World's first mobile liquid hydrogen refuelling station unveiled

South Korea-based Hylium Industries has unveiled what it claims to be the world’s first mobile liquid hydrogen fuelling station.

The company, which is a manufacturer of liquid hydrogen and helium, cryogenic liquid storage vessels and cryogenic accessories, was founded with the help of Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).

Hylium Industries says it is supported by K-ICT Born2Global Centre (K-ICT), a full-cycle service platform for global expansion, which supports promising technology companies in their efforts to enter global markets.

According to K-ICT, it expects the mobile liquid hydrogen refuelling station developed by its member company Hylium Industries to play a key role in resolving the shortage of hydrogen fuelling stations both in Korea and overseas.

The world's first mobile hydrogen fuelling station uses liquid hydrogen, rather than the high-pressure gas currently used by similar fuelling stations in the United States and Japan, Hylium's station stores hydrogen much more efficiently and safely.

The mobile refuelling station is a five-ton truck carrying fuelling equipment, including a liquid hydrogen pump, vaporiser, and dispenser, and can store up to 7,500 litres of low-pressure (3 bar) liquid hydrogen. The company claims the station is capable of fuelling up to 100 hydrogen-powered cars a day. Hylium Industries states that its fuelling station uses liquid hydrogen with a high purity of over 99.995 percent.

It states that one advantage of the mobile liquid hydrogen refuelling station is its use of a 900-bar liquid hydrogen pump system, which eliminates the need for a compressor and cooling system, which allows for significant reductions in equipment and driving costs.

Kim Seo Young, CEO, Hylium Industries, said, "In addition to being a 'green energy' technology, hydrogen technology is a cutting-edge field in which intensive research and development is being carried out all around the world. Hylium Industries' liquid hydrogen-based mobile hydrogen fuelling station will significantly contribute to the effort to expand the liquid hydrogen supply infrastructure for hydrogen-powered cars worldwide."

Founded in 2014, Hylium Industries claims it is the first company in Korea to have developed a technology for the storage of ultra-low temperature liquid hydrogen.