Institute for a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW)

Institute for Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW)

The Institute for a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW) at Forschungszentrum Jülich forms the core of the Helmholtz Cluster for a Sustainable and Infrastructure-Compatible Hydrogen Economy (HC-H2), one of the largest structural change projects in Germany.

The INW conducts basic research in the field of hydrogen storage and transport. The focus is on technologies for chemical hydrogen storage using liquid or easily liquefiable hydrogen carriers that can be handled in a similar way to conventional fossil fuels. The aim is to transfer basic research into application with the help of partners from research, universities and industry. We are working towards creating new jobs by attracting companies to settle in the Rhenish mining area, encouraging start-ups and spin-offs to emerge, and working with us towards the overall goal of making hydrogen a major energy source of the future.

Research Center Board Member Prof. Peter Jansens talks in an interview about the role of hydrogen technologies as a pillar of the bridge toward the energy system of the future. interview

With the INW, we are expanding our excellent portfolio of hydrogen research in Jülich to include topics that are so important for the energy industry of the future: storage, supply, and transport.
Prof. Peter Jansens, Member of the Board of Directors of Forschungszentrum Jülich

WE. KNOW. HYDROGEN

Development and Technical Implementation of optimised Processes for Chemical Hydrogen Storage

At the Institute for a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW), research activities on the storage, storage and transport of hydrogen from the nanoscale to the system level are being driven forward and closely interlinked.

The INW-1- ‘Catalytic Interfaces’ (nanoscale) department investigates the role and interactions of atoms and molecules in processes such as catalysis and other reactions. The optimal design of catalysts is the focus of the work in INW-2 - ‘Catalyst Materials’ (mesoscale) in order to make them suitable for use in large-scale plants. Researchers at INW-3 - ‘Reaction Engineering’ (reactor scale) investigate how chemical reactors can be made more efficient, for example by optimising heat and flow control. For this purpose, the Team is developing special models, components and concepts. The scientists at INW-4 ‘Process and Plant Engineering’ (system scale) are investigating how different methods of hydrogen production and storage can be optimally integrated into an overall industrial system.

This cross-scale approach is based on the understanding that materials, equipment, and processes that can contribute to innovations for a sustainable and infrastructure-compatible hydrogen economy must be developed on different length and time scales. These range from extremely fast processes at catalytic interfaces to the system stability of a plant network over many years.