Swedish manufacturer SKF is supporting the development of fossil-free bearing steel through a collaboration with Luleå University of Technology’s CH2ESS (Center for Hydrogen Energy Systems Sweden) initiative.

 

As part of the collaboration, SKF will participate in – and fund – research within the field of hydrogen use in industrial processes and energy systems, in order to speed up the development of fossil-free bearing steel.

Victoria Van Camp, President, SKF Technology, stressed the importance of mechanical components to ensuring the function and operation in future hydrogen systems. “Together with CH2ESS and its partners, we can contribute in designing robust, reliable hydrogen systems, with the lowest possible impact on the environment and on total cost of operation,” she said. “This will not only benefit Swedish industry, but also global technology development for the future hydrogen economy.”

An array of research areas

Research areas will include hybrid ceramic bearings, EVs and other applications, and the development and commercialisation of fossil-free bearing steel production. SKF’s expertise in fluid machinery, material science, production technology and IoT solutions will actively contribute to the work.

Rikard Gebart, Program Manager of CH2ESS and professor in Energy Engineering at Luleå University of Technology, expressed his delight that SKF had decided to join the competence centre CH2ESS. “The large expertise of SKF in many strategically important areas is a welcome addition to the existing knowledge base in CH2ESS,” he remarked. “We are looking forward to an exciting collaboration where we together address the many important problems that are connected to the hydrogen technology.”

Hydrogen is the key to a fossil-free energy system, and CH2ESS – a newly established research and knowledge initiative at Luleå University of Technology – is focusing on hydrogen use in industrial processes and energy systems, in close collaboration with Swedish industry.