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News — The world’s first technology to fundamentally prevent temperature rise during high-pressure hydrogen charging has been developed. This innovation significantly shortens refueling time and reduces the cost of establishing and operating hydrogen refueling infrastructure. By greatly enhancing the safety and efficiency of hydrogen refueling systems, the technology is expected to accelerate the adoption of hydrogen mobility and infrastructure, ultimately strengthening global competitiveness in the hydrogen economy.

A research team led by Principal Researcher Dae-Hwan Kim at the Nuclear Equipment Verification Laboratory of the Busan Machinery Technology Research Center under the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (President Seog-Hyeon Ryu, hereinafter referred to as KIMM) has successfully developed and demonstrated this new technology using an incompressible fluid. Through 350 bar hydrogen charging demonstration tests, the team proved that the internal temperature rise of the tank can be suppressed to within 5°C, enabling hydrogen charging without any need for pre-cooling.

Traditionally, hydrogen refueling has relied on injecting hydrogen cooled to -40°C to prevent a rise in temperature during charging. However, this method results in longer charging times and requires additional cooling systems, which in turn increase infrastructure costs. The newly developed method stands out by fundamentally eliminating temperature rise using an incompressible fluid, enabling safe and stable hydrogen charging without a cooling system.

The principle behind the technology involves pre-filling the hydrogen tank with an incompressible fluid (such as water) before charging. As hydrogen is introduced, the fluid is simultaneously extracted, preventing adiabatic compression within the tank. This process mitigates the rapid temperature increase of hydrogen and the corresponding rise in internal pressure, allowing faster and more efficient refueling.

This innovation not only improves charging speed compared to existing methods, but also keeps temperature under control—enhancing user convenience and economic benefits for infrastructure operators. Since it does not require high-performance cooling systems, it also offers a substantial reduction in facility setup and maintenance costs. Additionally, by preventing thermal degradation of internal tank components, it improves long-term durability, further lowering maintenance costs for hydrogen vehicles and infrastructure.

Principal Researcher Dae-Hwan Kim stated, “This newly developed technology overcomes the limitations of existing hydrogen charging methods and dramatically improves infrastructure efficiency. We are currently exploring its potential application not only in vehicles, but also in large-capacity hydrogen containers used in ships, trains, and military vehicles. This will be a pivotal technological advancement for promoting the hydrogen economy and securing global market competitiveness.”

This research was conducted with support from KIMM’s Major Project, under the initiative titled “Industrial Support and Planning for Promising Future Mechanical Technologies – Development of Temperature Rise Prevention Technology for Hydrogen Tanks During Refueling.”

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The is a non-profit government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT. Since its foundation in 1976, KIMM is contributing to economic growth of the nation by performing R&D on key technologies in machinery and materials, conducting reliability test evaluation, and commercializing the developed products and technologies.