Kelvion cooperating with Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences to develop Low-Cost Hydrogen Refuelling Station

Kelvion’s K°BOND heat exchanger will be used for precooling the hydrogen just before it is dispensed into the vehicle. With its significant characteristics, the K°Bond has been established in recent years as an ideal heat exchanger solution for applications in the hydrogen environment and boasts an impressive reference list for these high pressure hydrogen coolers. Standard models were developed for the hydrogen market which resulted in short delivery times. For the OST, the compactness and low weight was a decisive factor for choosing K°Bond for their research project.

Growing demand for hydrogen
There is a growing momentum in the development of hydrogen mobility in Switzerland. A big contribution is being made by Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility and H2energy to bring 1600 H2 trucks into Swiss heavy goods traffic by 2025. This will inevitably lead to an increasing demand for hydrogen in Switzerland and other European countries, as well as an increasing need for filling stations to be able to transport this hydrogen into vehicles.

Since only larger filling stations from a few foreign manufacturers are available, this research project therefore aims to develop the prototype of a Swiss hydrogen filling station which, with a comparatively low CAPEX, should make it much easier to enter the world of hydrogen. Next to Kelvion the three Swiss companies Burckhardt Compression AG, Swagelok Switzerland – Arbor Fluidtec AG and Endress+Hauser Flowtec AG are involved in the project as implementation partners in the LCHRS-Projectwhich is planned to be completed by the end of 2022, to enable the field test phase to start. The final series product should have a modular structure and be adaptable to the needs of the customer.

About OST
OST has been in operation since September 1, 2020, when three existing and well-established universities of applied sciences, FHS St. Gallen, HSR Rapperswil and NTB Buchs, merged to form a strong new university of applied sciences in Eastern Switzerland.  Dynamic and innovative, OST strengthens Eastern Switzerland by providing inspiration for the future, and thus contributes significantly to the economic and social development of our region. As the university of applied sciences of the six cantons of Eastern Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein, OST currently has approximately 3,800 students in six schools, 1,500 professionals in executive education, and over 1,000 current research projects. We are the educational hub of the region, combining more than 170 years of education and research.