Tomoe Shokai (President: Sadao Fukao) is constructing an off-site H2 station using low carbon H2, which is supplied by Showa Denko who use waste plastics as raw material. The station will be completed toward the end of May for planned opening in June 2017.

The station is being constructed according to the adoption by NeV (Next Generation Vehicle Promotion Center) of Subsidized Project 2016 to support Supply Facilities for Fuel Cells. Out of the investment amounting to approximately 500 million yen, the half of the cost is procured by the subsidized fund. The location at Koto-ku, Tokyo has been selected putting into the fields of view the supply of hydrogen to FCVs which is introduced as locomotion vehicles for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

It is most characteristic that the station thoroughly adopts low carbon hydrogen which deserves being called “ecological hydrogen”. This H2 is produced as the raw material of Showa Denko’s ammonia (trade name of “EcoAm”) in its Kawasaki Plant. Showa Denko conduct reforming raw materials, which are used plastics of household wastes into hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The hydrogen becomes the material of EcoAm and carbon dioxide transforms into LCO2 or dry ice. The low carbon hydrogen which is supplied to Tomoe utilizes this hydrogen.

As the hydrogen of raw material for EcoAm has to increase purity level, then filled into curdles or trailers for distribution to Tomoe’s stations. It is the first attempt in Japan to use low carbon hydrogen in commercial stations. In addition, all facilities of the filling package playing the core role of the station are made in Japan, and the pre-cooler associated into the dispenser employs a heat exchanger of the shell and coil system which the company has developed for itself under the support of NEDO. This heat exchanger, they say, is capable to save power consumption by 40% comparing with the conventional chiller by means of loading an energy-saving mode at the chiller side.

Type 3 accumulator of 200ℓ×5 and reciprocating compressor of 340m3/h are introduced respectively. The equipment is designed to enable a continuous filling of 6 FCVs per hour. All the designing and engineering are carried out by the company.

The office to research new business which in charge of this H2 station project says, “For the time being no earning can be expected from the business due to the small number of running FCVs, but our top management dared to decide to tackle the H2 station managing business aiming at future involvement in H2 energy and contribution to the society. Through the station-management business, we would like to investigate thoroughly the role of an industrial gas company for the hydrogen society.”