KNF Pumps for the Hydrogen Economy

KNF pumps for hydrogen and fuel cells

Hydrogen, hydrogen carriers and fuel cell technology are all playing their part in shaping the energy transition. Reliable and low-maintenance pump technology is required at many points in the hydrogen value chain, e.g. for the transfer, recirculation and compression of gases. The transfer and dosing of liquid reaction components – i.e. liquid hydrogen carriers such as methanol, electrolyte, condensate and alkaline solutions – also play an important role in ensuring efficient energy generation. KNF is an established global provider of solutions for these requirements and specializes in the development and design of diaphragm pumps.

The number of KNF pumps in fuel cell systems has been growing continuously since the 2000s. Research and industry use these liquid pumps and gas pumps with low power consumption to make the entire system as efficient as possible.

New gas pump for fuel cells

The new NMP 820 micro diaphragm gas pump is perfectly suited for transfer and recirculation tasks in compact fuel cell systems. The pump series, with single and twin head variants, achieves a maximum flow rate of 3.5 l/min, an operating pressure of up to 1.2 bar g and a vacuum of up to 100 mbar absolute.

With this performance, the NMP 820 micro pump series’ provides an outstanding size-to-output ratio. Equally exceptional are the low noise and vibration levels. The gas pump’s properties are complemented by excellent levels of adjustable control, low maintenance expenditure and a long service life.

This makes the new NMP 820 gas pump the ideal H2 recirculation pump for mobile fuel cell systems, such as those that are becoming increasingly popular as an off-grid power source in the leisure sector. With these properties, the NMP 820 is also ideal for use as a gas sampling pump in hand-held devices and systems for hydrogen detection.

Low-pulsation liquid pump for fuel cells

To operate a fuel cell efficiently, the process media – liquid hydrogen carriers such as methanol, ammonia or water/condensed water – must be transferred and metered safely. The FP 70 liquid pump is ideal for this purpose.

The FP 70 is the latest addition to KNF’s Smooth Flow pump series. The Smooth Flow pump series combines the advantages of diaphragm pump technology with the benefits of gear pumps. The result is a range of pumps that are self-priming, safe to operate dry and additionally work with particularly low pulsation.

The highly efficient pump reduces the pressure resistance in the hoses and significantly improves the flow rate, which can be crucial when using hoses with small diameters. A fuel cell system benefits from smooth, low-pulsation handling of liquid processing media. This is particularly advantageous in methanol fuel cells with reformers because it allows even evaporation to be achieved without pressure peaks.

KNF FP 70 liquid pumps can also be used in production plants that use inkjet printing technology to apply the catalyst layers of the membrane electrode assembly, the heart of PEM fuel cells. The FP 70 gently and precisely feeds the catalytic ink to the printing process. 

The KNF FP 70 achieves a flow rate of up to 850 ml/min and is designed for continuous operation at up to 2 bar g.

KNF pumps can be adapted for the tasks in a fuel cell

Thanks to their modular system, KNF pump series models can be modified to meet the customer’s specific requirements. For example, the required gas tightness, the motors and the material of the pump components which come into contact with the medium can all be customized accordingly.

In all types of fuel cells, KNF’s durable liquid pumps and gas pumps process hydrogen and hydrogen carriers such as methanol, ammonia, natural gas or biogas reliably.

Excellent control is the hallmark of KNF pumps, not least owing to the fact that the motors can be parameterized to a very high degree. KNF pumps run oil-free. ATEX-compliant pumps are also available from the mains voltage motor range.