Together with the Fraunhofer IWU and Siemens Energy, the EFDS hosted a symposium in the historic town of Görlitz.
The symposium
Old Town GörlitzUnderthe motto "Surface functionalization - key technology for an efficient hydrogen economy", the European H2 Symposium was held from 13-14 September 2021 in Görlitz at the Siemens Innovation Campus. The event, organized by the European Research Association for Thin Films (EFDS), was hosted by Siemens Energy. More than 70 participants from research and industry came to the event to find out about current developments in this field, exchange experiences and also maintain old contacts and make new ones.
Hydrogen is a central component of a future environmentally friendly energy supply. Many activities are underway in basic and applied research and industrial development to enable its use. The European H2 Symposium was able to make a contribution to this objective and bring together important players from research, industry and politics for an interdisciplinary exchange.
From production to transportation and use, the surfaces with which the hydrogen comes into contact play a decisive role. Targeted functionalization is often necessary.
It will also be important for future success to consider the entire process chain from research and development through to industrial implementation. The cost side must not be neglected, as the use of hydrogen is only one of several climate-friendly options and must be able to hold its own against the competition.
Introduction of the host and plant tour
After the symposium was opened and the participants were welcomed by EFDS Managing Director Grit Köckritz, Dr. Yashar Musayev from Siemens energy Global GmbH & Co. KG in Erlangen presented the H2 activities.
He introduced the topic with his presentation "Green hydrogen as one of the primary energy sources in the future". Hydrogen can be produced in various ways, but its production by electrolysis of water is only environmentally friendly if only "green" electricity (e.g. from wind power or photovoltaics) is used. This can be safely generated, transported, stored and also used, for example, in fuel cells for electric cars. Siemens energy has in-depth expertise along the entire energy chain and already has experience with high-performance prototypes (e.g. PEM technology).
"Siemens Energy Görlitz site and Görlitz Innovation Campus" - in this presentation, site manager Sven Werner provided information on safety guidelines and prepared the participants for the subsequent tour of the plant. This gave the participants the opportunity to learn about the manufacturing process for steam turbines and components, from blade production to assembly. Siemens energy is cooperating with research institutions and industrial companies at the Görlitz Innovation Campus and initial research projects are underway. The location also offers space for further settlements.
The presentations
Siemens Energy Görlitz siteThesecond day of the event was opened by Dr. Sylvia Schattauer, Fraunhofer IMWS, with her keynote speech "Green hydrogen for aCO2-neutral industry - technology transfer to application areas". Using several examples, she provided information on the potential applications of hydrogen, but also pointed out the limitations, e.g. that there may not be enough climate-neutral electricity available for hydrogen production in the long term. Decarbonization alone (e.g. in the steel industry) would require large quantities of (green) hydrogen. In Germany, several networks and hydrogen labs already exist in Görlitz, Leuna and Bremerhaven.
The subsequent presentation "Green hydrogen as the key to a decarbonized future - opportunities and challenges for German industry" was given by Dr. Florian Gruschwitz, MAN Energy Solutions SE, Augsburg. He named four elements for successful decarbonization (switch to renewable energies, use of "green" hydrogen, storage of carbon and eFuels). Only by using all elements will it be possible to achieve the goals of the energy transition. "Green" hydrogen will play an important role in this. MAN ES has an extensive portfolio of technologies and solutions for this, as demonstrated by the example of a cement factory calcination process based on MAN technology. TheCO2 produced during the chemical reaction is liquefied using MAN geared compressors and can then be transported and stored.
"Hydrogen as an energy carrier - coatings for electrochemical cells" - Dr. Mehmet Öte, Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, Herzogenaurach, presented innovative coating systems for components of electrochemical cells that are used, for example, in fuel cells or water electrolysis. A wide range of coating solutions are available in the Schaeffler Coating Toolbox. These include Enertect carbon-based coatings (DLC), which are corrosion-resistant and electrically conductive and can also increase the service life of the cells. Schaeffler offers customized coating solutions from samples to large-scale production.
"Coating of fuel cells and electrolyser plates - scaling up to high volumes" - in this presentation, Roel Bosch, IHI Hauzer Techno Coating B.V., Venlo, provided information on newly developed coating systems and the plant technology with which hydrogen technology components can be manufactured both more cost-effectively and in larger quantities. Until now, materials such as graphite, gold or platinum have been used for PEM fuel cells or electrolysers. Electrodes for conducting electricity (bipolar plates) must be extremely resistant to corrosion and have high electrical conductivity; they have so far been coated with gold. This expensive coating can now be replaced by carbon-based coatings (DLC), for example. Bosch also presented a process with which gold dots can be applied using thermal spraying (DOT™). Good electrical conductivity is achieved with a coverage of just a few percent. Hauzer has the process and system technology to produce such coatings economically and in large quantities.
