonic sensor technology in particular. This includes exploring how sensors for safety-critical systems can be integrated, how previously “too-difficult-to-use” materials can be integrated into designs, and how post-manufacture treatments can be used to improve component performance in hydrogen. (Contact person: Karine Arrhenius)

The other two multidisciplinary research projects in TechForH2 are “Fuel cell development and integration” and “The future of hydrogen – societal challenges”.