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The BUTTING Group company is responsible for the development of the fueling line , including safety equipment .
vehicles must refuel , store , and carry compressed hydrogen at cryogenic temperatures .
Dr . Bernhard Reiter , Managing Director and Head of Development at BUTTING CryoTech , explains the specific challenges this entails : “ The refuelling coupling must be able to operate at extremely low , so-called cryogenic temperatures , while withstanding high pressure . At cryogenic temperatures , i . e ., temperatures below -200 ° C , ambient air liquefies or freezes . This places the highest demands on insulation , material selection , physical calculations , structural design as well as on the technical and high-quality implementation in the manufacturing of the products .”
In addition to trucks , CryoTech is also investing significant engineering and prototyping efforts in ships , airplanes , and trains to make these forms of transport clean and ready for the future .
A crucial feature is the vacuum insulation from BUTTING CryoTech . The refuelling coupling is enclosed in a vacuum envelope , similar to a thermos flask , preventing any cold parts from coming into contact with the environment during and after the refuelling process . This allows the user to touch everything without any protective precautions .
The BUTTING Group company is responsible for developing the fuelling line , including safety equipment . The Managing Director proudly reports : “ In being entrusted with this project , BUTTING CryoTech has taken on a great responsibility . We handle the material selection and testing as well as the strength analyses , we define the geometries based on the flow parameters , we define the refuelling protocol and thus the sequence of process steps and the development of the test scenarios .” The specification is clear : the hydrogen must remain highly pure – without air mixing . To this end , intensive underway to develop a cavityfree concept , which includes valve flushing .
“ The schedule agreed with the customer is to complete prototypes of the fuelling system in the summer of 2023 . At the same time , we are setting up a cryogenic high-pressure test stand in Burgkirchen , with the first tests planned for the summer . Our common goal is to quickly and continuously raise the level of maturity to meet the high standards of the vehicle industry by the time it is marketed ,” states Dr . Reiter . “ With this development achievement and end product , we at BUTTING CryoTech are making a significant and active contribution to the energy transition .”
10 Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 11 | August 2023