Kawasaki Breaks Ground on World’s First Centrifugal Hydrogen Compressor for Liquefaction Plants

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. has begun construction of a groundbreaking demonstration facility for the KM Comp-H₂, a next-generation centrifugal hydrogen compressor designed for use in hydrogen liquefaction plants. Construction began on February 10, 2025, at the company’s Harima Works in Hyogo Prefecture.

This pioneering development is part of a Green Innovation Fund project titled “Development of Large-Scale High-Efficiency Machineries for Hydrogen Liquefiers,” led by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). With the manufacturing phase now complete, Kawasaki is moving into the demonstration stage—marking a major step forward in hydrogen infrastructure.

Notably, the KM Comp-H₂ is the world’s first centrifugal hydrogen compressor specifically developed for hydrogen liquefaction, a critical component in making hydrogen transportation and storage more viable and cost-effective.

The facility is scheduled for completion in November 2025, with a full year of operational testing to follow.

Why It Matters

Hydrogen liquefaction plays a pivotal role in lowering the cost of hydrogen supply. At the heart of the process, the KM Comp-H₂ boosts the pressure of refrigerant hydrogen gas, which is used to cool feed hydrogen gas—ultimately enabling efficient liquefaction.

Centrifugal compression of hydrogen has long been considered a technical challenge. This is because centrifugal compressors are typically less effective at high compression ratios, and hydrogen’s extremely low molar mass further limits compression efficiency. However, Kawasaki has taken on this challenge directly—designing the KM Comp-H₂ specifically to overcome these limitations and unlock the potential of centrifugal technology for mass-scale hydrogen liquefaction.

Leveraging over 50 years of experience in energy sector compressors, Kawasaki has engineered the KM Comp-H₂ to handle 100% pure hydrogen with greater efficiency, higher pressure boost, and a compact design.

Key Features of the KM Comp-H₂

• Breakthrough Pressure Boosting Performance: A newly developed ultra-high-speed impeller enables efficient compression of hydrogen—a notoriously light and fast-moving gas.
• Compact, High-Capacity Design: The centrifugal configuration handles high flow rates, reducing the required installation footprint by nearly 85% compared to conventional systems.

Beyond Liquefaction

The insights and technologies developed through the KM Comp-H₂ project are expected to extend beyond liquefaction. Kawasaki envisions adapting this compressor for future hydrogen supply pipeline applications—an area of growing demand as global hydrogen infrastructure scales up.

Looking Ahead

As part of its long-term commitment to building a comprehensive hydrogen supply chain, Kawasaki continues to drive innovation across hydrogen production, transportation, storage, and utilization. The company views hydrogen as a cornerstone of the clean energy transition and a critical enabler of global carbon neutrality.

This project is funded under the Green Innovation (GI) Fund by NEDO, supporting technologies for hydrogen liquefaction, hydrogenation, and dehydrogenation in large-scale hydrogen supply chains.

KM Comp-H₂ is recognized as the world’s first centrifugal hydrogen compressor for liquefaction plants, based on Kawasaki's research and market validation.