Advancing Hydrogen Transportation Innovation Through Collaborative Research
Reliable testing equipment is critical for advancing catalyst research, hydrogen technologies, and the development of cleaner, more sustainable chemical processes. In this customer success story, learn how ILS and Swagelok work together to develop highly automated chemical testing systems used across the chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, environmental, automotive, and emerging clean energy industries. These systems operate continuously under demanding conditions to evaluate catalyst performance, optimize process efficiency, and support innovations that help reduce emissions and improve energy sustainability. Reliability, safety, and performance are essential to protecting months of valuable research, particularly in applications related to hydrogen production, utilization, and storage. Discover how collaborative engineering support, high-quality fluid system components, and responsive problem-solving help accelerate equipment development, reduce downtime, and enable researchers to bring next-generation catalyst technologies, hydrogen innovations, and process improvements from the laboratory to commercial-scale production more efficiently.
Video Transcript
Empa’s aim is to transform our research results into marketable innovations through efficient technology transfer together with our research partners. We see ourselves as a bridge between research and application. That is why industry partners are of the utmost importance to us.
In this MOVE project, it was very interesting for us as Empa that we found a partner in Swagelok who was also prepared to tackle new things and implement new technologies together with us.
Swagelok is a key supplier to Empa for all their fluid system applications. MOVE is the Swiss mobility demonstrator, which opened in 2016 as a research platform for various technologies in the mobility sector. Since the beginning of the MOVE project, Swagelok has provided a number of services to help develop systems, particularly in the area of hydrogen applications.
We use Swagelok products in laboratory operations, but for several years, we have also had a cooperation where we use new technologies in the mobility demonstrator, primarily in the hydrogen sector. Reducing pollutants and CO2 in mobility is the overriding issue for us, and gaseous energy sources such as methane and hydrogen from renewable sources play a central role in this. For gaseous energy carriers, pressure-resistant systems, valves, connections, and related components play a key role.
Empa’s research covers a wide variety of areas. Therefore, many Swagelok products have been implemented into Empa applications. In the specific case of the hydrogen storage systems, the FK solution was selected.
When it comes to planning hydrogen plants, various safety-relevant points must be taken into consideration. In order to avoid needing to designate our lab as an explosive zone, laborious and complex fittings had to be used in the past, which had a massive impact on costs. For the mobility demonstrator, we were able to use a new type of fitting in cooperation with Swagelok and initiate the process with the approval authorities to classify these fittings as permanently tight.
The breakthrough of the FK series fittings within the Empa hydrogen solution was achieved by understanding the similarities between traditional Swagelok tube fittings and the new FK series fittings. The biggest advantages of the FK series tube fittings are ease of installation combined with the safety, reliability, and leak tightness they offer.
There is much to suggest that hydrogen propulsion will expand in the near future, especially in the heavy-duty segment. For this purpose, filling station operators and owners have joined forces to develop this sector. For hydrogen to become CO2-free, it must be produced from renewable sources. The advantage of hydrogen is that it can be produced when there is surplus renewable electricity available.
In cooperation with industrial partners, the basis of trust is very important for us. It is important to receive honest and correct information in order to build the best possible systems.
My hope for hydrogen as an alternative fuel is that we can collectively reduce the cost of the necessary equipment, helping it gain acceptance globally, and that we continue this exciting journey together while providing platforms for emerging technologies.
