Wasserstoff

The TransHyDE project is set out to bring science, industry and the civic sector together.

© iStock/smirkdingo

If the hydrogen (H2) economy is to take off in Germany, better infrastructure must be put in place to transport the highly volatile gas. But there are many unresolved questions, such as: Which solutions are suitable for short, medium and long distances? Which existing gas networks can be converted? And in which areas are new transport technologies required?

The multi-stakeholder project “TransHyDE” will explore H2 transport technologies through five research projects and four accompanying pilot projects. It brings together 85 partners from the industry, associations, universities and research institutions and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with EUR 139 million over the next four years.

"Our goal is to answer all the questions that Germany still has to ask itself in order to build a national hydrogen infrastructure," explain the three coordinators of TransHyDE, Mario Ragwitz from Fraunhofer Research Institution for Energy Infrastructures and Geothermal Systems IEG, Robert Schlögl from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion and Jimmie Langham from the AquaVentus coordination office in a press release.

The four technology demonstration areas, which involve participation of the industry, are H2 transport in high-pressure containers, hydrogen-liquid transport, H2 transport in existing and new gas pipelines, and the transport of H2 bound in ammonia or the carrier medium LOHC.
At the same time, the research projects will develop a context, framework and roadmap for H2 transport and infrastructure incorporating all the necessary safety regulations and standards. The project will zero-in on complex processes such as the separation of H2 from ammonia and the refuelling of containers with liquid, cryogenic H2.

TransHyDE is one of the three lead hydrogen projects from the BMBF, which set out to bring science, industry and the civic sector together in a race to find solutions. Within the next four years the series production of large-scale electrolysers (H2Giga) will also be explored, as well as the production of green hydrogen at sea (H2Mare).