Building Reliable Hydrogen Fuel Cell Systems for Transportation Applications
This customer success story highlights how reliable fluid system design helps advance hydrogen fuel cell transportation. Learn how Swagelok worked with Luxfer Gas Cylinders to support hydrogen-powered bus applications through certified fluid system components, hydrogen containment solutions, and rapid response capabilities.
The video explores the importance of EC-79 certification, proper fitting technology, and collaboration across the hydrogen supply chain to improve safety, reliability, and performance. See how innovative engineering and infrastructure investments are accelerating hydrogen adoption and helping manufacturers bring cost-effective, zero-emission transportation solutions to market.
Video Transcript
So, with a hydrogen vehicle, what we have is our best gas containment devices. We stock pressures normally north of 350 bar of hydrogen, and that’s regulated down to about 12 bar on average. Then, what happens is that it goes through the fuel cell, and essentially what you get out of that is water and electricity. The role that Swagelok products play for the Luxfer system is to bring together the gas cylinders for the CNG or hydrogen application into a manifold. So, in effect, it’s a delivery system.
The future for hydrogen-powered vehicles is moving very fast. The reason for this is that governments are really investing more in support of hydrogen infrastructure, refueling stations, and vehicle development.
It’s not just about getting the vehicles out there. It’s about getting the fueling stations out there. It’s about getting people trained on how to handle hydrogen, how to use it, how to fill it, and how to maintain the buses that are out there.
The JIVE initiative is designed to bring the price of fuel cell buses down to a more affordable level by 30%, to about $850,000 USD. But for us to do this, companies like Luxfer and the fuel cell provider need to be working with companies like Swagelok to help bring that cost down.
There’s been a significant investment in the EC-79 approvals, and they are costly—costly to obtain and costly to maintain. The program involves probably 15 to 20 people and produces outstanding results for Luxfer Gas Cylinders and their end customers. EC-79 is a requirement for hydrogen vehicles. What we did for Luxfer was start talking to them about how we could bring in that certification within a period that would allow them to meet their customers’ obligations.
I think it was about 12 months after our first initial meeting that we actually received that type of approval. Our customers told us it was impossible and couldn’t be done. Well, Swagelok Manchester has actually done it. We have a new technology called FK. The FK fitting actually works on a twin-ferrule system, which is also gaugeable and can also be pulled up by torque.
As manufacturers, especially in the automotive industry, they like that Swagelok twin-ferrule fitting. The main reason is the installation—the ease of installation. The fact that you get that one-and-a-quarter turn is great for them.
Innovation for Luxfer is a key thing. The market is moving very quickly. We have to ensure that we keep pace and that we are providing solutions to their customers. For example, I think it was last week, actually, we received a new tender for 30 buses and had to deliver them in six weeks. Within 24 hours, Swagelok had the fittings on the Nottingham side of the forest.
Swagelok Manchester had a very proactive approach to make sure that we were in a position to supply product as and when Luxfer needed it. We were also proactive in working with them on forecasting with their end customers.
Hydrogen is probably the only zero-emission fuel completely throughout the process. Let’s say it’s electric. They say it’s zero-emission tailpipe. But you have to start asking yourself the question: How are you going to make that electricity to charge that bus? More than likely, it’s being made by a coal-powered power plant.
Hydrogen is completely zero emissions. We have an abundance of it. Two-thirds of the world is made from water. Hydrogen is made from water. So, I say the real future has got to be hydrogen because it’s the only way we can go zero emissions completely.
