Fuel cell systems need more than hydrogen to deliver power efficiently. They also need a controlled, reliable supply of air to the stack. That is why a compressor in a fuel cell system is not just an accessory. It is a core enabler of performance, efficiency, power density, control quality, and overall system integration.
We are pleased to inform you about the foundation of Celeroton TurboCell AG which is taking over all air compressor for fuel cell activities and products from Celeroton AG.
In the world of compressor technology, there are various approaches to compressing gases. The most common options are the turbo compressor and the side channel blower. In this article, you will find out what advantages the turbo compressor has over the side channel blower.
Piping, cabling, equipment, control, cooling connection: Simply explained using three typical areas of application for our products: Mobile application, stationary industrial application and test bench.
Hydrogen and fuel cells are considered key pillars of the energy transition. Among the various fuel cell applications, light commercial vehicles are particularly attractive because of the typical ranges and weight constraints required. Celeroton’s recently launched CT-/CC-2000 is a novel turbo compressor system, which is particularly suited for this vehicle segment and is especially efficient and reliable.
Vibration resistance of air bearing turbo compressors
An important aspect in mobile fuel cell applications is the vibration resistance, with vibration requirements up to 20 g in automotive applications. Read more in the paper how air bearing radial turbo (also called centrifugal) compressors are designed for this and see in a video how turbo compressors from Celeroton handle this requirement.
FC3 Fuel Cell Conference Chemnitz 2022 in retrospect
Technical presentation on the vibration resistance of our products: The FC3 networks researchers and companies from the fields of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
Developed for fuel cell air supply with a net output of 30 to 60 kW, the new turbo compressor system offers an outstanding power-to-weight ratio with values for air mass flow and pressure ratio that have been increased once again compared its predecessor. The maximum speed has also been increased, enabling a further reduction in installation space with a simultaneous increase in efficiency.
Novel high-speed turbo compressor with integrated inverter for fuel cell air supply
Fuel cell technology is continuously gaining ground in E-mobility applications. Fuel cells require a constant supply of pressurized air, for which high-speed turbo compressors with air bearings are an optimal choice to reduce size, guarantee oil-free operation required for the lifetime of the fuel cell, and increase efficiency.
Vibration testing of the CT-2X air-bearing turbo compressor for mobile fuel cell applications
Fuel cell technology is continuously gaining ground in E-mobility applications. Fuel cells require a constant supply of pressurized air, for which high-speed turbo compressors with air bearings are an optimal choice to reduce size, guarantee oil-free operation required for the lifetime of the fuel cell, and increase efficiency.
Turbo compressors for noble and inert gas applications
With the launch of the turbo compressor series CT-NG, Celeroton is further extending its product portfolio of ultra-high-speed, gas bearing turbo compressors with a turbo compressor specifically optimized for noble and inert gases. As a first variant of the turbo compressor series, the CT-NG-2000 is available for 100% oil-free compression of helium.
Noble or inert gas recirculation is used for various processes, such as cooling of sensitive equipment in physical experiments, semiconductor production equipment, additive manufacturing or in laser sources. These applications have large differences in the required pressure ratios and mass flows.
Celeroton presents the new CT-2X turbo compressor series with air bearings in order to meet the increased market demand for higher mass flow and pressure ratios. The CT-2X consumes the lowest available space, offers a long lifetime, oil-free operation, lowest weight and an optimized cost on the market.
Energy saving potential with oil-free turbo compressors in fuel cell systems
Due to their compact design and high efficiency, oil-free electrical turbo compressors are ideally suited for mobile fuel cell systems, e.g. in vehicles and thus have great energy saving potential compared to standard compressors. This article presents a comparison with other compressor technologies and the potential for improvement in converter topology.
The Swiss fuel cell company Swiss Hydrogen is already using the Celeroton oil-free air bearing turbo compressor CT-17.1000.GB with converter CC-120-1000 for the air supply of a 10 kW fuel cell range extender in a Fiat 500.
Design, commissioning and testing of gas bearing turbo compressors with gases other than air
Oil-free turbo compressors with gas bearings are not only used for the compression of air with 1 bar ambient pressure, but also for other pressure levels or refrigerants.
Is an ultra-high-speed turbo compressor the right compressor for your application?
"The technical application is defined, the pressure rise and the mass flow are determined, but which compressor type is the right one for this application?"
Safe operation of turbo compressors thanks to surge line detection
Celeroton converters allow for the monitoring of the operating status of a turbo compressor. Hence, the pumping of the compressor and potentially resulting system damage can be avoided.
Lighter and low-vibration satellites are possible due to magnetic bearing technology: The Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SBFI) supports one of our research projects.
For the cooling of electronics in future satellites, heat pumps might be the solution. They can be built to be more efficient, lighter and compact thanks to Celeroton’s turbo compressors. This was proven in a series of experiments with ground-breaking results.
The design of ultra-high-speed miniature centrifugal compressors
This paper describes experience in the development and application of several ultra-high-speed miniature centrifugal compressors with an impeller diameter less than 30 mm and using high speed electric motors to provide rotational speeds between 200,000 and 600,000 rpm.
Design and control of an ultra-high speed turbo compressor for the air management of fuel cell systems
The compressor is a crucial component of the Air Management System (AMS) used in fuel cell systems. The adoption of a turbo compressor can dramatically reduce the size of the AMS, which is a basic requirement for transportation applications. In this paper, the ultra-high speed turbo compressor technology is employed in the compressor design, which results in ultracompact size and high efficiency.
