Kobe Steel
Novel heat exchanger supports hydrogen-refueling stations
The HyAC mini-A is a compact, all-in-one compressor package that is designed for hydrogen refueling stations in the U.S. (photo). The unit combines a high-pressure hydrogen compressor and a refrigerator that are packaged with a high-pressure storage tank and dispenser. The system includes compact micro-channel, diffusion-bonded heat exchangers. To meet the U.S. fueling protocol (a U.S. standard for temperature and pressure when fueling fuel-cell vehicles), the filling pressure of the HyAC mini-A was recently raised to 87.5 MPa. The system is also equipped with a remote monitoring system. — Kobe Steel Ltd., Tokyo, Japan