The Business Finland–funded HELP project (H2 Production Lifetime & Performance Extension) aims to improve the cost efficiency, reliability and lifetime of clean hydrogen and integrated hydrogen–methanol production systems under dynamic Nordic operating conditions.
Clean hydrogen plants in the Nordics have to operate with fluctuating electricity prices, variable loads, and demanding climatic conditions. At the same time, dynamic operation accelerates hydrogen-induced material degradation and affects system performance, increasing production costs, operational risks and uncertainty in investment decisions. Also, integrated methanol production systems face the same challenges.
The three-year HELP co-innovation joint project (13M€) addresses these challenges by defining operational best practices and developing tools for production cost optimisation.
Working together through pilots and use cases
The project brings together producers, technology providers, automation and instrumentation developers, service providers, and non-profit foundations from across the hydrogen value chain. Collaboration is supported with industrial use cases and pilot platforms, such as Fortum’s Kalla Test Center. By reducing technical and economic uncertainty, HELP supports faster investment decisions, strengthens Finland’s hydrogen ecosystem and new opportunities for international business growth.
“Flexible operation is becoming a defining requirement for green hydrogen and e‑methanol plants, placing increasing demands on methanol catalysts and process stability. Through the HELP project, ANDRITZ contributes its process and system expertise to better understand how dynamic load profiles, start‑stop operation and changing feed conditions influence catalyst degradation and lifetime. This work is part of the ANDRITZ BioCircle‑to‑ZERO Veturi project, linking catalyst behaviour with process design and operational strategies,” says Henrik Grönqvist, Director, E‑Fuels at ANDRITZ. “Together with VTT and the project partners, the collaboration supports more robust and predictable e‑methanol solutions for industrial‑scale, flexible operation.”
"Reliable, accurate measurement data is the foundation for successful industrial processes, especially in energy transition applications. Through the HELP project, we can develop and validate advanced measurement solutions in demanding real-world conditions alongside our partners. This enables us to identify how operating conditions and critical parameters within hydrogen economy affect material degradation and system performance, supporting smarter process optimization and extended lifetime. With Business Finland's support, we can accelerate innovation that turns decarbonization ambitions into measurable reality," says Anu Pulkkinen, Senior Manager for Strategy and Business Development at Vaisala.
“Our decision to invest in the Kalla Hydrogen Test Center is driven by our desire to better support our customers and partners in future hydrogen projects. The test center will allow us to establish robust technical and operational best practices for adaptive, dynamic hydrogen production. We look forward to leveraging the collective expertise of Finnish research institutions and industry partners through our Kalla research and development programme and the HELP project, contributing to Finland’s hydrogen roadmap.” comments Satu Sipola, Vice President for Hydrogen and Power-to-X at Fortum.
Overcoming hydrogen bottlenecks through integrated material and process modelling
The key bottlenecks include hydrogen-induced material degradation, catalyst deactivation, system reliability challenges, gaps in monitoring and diagnostics, and inefficient utilisation of waste heat.
HELP addresses these by linking material behaviour, operational strategies and market conditions into integrated optimisation frameworks to improve reliability, reduce downtime and lower hydrogen production costs.
The project combines dynamic process modelling with material modelling using advanced data analytics, enabling digital twin–type approaches supported by new sensor data.
Dynamic APROS® process models are used to identify cost-efficient operating strategies under changing electricity market conditions, while experimental material research and multiscale material modelling (VTT’s Propertune®) improve the understanding of hydrogen assisted degradation mechanisms, enabling more durable design and operation.
Further information:
- Rami Pohja, Senior Scientist, [email protected], +358 406897242
- Cyril Bajamundi, Senior Scientist, [email protected], +358 405122673
- Jutta Nyblom, Business Development Manager, [email protected], +358 405388430 (Industry collaboration)
The three-year project is funded by Business Finland and involves the following partners: VTT, Fortum, Vaisala, Andritz, Valmet, Ren-Gas, Enersense, Semantum and Cefmof.
