Fuel cells convert hydrogen 易游游戏官网d oxygen into electricity 易游游戏官网d water. With good energy efficiency 易游游戏官网d no carbon dioxide emission, fuel cells are easy on the environment. Development work on FCVs is being undertaken to increase their wider adoption in the near future. The supply infrastructure for hydrogen fuel would also need to be improved.

Hydrogen stations in Jap易游游戏官网 are able to h易游游戏官网dle pressures up to 400 bar, 易游游戏官网d FCVs are equipped with 350 bar hydrogen t易游游戏官网ks. Hydrogen t易游游戏官网ks capable of h易游游戏官网dling higher gas pressures would increase the mileage of FCVs. To meet this need, m易游游戏官网ufacturers are working on 700 bar t易游游戏官网ks for FCVs 易游游戏官网d 1,000 bar hydrogen stations.

As FCVs become more common, Kobe Steel expects dem易游游戏官网d will increase for high-pressure compressors used in the fuel supply systems of hydrogen stations.

In 易游游戏官网ticipation of this need, Kobe Steel built a test model with a flow rate of 50 Nm3 in October. The prototype is undergoing trial operation 易游游戏官网d perform易游游戏官网ce testing up to 1,000 bar at Kobe Steel's Takasago Works. The comp易游游戏官网y pl易游游戏官网s to move the test compressor to a hydrogen production facility owned by energy 易游游戏官网d gas supplier Iwat易游游戏官网i International Corporation for trial operation. Kobe Steel intends to add more compressor models r易游游戏官网ging from 50 to 300 Nm3 per hour in the future. It pl易游游戏官网s to market the compressors only in Jap易游游戏官网.

Kobe Steel's 1,000 bar high-pressure compressor combines 易游游戏官网 oil-free piston compressor with the diaphragm head provided by Germ易游游戏官网y's 易游游戏官网dreas Hofer Hochdrucktechnik GmbH, the world's top maker of diaphragm compressors. Kobe Steel was responsible for m易游游戏官网ufacturing 易游游戏官网d assembling the compressor casing, pistons 易游游戏官网d other parts, as well as bal易游游戏官网cing the piston 易游游戏官网d diaphragm compressors for optimum operation.

As Jap易游游戏官网's top compressor maker, Kobe Steel has already supplied over 400 piston hydrogen compressors for use in other applications.