Category: Case Study

Due to hydrogen technology requirements becoming more established in recent years, energy storage specialists must continue to pursue the latest qualification standards. At NPROXX, certification is a business priority, as it ensures the production of safe pressure vessels that can be used all over the world.

Over the last two years, NPROXX has celebrated several new successful certifications – particularly in the field of automotive technology. Notable successes included the certification of pressure vessels for a hydrogen-powered passenger car and the Siemens hydrogen train project.

Additionally, NPROXX has made several recent breakthroughs in the heavy duty vehicle sector. “We’ve now received all the certifications for our bus applications, as well as a specialist one for a bus system,” said Claus Klein, Manager of Engineering Quality and Certification at NPROXX. “We also have some new certificates for some bigger transport vessels, like trucks and trailers. Hydrogen power is a great, feasible option for larger vehicles. We see a great opportunity to cater to this market, and will continue our focus on certifying these types of products.”

Aside from automotive applications, NPROXX has made significant certification contributions for their stationary applications. However, developing systems – and subsequently, obtaining certifications – for this industry poses a greater challenge for NPROXX. “There are still some hesitations from customers within the stationary industry, due to global supply chain delays,” says Klein. “We have felt the pull of supply chain issues across all operations, but stationary has been particularly affected, due to this type of pressure vessels requiring certain materials to be built. This delay has led to projects being put on hold, with the relevant customers now requesting other types of pressure vessels from us which we have in our portfolio already. So, while it is not a total loss, we will have to continue pushing to overcome the strain on our stationary applications.”

Despite these ongoing manufacturing challenges, NPROXX remains at the forefront of vessel safety. This means certification is a central part of its ongoing business strategy. “We are gaining a lot of new customer interest at the moment,” says Klein. “The growing demand for alternative energy solutions is not waning in any way. We are constantly working towards obtaining new certifications for high pressure technology across various projects.”

By consistently striving to qualify products to the latest standards, NPROXX aims to ensure the safety of pressure vessels for various applications. To find out more about NPROXX’s product portfolio, read about our specialist capabilities or contact us directly to discuss how we can support your project.

NPROXX is currently completing the manufacture of an innovative new hydrogen fuel tank system that is designed to power the world’s largest mine haul truck at an Anglo American PGM mine in South Africa.

Once it has been delivered, installed onto the vehicle and qualified, the hydrogen tank system will drive a fuel cell that provides a zero-emission solution for materials hauling that is not currently available in the market.

The hydrogen-powered truck will be trialed at Anglo American’s Mogalakwena mine, the largest open pit platinum group metals mine in the world, after which the trucks are expected to be deployed at other Anglo American operations across the world.

Anglo American has set out ambitious carbon related targets, including publicly committing to carbon neutrality across its global operations by 2040. Given that large trucks currently account for over 70% of diesel consumption on-site, switching from diesel to hydrogen will help move the company closer to its goal of operating carbon neutral mines.

Johannes Lorenz, Director Marketing & Sales at NPROXX, said: “The move from diesel to hydrogen power makes perfect sense for Anglo American. Hydrogen-powered drivetrains are capable of generating the power which these vehicles need. Doing this will help to reduce Anglo American’s use of fossil fuels for these activities. We believe that this project will provide a successful template for Anglo American to roll out hydrogen-powered solutions into other large vehicles at other sites around the world.”

With its expertise in mining, Anglo American is highly experienced and has undertaken to develop the zero emission mining vehicles itself by integrating the various necessary parts with the help of partners – it turned to NPROXX to develop a tank system that could safely and cost-effectively store enough hydrogen at high pressure to power the fuel cells.

As well as meeting the challenge of producing the pressure vessels and siting the tanks within the vehicle’s frame, NPROXX also designed and delivered a unique pipework and refueling system that could support multiple tanks on the vessel at pressures of up to 350 bar.

The main challenge has been ensuring the development of a safe and robust system for the mining application, this is from the hydrogen generation all the way through to using hydrogen safely on the vehicle.

Lorenz commented: “In a mine there are uneven roadways and therefore the vehicles themselves are very robust, and so, naturally, they require an equally robust system for storing hydrogen. The vehicle which we are working with is the world’s largest mine haul truck; its front wheels have a diameter of around four metres, it is 7.5 metres high and weighs over 200 tonnes when empty. The power required to drive such a vehicle and keep it operational throughout the demanding cycles of operation is significant.”

