Consortium to work on hydrogen/CCUS; FlatHyStor to work on hydrogen storage

EQT Corporation, Equinor, GE Gas Power, Marathon Petroleum, Mitsubishi Power, Shell Polymers and US Steel have formed a new alliance that will play an important role in decarbonising the industrial base in the Northern Appalachian region of the US.

The alliance will work with stakeholders to support a low-carbon and hydrogen industrial hub in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, a national model for sustainable energy and production systems.

The hub concept will focus on carbon capture, utilisation & storage (CCUS), and hydrogen production and utilisation. This large-scale, regional approach will require new public-private partnerships across borders and sectors.

The Northern Appalachian Region brings tremendous assets, from world-class universities and national laboratories to deep-rooted industrial capabilities, with key manufacturing, materials, and energy strengths. Participants will define the vision and plans for a regional CCUS/hydrogen hub that can drive economic resurgence and technical innovation, secure industrial jobs, and attract new companies and investments to the region.

The alliance will engage industry, labour, universities, communities, government, research institutions, non-profit organisations and other groups in these efforts. It is being facilitated by IN-2-Market, a regional non-profit organisation that will coordinate alliance activities and engagement with regional stakeholders.

FlatHyStor project

BMW AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, TesTneT Engineering GmbH and Hexagon Purus are working together on R&D of an innovative hydrogen storage system solution for future fuel cell passenger cars.

The project is called FlatHyStor – “Functional design and testing of an innovative hydrogen tank system”. The project aims to develop an advanced hydrogen storage system solution for the flat space of light-duty car underbodies that are usually intended to integrate the battery modules in Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs).

The consortium is led by the German automaker BMW AG, coordinating the different activities and providing the technical specifications for the storage system integration and application.

Hexagon Purus will develop the high-pressure hydrogen cylinders and the corresponding vehicle integration structure. Robert Bosch GmbH will develop the advanced tank valve and high-pressure regulator technology, and TesTneT Engineering GmbH will validate the storage components according to the latest codes and standard evolutions.

The first prototypes of the 700 bar high-pressure storage systems will be delivered by the end of 2022. The project has a total project budget of € 6 million and has been granted funding by the German BMWi (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy).