The pumps will serve as the “heart” of the Kawasaki LH₂ Terminal, one of the world’s largest liquefied hydrogen facilities. The terminal forms part of Japan’s “Commercial Demonstration of the Liquid Hydrogen Supply Chain” project, funded by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) through its Green Innovation Fund. KHI is responsible for design and construction under a public–private partnership, with Japan Suiso Energy Ltd set to operate the plant.
The project is described as the world’s first commercial-scale liquefied hydrogen terminal, featuring a 50,000 m³ storage tank, offshore loading and unloading facilities, hydrogen liquefaction equipment, gas delivery systems and truck loading facilities.
Handling liquid hydrogen at scale presents a major engineering challenge due to its extremely low temperature of -253°C. Any heat generated during pumping can cause hydrogen to evaporate, resulting in boil-off loss. Conventional electric motors generate heat even in cryogenic environments, limiting their suitability for large-scale liquid hydrogen transfer.
Torishima addressed this issue by developing an industrial liquid hydrogen pump equipped with a superconducting motor. Because superconducting materials exhibit zero electrical resistance at cryogenic temperatures, the motor produces virtually no heat during operation, allowing commercial flow rates while minimising evaporation losses.
The development combines Torishima’s long-standing centrifugal pump expertise with high-temperature superconducting technology from Kyoto University. The work was supported by NEDO’s “Technology Development Project for Building a Competitive Hydrogen Supply Chain,” adopted in 2023, with successful testing completed in 2024.