The scientific work in area 4 "System scale" of the INW is concerned with linking the hydrogen conversion units with the surrounding application-specific aggregates to form an optimized system. Depending on the application, the system under consideration may be, for example, a storage system (combination of electrolysis, conditioning hydrogen/storage material, hydrogenation reaction) or a hydrogen supply system (combination of dehydrogenation reaction, hydrogen purification and hydrogen compression).

In area 1 "Nanoscale" of INW, the focus is on the elementary processes on the catalyst surface during the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation of hydrogen storage molecules. In addition to the highest possible productivity and efficiency, the main aim here is to maximize selectivity in the storage cycle in order to avoid hydrogen losses and degradation of the storage molecules and to further reduce the costs of hydrogen storage.

In area 2 "Mesoscale" of the INW, the focus is on the packaging of the catalytically active centers in a suitable catalyst pellet or catalytically active shaped body, e.g. to enable the use of the corresponding materials in large-scale plants. The area investigates and optimizes the complex interplay of mass transport, heat transport and catalytic reaction at catalyst pellet level.

INW's Area 3 "Reactor Scale" deals with the scale of hydrogenation and dehydrogenation apparatuses. In this area, there is still enormous potential to increase volumetric productivity by optimizing heat management and hydrodynamics, which is especially critical for success in all applications with high power density requirements.

The scientific work in area 4 "System scale" of the INW is concerned with linking the hydrogen conversion units with the surrounding application-specific aggregates to form an optimized system. Depending on the application, the system under consideration may be, for example, a storage system (combination of electrolysis, conditioning hydrogen/storage material, hydrogenation reaction) or a hydrogen supply system (combination of dehydrogenation reaction, hydrogen purification and hydrogen compression).