Gas Technology Institute, with funding support from the DOE, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the University of Texas's Center for Electromechanics (UT-CEM), is deploying the first permanent, publicly accessible hydrogen fueling station in the State of Texas.

The fueling station is an example of GTI's cutting edge concept of packaging a complete, integrated system in a skid-mounted container package that is easy to install, remotely operated, and can be maintained with minimal training and oversight.

Hydrogen stored as a vehicle fuel needs to be in a high-energy density state for on-board vehicle storage. For the near-term, high-pressure hydrogen storage is the most practicable option. Working with the USDOE and others, GTI developed onsite natural gas-to-hydrogen fueling systems using compact steam methane reforming technology. These efforts resulted in a highly integrated package with initial capability to produce about 50 –80 kg of hydrogen per day. This system can be scaled to larger sizes. GreenField Compression Inc., of Richardson, Texas, has licensed GTI's technology and expects to offer a 200-kg/day system in the future.

The heart of the fueling system is GTI's patented fuel processor. This fuel processor includes a steam methane reformer and single-stage shift reactor to efficiently maximize hydrogen production. The unit is fully integrated with internal steam generation and heat recovery that results in extremely high efficiencies in generating hydrogen (80% efficiency and above).

This integrated system provides fast-fill capability – that is, fueling a vehicle in a few minutes – using a patented cascade storage technology. Nominal vehicle fill pressures are 350 bar (5000 psig). In addition to natural gas, ethanol or biodiesel can also be used as a hydrogen source.

This system is being deployed in Austin, Texas where it will fuel a vehicle fleet operated by the University of Texas and other local Austin partners. The first vehicle is a fuel cell powered shuttle bus that will operate at the J.J. Pickle Research Center, located about ten miles north of downtown Austin. Other vehicles will be added as the program progresses. GTI and UT-CEM expect this project to lead to a continuing program of vehicle and infrastructure upgrades, and plan to add an education and outreach component to the program in the near future.