"In-line-capable solutions for coating and structuring for fuel cells and electrode material" - Dr. Teja Roch, Fraunhofer-IWS, Dresden, reported in his presentation on projects carried out jointly with TU Dresden. A roll-to-roll process was developed for the surface functionalization of bipolar plates using PVD, with which 100 meters of steel strip could already be coated in a continuous vacuum process. Proof was provided that the quality of the coil-coated plates is similar to those produced in batch operation. The deposited carbon-based layers were at least comparable to gold in terms of corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity. By structuring using "Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP)", a multi-beam process with a polygon scanner for laser beam splitting, it was possible to achieve a doubling of the internal volume of metal foams. Analyses of their structure showed that a micro/nano structure could be created in the surface area of the foams.
The exhibitors were pleased with their "non-virtual" appearance"New materials and components for water electrolysis" - Prof. Marco Carmo, Forschungszentrum Jülich, provided information on this topic. Improving the efficiency of electrolysers, increasing their service life and, in particular, reducing investment and operating costs will be crucial to the successful use of environmentally friendly hydrogen technology. To this end, the speaker presented various approaches, including catalyst-coated membranes for PEM electrolyzers, membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) and new porous transport layers. A new MEA concept enables a very thin application of the layers by slot-dye coating. Platinum/iridium-based materials are being investigated as electrocatalysts for PEM electrolyzers. New porous transport layers (based on iridium, platinum, gold) were also developed and evaluated. The coatings based on iridium and platinum showed the best properties.
"Coatings for hydrogen applications - proven and new concepts for climate-neutral mobility concepts" was the topic of the presentation by Christian Scholz, Oerlikon Balzers Coating Germany GmbH, Bingen. Barrier coatings have been used for years to prevent hydrogen from coming into direct contact with surfaces and thus prevent hydrogen embrittlement of high-strength steels. However, new coatings need to be developed for tribological systems in a hydrogen atmosphere, e.g. in the periphery of fuel cells. This is necessary because hydrogen has practically no lubricity. Balzers has a broad coating portfolio available for the various problems, including carbon-based coatings (DLC) for friction reduction, carbon and nitride-based coatings for wear protection and nitride or oxide-based coatings for corrosion protection. Aspects such as dry running, temperature load and the coefficient of friction must be taken into account and evaluated.
Questions on the "Standardization of fuel cells" were answered by Dr. Corinna Harms, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Oldenburg. She gave an overview of standardization at national and international level. She also presented two projects funded by the BMVI (BePPel, QM-GDL), in which comparable and reliable methods for defining quality characteristics of the fuel cell components bipolar plate and gas diffusion system are being developed.
"Corrosion tests on bipolar plates" was the topic of the presentation by Dr. Susan Seifert, Vitesco Technologies GmbH, Limbach-Oberfrohna. Bipolar plates are a core component of polymer electrolyte membranes (PEM) fuel cells and electrolysis stacks. They must be manufactured cost-effectively in large series and guarantee a long service life. In the lecture, methods for corrosion analysis were presented that enable a quick preselection of materials and coatings. The results of 3-electrode measuring arrangements and further analysis options were reported, with which, for example, the corrosion behavior of coating systems such as Ti/C and Ti/Au can be compared with unsuitable uncoated steel strip in terms of corrosion technology.
In a final presentation, Hagen Bültemeier presented the "Lusatia energy system - potentials for a hydrogen economy". The concept study by DBI Gas- und Umwelttechnik GmbH, Leipzig, shows how hydrogen as an alternative to coal-based heat and power supply could make the Lusatia region a beacon of the energy transition.
If you are interested in giving a presentation, please contact the EFDS (www-efds.org) or the authors directly.
The industry exhibition
The symposium was accompanied by an industry exhibition. Exhibitors also had the opportunity to briefly present their activities during the symposium (exhibitor pitch).
The panel discussion:
In a panel discussion chaired by EFDS Managing Director Grit Köckritz, representatives from politics, business and research (Siemens Energy, MAN Energy, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Saxon State Ministry for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture) explored the question of how the potential of hydrogen should be viewed from the perspective of the energy transition and what needs to be done. There was general agreement that hydrogen will play a central role, but that many questions still need to be clarified. Germany can export technology, but will probably have to import hydrogen from countries where solar power can be generated cheaply. There will not be enough climate-neutral electricity available in the country itself, as a complete phase-out of nuclear and coal energy has also been decided.
Transportation/interim storage would cause further costs and could call into question the economic viability compared to existing alternatives. The decarbonization of industry alone would require a great deal of additional hydrogen. It must also be taken into account that hydrogen production can only take place in politically stable and predictable countries due to security of supply. Otherwise we will run into the same problems as during the 1973 oil crisis. We will also have to be quick enough in developing/implementing the necessary technologies so that others (China, Japan) do not beat us to the punch once again! In the near future, it will be important to bundle widely dispersed capacities in Germany in a targeted manner and to provide appropriate state support. Hydrogen must become much "greener" than before.
