Kawasaki Begins Demonstration Tests for Next-Gen Hydrogen Compressor: KM Comp-H2

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) has constructed a facility at its Harima Works in Kako-gun, Hyogo Prefecture, to demonstrate its KM Comp-H2 centrifugal hydrogen compressor for hydrogen liquefaction plants and has begun demonstrations using 100% pure hydrogen gas since January 2026. The effort stems from the Green Innovation Fund Project, “Development of Large-scale High-efficiency Equipment for Hydrogen Liquefiers,” sponsored by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, and represents a world-first trial aimed at hydrogen liquefaction applications.

The next-generation centrifugal compressor features ultra-high-speed rotation, enabling larger volumes of hydrogen gas to be compressed to high pressure in a smaller space compared to existing equipment. As a result, the demonstration facility requires approximately one-seventh of the installation space needed for conventional hydrogen compressors. The system also incorporates optimized gas cooling and high-efficiency impellers, reducing annual electricity consumption by 3% to 4% compared to existing technologies.

In addition to hydrogen liquefaction plants, the KM Comp-H2 can be applied across a wide range of hydrogen-related infrastructure, including hydrogen supply pipelines, underground storage facilities, oil refineries, steelworks, and ammonia plants. The company will continue evaluating the compressor’s performance in a 100% pure hydrogen environment, assessing part-load performance under simulated liquefaction conditions, and testing reliability during long-term continuous operation, among other evaluations.

Kawasaki aims to expand the utilization of hydrogen energy through this technology and build a hydrogen supply chain by integrating the KM Comp-H2 with its broader portfolio of turbines, engines, carrier vessels, tanks, and other products designed for hydrogen produced by the Kawasaki Group, supporting efforts to realize a global carbon-neutral society.

As global demand for hydrogen energy continues to expand, hydrogen supply costs must be reduced while the need for larger hydrogen liquefaction plants grows. However, equipment capable of achieving high compression ratios for large volumes of refrigerant hydrogen gas within a limited space—the core requirement of such plants—has not been available on the market until now. Kawasaki’s KM Comp-H2 is designed to address this challenge.

Hydrogen Supply System

Earlier this month, KHI and Kobe Steel jointly announced the operational start of a next-generation hydrogen fuel supply system for hydrogen-based power generation. Additionally, the duo began the world’s first supply of hydrogen fuel to a power generating facility using an intermediate fluid vaporizer (IFV) and a liquefied hydrogen pump capable of pressurizing above its critical pressure.

Under this demonstration project, KHI will improve the efficiency of its fuel supply system for a gas turbine generator which leverages a liquefied hydrogen pump to boost pressure, while Kobe Steel develops an IFV that utilizes cold energy derived from liquefied hydrogen. In January, hydrogen fuel was successfully supplied to a wet-type combustion gas turbine and, moving forward, the duo will supply hydrogen to a dry-type combustion gas turbine to validate operating performance under summer conditions and the long-term reliability of liquefied hydrogen pumps.

Hydrogen supplied to the power generating facilities must be pressurized, and boosting the pressure of gaseous hydrogen via conventional supply systems requires high compression force. Using liquefied hydrogen pumps in the supply system eliminates the need for high compression force, improving the energy efficiency of the overall generating system. The cold energy generated by IFV vaporization can be recovered and used for various applications, such as cooling gas turbine intake air, operating refrigerators and freezers, cooling data centers, and air conditioning for commercial and industrial use.