World’s largest diesel reactor could turn fuel into hydrogen for army vehicles, camps

What happened

Scientists have built a diesel reformer for what they describe as the world’s largest reformer-fuel cell system, which can turn fuel into hydrogen-rich gas to generate 25 kilowatts (kW) of electricity for ships. The technology was created by the Fraunhofer Institute for Microengineering and Microsystems (IMM) in Mainz, Germany.

Funded by Germany’s Central Innovation Program for SMEs (ZIM), it is part of the DIMARIT research project, which focuses on fuel cell power generation for maritime applications. The team plans to exhibit the reformer at the Hydrogen Technology World Expo in Hamburg from October 20 to 22, 2026.

According to the team, the technology could also be useful for military operations because it produces less noise and heat. “The reformer converts the onboard fuel into a gas that, after further processing, supplies the fuel cell,” the researcher said.