AMBARtec AG and Purem by Eberspächer intend to cooperate closely in the production of iron nugget tanks and their integration into 20 ft containers for the efficient and safe storage and transport of hydrogen.
The CEO of AMBARtec, Matthias Rudloff, and Benjamin Brenkel, Executive Vice President Business Unit Europe of Purem by Eberspächer, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect in Esslingen on 11 February 2025.
Industrial scale production of containers and storage tanks
AMBARtec plans to sell several hundred of its 20 ft standard storage containers per year from 2028. Each contains 10 tanks for the iron nuggets, which can carry the equivalent of up to 800 kg of hydrogen.
The tank design has to meet several criteria: it has to create optimal conditions for the processes involved in storing and withdrawing the hydrogen, the dimensions and weight have to meet the transport requirements, and the tanks have to be economical to produce. "To achieve this, we need a partner with extensive practical expertise, particularly in automated welding and industrial series production in general," explained Uwe Pahl, Technical Director of AMBARtec. "Purem by Eberspächer has exactly this knowledge and already works with the same steel grades that we use for the tanks. The company is also able to set up a production line within a relatively short period of time."
"We see great potential for a future technology in the cooperation with AMBARtec: thanks to our expertise in the field of hydrogen materials science and our industrialisation know-how, we are adding great value to the development of new storage and transport options for this energy source," added Benjamin Brenkel, Executive Vice President Business Unit Europe.
Cooperation with Purem by Eberspächer in pilot phase
AMBARtec is currently optimising and testing the prototype of its 800 kg storage tank. Matthias Rudloff, CEO of AMBARtec AG, stated: "Purem by Eberspächer is now helping us to gain insights from the pilot phase for subsequent series production and to contribute its knowledge to product optimisation – with the aim of manufacturing the product as economically as possible."
Preparations for series production are being made in a joint project with the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. The Free State of Saxony and the EU are funding this project with around €4 million from the 'Joint R&D Project Funding 2021 – 2027' programme. As a result, Europe's first hydrogen storage power plant will be built in Freiberg by early 2026.