05-06-2025

Partnership between Purem by Eberspaecher and Topsoe reaches milestone

As part of the partnership, Purem by Eberspaecher produces and assembles parts for Topsoe’s Solid Oxide Electrolyser technology. The first SOEC (Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell) pressure vessels have now been showcased at Neunkirchen plant. Purem by Eberspaecher therefore contributes to Topsoe’s electrolysis technology for green hydrogen. This underscores the exhaust and acoustics specialist’s commitment to developing new business areas.

Purem by Eberspaecher is developing solutions and technologies for a clean future in cooperation with strategic partners in order to open up new target segments in the constantly growing hydrogen market. Purem by Eberspaecher has developed a manufacturing concept for pressure vessels suitable for large-scale production together with Topsoe, a leading global provider of advanced technology and solutions for the energy transition. Topsoe’s SOEC technology is highly efficient in the production of hydrogen from water and addresses one of the major challenges of hydrogen as an energy source: its availability. Two of the pressure vessels produced in Neunkirchen were showcased during a festive event at the beginning of June, attended by the Topsoe management as well as Jürgen Barke, the Minister of Economic Affairs of Saarland.

Expertise in industrial designs

The principle of high-temperature electrolysis is highly efficient and has low energy requirements compared to known technologies. The SOEC pressure vessels form the centerpiece of the electrolysis technology as the chemical reaction to produce hydrogen takes place in them. Purem by Eberspaecher is one of Topsoe’s suppliers for the assembly of these vessels. The Esslingen-based company will not only assemble the vessel but also produce additional steel parts. Purem by Eberspaecher’s expertise in industrialization was one of the key factors for Topsoe in the cooperation: “We have developed a strong electrolysis technology to support green hydrogen production. We’re happy to work with Purem by Eberspaecher to further strengthen our supply chain and to utilise their extensive industrial expertise,” says Kim Hedegaard, CEO Power-to-X, Topsoe.

New expertise for new requirements

“We are positioning ourselves for the future, which is why our focus is increasingly on new business areas,” explains Benjamin Brenkel, Executive Vice President and Head of Business Unit Europe, Purem by Eberspaecher. “This creates a new set of requirements that we are actively working to meet. We are acquiring the expertise and skills we need and continually developing our product portfolio and employees.” To support the development and manufacturing of the SOEC vessels, the exhaust and acoustics specialist trained selected colleagues at the Neunkirchen site in the necessary welding engineering and laid the foundation for certifications outside the automotive environment. Series assembly and production of the vessels is scheduled to ramp up at the Purem by Eberspaecher plant in Saarland at the end of 2025.

Background

A solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) produces hydrogen using the principle of electrolysis. To put it simply: water vapour is fed into the cell, which is split into hydrogen and oxygen with the help of electricity. The resulting hydrogen can be used for various applications – and therefore various markets – for example for chemical products, in steel production or to fabricate e-fuels for mobility.