{"id":14955,"date":"2026-02-24T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zbt.de\/projects\/lhyve-cycle-intelligent-maintenance-concepts-for-hydrogen-bearing-systems\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T12:06:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T12:06:32","slug":"lhyve-cycle-intelligent-maintenance-concepts-for-hydrogen-bearing-systems","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/zbt.de\/en\/projects\/lhyve-cycle-intelligent-maintenance-concepts-for-hydrogen-bearing-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"LHYVE-Cycle - Intelligent maintenance concepts for hydrogen-bearing systems"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LHYVE-Cycle – Intelligent maintenance concepts for hydrogen-bearing systems<\/h1>\n

The partners in the LHYVE-Cycle project are developing an innovative system for flushing hydrogen tanks to make the commissioning and decommissioning of hydrogen systems safer, faster and more economical.<\/p>\n<\/h4>\n

The utilisation of hydrogen systems in applications such as heavy-duty vehicles, as well as for the transport of hydrogen, requires safe and cost-effective maintenance and repair processes<\/strong>. In particular, working with hydrogen storage systems and fuel cell systems presents new technical challenges for workshops, operators and manufacturers. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Flush tanks with nitrogen<\/h2>\n

For maintenance and repair work, hydrogen-bearing systems have to be taken out of operation and then put back into operation. Up to now, this has been very time-consuming, and depressurising and flushing the storage tanks in particular consumes a lot of nitrogen (N2<\/sub>) and hydrogen (H2<\/sub>). In the new LHYVE-Cycle project, a new type of flushing unit for hydrogen tanks<\/strong> is now being developed with an innovative simulation and AI-supported concept. This should make the commissioning and decommissioning of hydrogen systems safer and faster and consume less gas. <\/p>\n

During decommissioning<\/strong>, the hydrogen in the tank is displaced with nitrogen until its concentration is safely below the explosion limit. During (re)commissioning<\/strong>, oxygen from the ambient air in newly installed or opened storage tanks must first be removed with nitrogen before the tank can be filled with hydrogen. To meet quality specifications, the nitrogen must be completely removed from the tank by purging with hydrogen. <\/p>\n

Until now, these steps have been carried out using manually controlled pressure change cycles, which are based on highly simplified assumptions, are hardly monitored or checked and consume large quantities of gas – with limited process reliability and reproducibility at the same time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Automated flushing unit<\/h2>\n

The newly launched LHYVE-Cycle project<\/strong> addresses this very issue and is developing an innovative, comprehensive concept that combines modern simulation, intelligent data processing, and new technical solutions into a holistic maintenance approach<\/strong>. At the heart of the project is the goal of replacing the gas-intensive pressure-cycle purging of hydrogen storage systems – which has traditionally been performed manually – with a controlled, reproducible, and resource-efficient process. <\/p>\n

A holistic system consisting of a gas dynamic stratification model<\/strong>, a digital knowledge base with AI support<\/strong> and an automated system for commissioning and decommissioning<\/strong> is being developed for this purpose. This should enable operators to work safely, faster and with significantly lower gas consumption in the future – both stationary in workshops and mobile in the field. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Interdisciplinary Collaboration<\/h2>\n

The project is being implemented by an interdisciplinary consortium:<\/p>\n