Catalysts of Innovation in Controlled Pressure: Hydrogen Sector

The emergence of hydrogen as an additional answer to energy needs marks a new and promising era in the quest for sustainable and environmentally friendly energy solutions. This light, high-energy gas presents itself as a future energy vector, capable of transforming our way of producing, storing, and using energy. As the world resolutely moves towards decarbonization and energy transition, the hydrogen sector, with its multiple applications ranging from green mobility to the stabilization of electrical grids, is booming. This exponential growth opens unprecedented horizons for innovation and engineering, fields in which Comex excels.

At Comex, thanks to our history, we understand the complexity and challenges associated with hydrogen, particularly in terms of handling and storage under high pressure. With our pioneering expertise in mastering pressures and manufacturing specialized machinery, we are ideally positioned to play a key role in this energy revolution. Through our innovative approach and technical know-how, we develop customized solutions that meet the demands of the hydrogen sector, particularly in terms of safety and efficiency. Our reputation is built on our ability to meet the most complex technical challenges and to provide tailor-made solutions that precisely meet the specific needs of our clients. Thanks to a team of highly qualified engineers and technicians, Comex has forged unparalleled expertise in creating systems capable of handling, testing, and containing high-pressure gases, a critical skill in the rapidly growing hydrogen sector.

At the Heart of Innovation: Specialized Machinery for Hydrogen:

At the core of Comex’s expertise lies the design and creation of specialized machinery, a field in which we have already made significant achievements, especially in the hydrogen sector. Our custom-made testing machines for hydrogen tanks, integrated into a fully automated production line, are examples of our ability to meet complex technical challenges. Fully automated, they fit into our clients’ production lines and meet their need for high-speed testing. Designed to ensure safety and performance, these machines demonstrate our mastery of high-pressure and high-cycle testing processes, a crucial aspect in hydrogen handling.

Similarly, our custom-made containment chambers showcase our ability to design solutions that combine enhanced safety with optimal performance. These chambers, essential for the safe experimentation of handling hydrogen under high pressure, reflect our commitment to providing equipment that meets the strictest standards and integrates seamlessly into production lines.

These achievements, most of which remain confidential at our clients’ request, testify to our technical expertise and our capacity to meet cutting-edge requirements, representing milestones in our journey of innovation and collaboration with key players in the sector. The constantly evolving hydrogen sector offers fertile ground for new applications and innovations. At Comex, we are resolutely forward-looking, continuously exploring new ways to expand our range of specialized machinery to meet the emerging challenges of the sector. Our commitment to innovation and quality places us in an ideal position to develop novel solutions that will shape the future of this industry.

High-Pressure Solution for Hydrogen:

Development of Ultra High Pressure (UHP) Valves

We have taken a new step in the engineering of high-pressure solutions, with particular attention to the development of ultra high pressure valves. These components, essential in the management of high-pressure gases, play a key role in the control and safety of processes. Our approach in designing these valves combines technological innovation and engineering expertise, resulting in products capable of operating at pressures up to 2000 bars with unparalleled precision. Each valve we design is the result of thorough research and meticulous development. By optimizing the performance and durability of these components, we contribute to enhancing the safety and efficiency of hydrogen systems./p>

Our Test Center: A Pillar of Validation and Qualification

The Comex hypobaric and hyperbaric test center is equipped with unique facilities offering testing services for both internal and external pressure, meeting a wide range of requirements and specifications. It includes a series of test means of various pressures, sizes, and capacities, ranging from a few deciliters to several cubic meters, thus offering unparalleled flexibility for the qualification of equipment and intervention methods in extreme environments.

Our Test Center stands out as a key player in the field of research and validation. With constant technological advancements, our center has become an essential hub for testing, measurements, and validation. Its reputation attracts companies from sectors as diverse as energy, industry, medical, marine, aeronautics/space, defense, as well as scientific research participants.

