The Hydrogen Recirculation Blower works in conjunction with ZF’s Fuel Cell Air Compressor, which was announced in April 2023. The compressor supplies air to the fuel cell stack, facilitating the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, and uses turbo technologies for improved efficiency. Together, these products form part of ZF’s growing Balance of Plant (BoP) portfolio, supporting the efficient operation of fuel cell systems in commercial vehicles. Similar to the Fuel Cell Air Compressor, the Hydrogen Recirculation Blower is built to be durable, throughout the lifetime of the commercial vehicle, helping to reduce its Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
The Hydrogen Recirculation Blower, based on the turbomachinery concept, is compact, lightweight and optimized for efficiency. Its ultra high-speed electrical motor can reach up to 100,000 RPM, using air bearing technology to eliminate the need for lubrication and prevent contamination of the fuel cell stack. This ensures optimal efficiency and high media mass flows. Additionally, the system also includes an integrated inverter that supports 800 V high voltage systems.
ZF’s Hydrogen Recirculation Blower solution efficiently manages water and inert gases in the anode path. Thanks to the use of the patented electric media-gap motor technology, the water separator will be integrated directly in the device, and the need for active cooling is eliminated. This offers great advantages in packaging and less complexity in the system assembly.
