The Linde Group extensively modernised and expanded its Vienna Application Centre for this small-series production facility for hydrogen fueling stations. Many ground-breaking hydrogen fueling innovations have originated from this R&D hub in recent years, including Linde’s energy-efficient, compact ionic compressor, the IC 90.
At the opening ceremony, Linde and Iwatani Corporation in Japan announced that they had closed a deal for the delivery of 28 hydrogen fueling stations with ionic compressors. The first of these units went on-stream the same day in Amagasaki, near Osaka.
Unlike conventional piston-operated compressors, Linde’s IC 90 works with liquid salts. Because these ionic liquids do not have a vapour pressure, they do not evaporate or mix with the hydrogen gas. They also eliminate mechanical wear-and-tear and sealing problems inside the cylinders, and increase energy efficiency.
Equipped with a sophisticated safety system and remote diagnosis and maintenance capabilities, the IC 90 meets all fueling standards to ensure safe, silent fueling, and can achieve pressures up to 1000 bar (14 500 psi).
Highlights of the new small-series production concept include a high degree of standardisation across all components, which are installed in a compact 14 ft (4.2 m) container for ease of transport and integration into existing fueling stations.
The expansion of production capacity in Vienna to 50 units per annum dovetails with the introduction of the first series-produced fuel cell electric vehicles by leading automakers by 2017.
Linde is responsible for the overall hydrogen handling process at the new Green Hydrogen Hub (H2BER) fueling station at Berlin Brandenburg Airport under construction in Germany.
In late 2012 Austrian oil & gas company OMV opened the first public hydrogen station in Austria, using hydrogen refueling technology supplied by Linde.
Linde and OMV are participating in the €38 million HyFIVE project to deploy FCEVs at several European locations alongside new clusters of hydrogen stations.