Case
Production of green hydrogen gas
Semcon is collaborating with Norwegian company Hystar to develop new technology for hydrogen gas production. The goal is to increase the amount of hydrogen gas produced through electrolysis with more than 150% – without using more energy.
CustomerHystar
IndustryEnergy
CompetencesProduction SimulationIndustrial automation
Background
Traditional production processes, in which hydrogen gas is produced from natural gas, emit large amounts of CO2. A more eco friendly alternative is water electrolysis, in which electricity is used to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. When electricity from renewable sources is used for this process, the result is classified as green hydrogen. This is where Hystar comes in to the picture, together with Semcon’s experts.
An important component in the EU’s climate goals
The recently published EU strategy for hydrogen gas identifies renewable, green hydrogen gas as crucial to achieving – one of the European Commission’s six priorities for the years 2019–2024.
The aim of the project is to develop a new generation of electrolysers that contain new design concepts for components, all in order to have the possibility to scale production depending on the needs. This has resulted in the project being conducted as a research and development project, where the challenges are handled in an interdisciplinary manner with significant analysis, experiments, and input from various experts.
The aim is that Hystar’s products can soon be used in many different industries as well as for fuel in all forms of transportation.
“It is fantastic to lead such an important project together with so many talented people. For us, it is very rewarding to be able to apply so much of our cutting-edge expertise in something that can make a big difference in the world. Together with Hystar, we solve complex problems, learn from each other and move closer to the goal”, says Tommy Ekman.
A team with expert competence
Semcon has appointed a cross-functional team in Semcon Studio at the Gothenburg office. The team gathers expertise and experience in fuel cell technology regarding mechanics and geometry, FEM (Finite Element Method) and CFD (Computational fluid dynamics). The project is a partnership that will run for 1.5-2 years in close dialogue with Hystar and the research institute Sintef in Norway.
In addition to the core team at Semcon in Gothenburg, Hystar will have access to Semcon’s additional cutting-edge expertise when the need arises.
This is part of our philosophy – instead of one resource we offer the customer maximum value by appointing a team that works together with the customer to ensure exactly the function that the customer requires.
– Johanna Stenfeldt, Country Manager Sweden West
Semcon’s size and technical experience from all industries means that there is a lot of in-house knowledge, available when needed.
Semcon contributes with expertise in:
FEM simulation in FEM with high pressures and many different nonlinear materials
CFD simulation for both pressure, speed and flow simulation (ANSYS)
Complex models in CAD with structure for fast updates for new releases (CATIA)
Design for Automation
Mechanical stack construction
Electrical stack construction