By integrating our test center into our range of services for the hydrogen sector, we underline our determination to offer complete solutions to our partners. Our commitment to innovation drives us to constantly push the boundaries of what we can test and validate, thus affirming our leadership role in the field of testing and trials under extreme conditions, thereby strengthening our position as a pioneer in innovation and research.

Comex’s Design Office: An Incubator of Innovations

Our design office, a true incubator of innovations, is at the heart of our approach to excellence. Comprising three specialized poles – Fluids, Mechanics, and Control Command – it is the place where creativity meets precision engineering, where new ideas are continuously explored, tested, and implemented. This proactive approach allows us to develop advanced technologies, such as ultra-high-pressure valves, cutting-edge containment systems, and custom-made test machines, which set the industry standards.

Our journey is marked by fruitful collaborations with industrialists from multiple sectors, testifying to our ability to adapt and innovate according to the specific needs of each client. Partnerships of over thirty years with some leading players like Rolex are the best testimonies of the recognition of our expertise. This versatility and expertise ideally position us to make a significant contribution to the development of the hydrogen sector, where safety, reliability, and efficiency are paramount.

In summary, Comex represents more than just a manufacturer of specialized machines; we are a strategic partner in the deployment of cutting-edge technologies for hydrogen, ready to meet today’s challenges and anticipate those of tomorrow.

Conclusion

The impact of Comex in the hydrogen sector is multidimensional. Through our specialized machinery, including custom-made testing systems, advanced containment chambers, ultra-high-pressure valves, and our unique test center, we have demonstrated our ability not only to meet the current technical challenges but also to anticipate the future needs of this rapidly evolving sector.

We are aware that success in this field relies not only on technological advancements but also on collaboration and knowledge sharing. That’s why we are committed to working hand in hand with other industry players.

At Comex, we are proud to be part of this adventure, bringing our expertise, passion, and commitment towards a responsible and sustainable future for all.

Hydrogen: Mastering pressures. Creating the future

Looking towards the future for over sixty years

Over the decades, Comex has consistently pushed the boundaries of innovation to provide advanced technological solutions. Whether it’s on the technical side, creating high and low-pressure compatible systems, or on the physiological side, advancing our understanding of the impact of pressure variations on the human body, Comex has consistently created and experimented.

Today, we continue with this vision of the company. Therefore, we are pleased to announce that for several months, our company has been participating in developments in a promising market: hydrogen.

A heritage of expertise and innovation

Our commitment to hydrogen is not a fresh start for us but rather a natural evolution of our expertise. In fact, since its inception, Comex has positioned itself as a leading company in the development of breathing mixtures for divers and deep-sea workers, establishing a world record at -701 meters. These remarkable advancements were the result of the ambitious research program called “HYDRA.” These pioneering experiences took place over 18 years and allowed us to understand the unique properties of hydrogen and cultivate a solid knowledge base on this gas and its handling.

Innovating for the future of hydrogen

Today, hydrogen is emerging as one of the key fuels for our energy future. It offers new perspectives in areas such as transportation, energy storage systems, green electricity production, and much more. Our company is determined to contribute to this energy revolution with its expertise.

With six decades of experience, we are ready to tackle technical challenges and create innovative solutions. Our teams of experts are at the forefront of research and development, working on new technologies, special machinery, containment chambers, and various applications with controlled pressure. Our goal is to ensure the safety, efficiency, and reliability of hydrogen systems.

Partnerships for a sustainable future

The large-scale deployment of hydrogen for energy production can only be achieved by overcoming several technological barriers. Comex is determined to contribute its skills and knowledge to address these challenges, in partnership with other industrial players and research institutes. We work closely with our partners to jointly shape a sustainable and prosperous future.

Comex’s legacy in pressure mastery positions us ideally to tackle the challenges related to hydrogen and open new perspectives for this valuable resource. We take pride in using our expertise to contribute to the construction of a cleaner, more energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly world.