Delivery of the power plant module to South Africa has been slightly delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but NPROXX expects the vehicle to be operational in the second half of 2021.

Producing green hydrogen

As well as the hydrogen tank system, which is entirely designed and built by NPROXX, the pressure vessels used to store the hydrogen in the refueling station have also been provided by NPROXX.

“Our expertise in producing cylinders that perfectly match reliability, quality, safety and cost efficiency made us the natural choice for the contractor delivering the refueling station” adds Lorenz. “We have provided them with two 20ft tanks which will operate up to 500bar pressure to store hydrogen from the electrolysers that will ensure an ever-ready, sustainable fuel supply for the truck.”

Anglo American plans to generate hydrogen from electrolysis on site, using renewable power sources, to power the truck.

Anglo American and Engie are currently building a demonstration facility in South Africa, including a 3.5MW electrolyser to produce hydrogen on site. It has a capacity to produce up to 1 tonne per day. Producing hydrogen to fuel the truck on site will eliminate the reliance on importing fuels and generate further cost savings.

NPROXX is working on an exciting project with Siemens Mobility to develop a hydrogen-powered train. The concept shall deliver a clean and emission-free alternative to diesel-powered trains.

The innovative 26-month project, which began in November 2017, has been split into two phases: phase 1 is a test phase in which the fuel cell that will drive the train is tested in a train-like environment at the RWTH Aachen University; phase 2 involves developing the hydrogen pressure vessel systems that will store the fuel. During the first phase the project is looking at responses and performance of the fuel cell in varying operating and environmental conditions.

For NPROXX, the key challenge of phase 2 will be to design and develop the pressure vessels themselves, as well as the accompanying mounting rack and valve frame. Acceleration and vibration are both key issues in railway technology that need to be considered in the design.

Bringing clean hydrogen power to the railways

During this project NPROXX will use all its four decades of knowhow in advanced carbon fibre design to overcome these issues and bring hydrogen power to the railways. “We are planning to develop customized vessels regarding to the restricted space available on the train” explains Project Manager Dr. Christian Wies. “It is very important for our customer to maximise the range of the train.”

NPROXX is currently working on a project to design, build and install core parts of a hydrogen refuelling station in the Rhineland area of Germany. Operating as part of a consortium, NPROXX will supply innovative hydrogen storage facilities for the refuelling station. The hydrogen refuelling station, at Meckenheim near Cologne, is one of two that have been commissioned by the regional transport operator, Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK).

RVK aims to significantly reduce the level of harmful emissions that is emitted by their current fleet of diesel-powered buses, including CO₂, NO_x, particulate matter and noise, without impacting the efficiency and operability. To achieve this, RVK has begun the acquisition of 30 fuel-cell hybrid powered buses, a move which clearly indicates the progressive view within the transport industry for clean, sustainable solutions that are suitable for heavy-duty everyday usage in a metropolitan and regional environment.

Emission-free public transportation

“The hydrogen refuelling stations to be built are a crucial element for RVK in order to be able to successfully shape the way to emission-free local traffic in our region,” says RVK managing director Eugen Puderbach. “The two plants to be built can currently supply up to 20 environmentally friendly hydrogen buses each with a total of 500 kilograms of hydrogen per day.”

The NPROXX refuelling solution used at Meckenheim is highly energy-efficient, offering quick and efficient refuelling using innovative hydrogen storage facilities. H₂ is stored in lightweight, high-strength carbon fibre pressure vessels, which are arranged across two separate storage systems, providing more than one tonne of hydrogen at a pressure of 500 bar.

“RVK is aiming to deploy a significant fleet of hydrogen powered buses to deliver public transport in the Cologne region, and so there is a clear need for the infrastructure to support this” explains NPROXX Project Manager Dr. Ing. Stephan Kronholz. “These fuel cell hybrid buses offer a number of really compelling advantages, including high range, short refuelling time and flexibility. They are an ideal solution for any low- or no-emissions transport strategy, but of course the ability to refuel these buses quickly is crucial, and this is where NPROXX innovative storage technology comes in.”