HyCentA Research GmbH

HyCentA Research GmbH, founded in 2005 at Graz University of Technology, is one of the world’s leading research centers in hydrogen technology. Supported by the Austrian COMET K1 program, HyCentA combines scientific excellence with strong industry partnerships and together strives for a global sustainable energy system.

Its mission is to turning scientific research results into hydrogen technologies and applications for industry, mobility and the energy sectors. The HyCentA research program covers the entire hydrogen value chain – from renewable hydrogen production via advanced electrolysis and Power-to-X technologies to gaseous and liquid hydrogen storage, fuel cells, infrastructure, safety, and circular economy solutions. HyCentA drives projects from fundamental research through industrial development for commercialization and also involves students from higher education and academia.

A core strength of HyCentA is its comprehensive testing infrastructure. State-of-the-art laboratories and test stands enable performance, safety, lifetime, environmental, and high-pressure testing of components and systems under real operating conditions (–40°C to +85°C, up to 1000 bar). Facilities include fuel cell and electrolysis test benches for component, single cell up to MW system scale. Specialiszed laboratories are available for material performance characterization under high pressure gaseous and liquid hydrogen as well as special corrosion environments. Research is supported with instruments for gas analytics and hydrogen quality measurements according to ISO 14687-2 standard. Customized testing solutions are developed according to international standards.

The HyCentA research and engineering approach engages advanced simulation and digital optimization tools based on CFD, FEM, multi-physics modeling and high-performance computing in combination with data validation by laboratory and field experiments. AI and machine learning methods are integrated and employed for accelerating technology development and innovation, advanced productivity and cost reduction.

HyCentA Research is structured into four main areas:

• Electrolysis and Power-to-X
• Green Energy and Industry (hydrogen infrastructure, storage, compression and purification)
• Green Mobility (fuel cells, on-board hydrogen storage, propulsion systems) and
• Circularity and System Optimization (safety, degradation analysis, hydrogen quality, recycling & eco-design)

With hundreds of successful projects, HyCentA delivers integrated hydrogen research, testing, simulation, and strategic consulting services for worldwide customers, the society and for a sustainable environment.