Looking back on the HYDRA adventure

From compressed air to hydrogen

Compressed air diving has its limits. Factors such as breathlessness, oxygen toxicity, and the effects of nitrogen narcosis force divers not to exceed a depth of 50/60 meters. This phenomenon, known as narcosis or “depth intoxication,” led the U.S. Navy to test a synthetic breathing mixture called “HELIOX” in the 1930s. This mixture replaces nitrogen with helium and reduces the amount of oxygen according to the depth, thereby improving performance by eliminating the effects of narcosis, breathlessness, and hyperoxia. New decompression tables were developed for this “cocktail.” However, it was quickly discovered that using HELIOX beyond 200 meters of depth posed new problems. Divers experienced dizziness, tremors, clumsiness in movements, sleep and appetite loss, which was described in 1968 by the Comex team as “High Pressure Nervous Syndrome” (HPNS).

To overcome this issue, Comex embarked on experiments with new breathing mixtures to allow divers to exceed 200 meters and work at even greater depths. This is how hydrogen was introduced into the breathing “cocktails,” creating “HYDROX” (a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen) and “HYDRELIOX” (a mixture of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen)! These mixtures significantly reduce the effects of High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome (HPNS) and greatly enhance the efficiency and working capacity of divers. Thanks to the use of these hydrogen-based breathing mixtures, professional divers have been able to work safely and effectively in the sea at depths of up to 530 meters.

HYDRA (1968-1992) :

The program focuses on the development of deep-sea diving under hydrogen-based breathing mixtures at very great depths (between 70 and 701 meters).

In 1968, during the long-duration experimental operation “PHYSALIE 1,” Henri-Germain Delauze and American researcher Ralph Brauer conducted submerged tests at a depth of 335 meters in the hyperbaric chamber “piscine” of the Hyperbaric Experimental Center. This experiment led neurophysiologists to make a major discovery: High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome (HPNS). The symptoms of this syndrome include tremors, nausea, poor coordination of movements, and abnormal results on the electroencephalogram.

It was then that Henri Germain Delauze launched and led the “HYDRA 1” operation, during which two divers attempted to breathe a hydrogen-based mixture called HYDROX (a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen) at a depth of 255 meters, in open water. However, the test was not successful as the diver’s equipment was insufficient to protect them from the cold. This was followed by “HYDRA 2” which conducted numerous experiments on various biological models, including cell cultures, bacteria, frogs, mice, and more. At this point, Henri Germain Delauze enforced the rule of “Bringing back the living.

It wasn’t until 1982 that the hydrogen research program “HYDRA” was relaunched, taking advantage of advancements in equipment. This was followed by a series of experiments from “HYDRA 3” to HYDRA 12, conducted from 1983 to 1996.

Comex tests numerous breathing mixtures such as:

• “NITROX” (a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen)
• “TRIMIX” (a mixture of helium, nitrogen, and oxygen)
• “HELIOX” (a mixture of helium and oxygen)
• “HYDROX” (a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen)
• “HYDRELIOX” (a mixture of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen)d’oxygène)

Highlights of the HYDRA program

HYDRA 3 : In 1983 Henri-Germain Delauze dives in the sea to a depth of 75 meters while breathing an “HYDROX” mixture, and then performs a second dive to 91 meters using the same breathing mixture. Fifteen other Comex divers will subsequently take turns in short-duration test dives at a depth of 75 meters under “HYDROX” from the surface.

This proves that it is possible to live while breathing a hydrogen-based mixture.

HYDRA 10 :In November 1992, Théo Mavrostomos took part in what would become the Record Dive to -701 meters. This dive in a hyperbaric chamber lasted for 43 days, including 13 days of compression and 23 days of decompression. Alongside two other divers, he entered the chamber and eventually achieved this world record alone, under the watchful eyes of the scientific teams. The diver shattered the depth record previously held by the Americans. It was a triumph for Comex, thanks to their HYDRELIOX mixture.

Thirty years later, this world record remains unmatched!