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PrestiVac

Vacuum solutions engineered for hydrogen & fuel cells

The industry of the energy transition, where the product itself is the headline hazard — hydrogen is a Class I, Group B flammable gas with an exceptionally wide flammability range and very low ignition energy. Building the electrolyzers and fuel cells that make and use it involves fine catalyst, carbon and metal powders. In gas-classified areas the conservative default is air-operated recovery with no electrical parts at all.

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  • Flammable-Gas Aware

    Hydrogen is Class I, Group B

  • Widest Flammability Range

    Low ignition energy

  • HEPA Filtration

    Catalyst & carbon fines retained

  • Built for the H₂ Economy

    Production, electrolyzers, fuel cells

  • Explosion-Proof

    Manufacturing specialists

  • 1000+

    Vacuums sold worldwide

  • USA

    Designed & manufactured

  • Direct

    Buy from the manufacturer

  • NFPA 660

    ATEX / IECEx principles

Hydrogen & Fuel Cells production process explorer

Every stage. Every challenge. The right vacuum solution.

The hydrogen value chain runs from gas production through the manufacture of electrolyzers and fuel cells, combining flammable-gas areas with fine-powder processes. Walk the stages and the hazard each presents.

Stage 01 — Hydrogen production

Electrolysis and reforming areas handle hydrogen gas — a Class I, Group B flammable atmosphere where the classification, not any dust, sets the equipment requirement.

Key challenges

When the product is a Group B gas

  • Class I, Group B

    Hydrogen is a Group B flammable gas with the widest flammability range and very low ignition energy, so gas-area classification is stringent and equipment must suit that specific group.

  • Catalyst Powders

    Platinum-group catalysts on carbon supports are fine, valuable and sometimes reactive — recovered under sealed, HEPA-retained handling, never generic cleanup.

  • Carbon & Graphite Dust

    Gas-diffusion layers, electrodes and bipolar plates shed conductive carbon and graphite dust, recovered with rated, conductive-aware equipment.

  • Metal Powders

    Bipolar-plate and component machining produce metal fines that carry combustible-metal rules where the metal is reactive — grounded, rated recovery.

  • Air-Operated Default

    In a Group B flammable-gas area, zero-electrical air-operated recovery removes the ignition source entirely — the conservative choice where the atmosphere itself is the hazard.

  • Valuable And Hazardous Fines

    Catalyst fines are costly to lose and hazardous to disperse, so HEPA-retained, sealed capture serves the economics and the safety case at once.

Dust & materials knowledge center

What hydrogen & fuel-cell manufacturing handles

Common Hydrogen & Fuel Cells materials and recovery approaches
MaterialCombustibleRecovery approachDeep dive
Platinum-group catalyst powderFine & valuable; some reactiveHEPA-retained, sealed recovery; never generic cleanup
Carbon & graphite (GDL, electrodes)Yes — and conductiveRated, conductive-aware recovery
Bipolar-plate metal finesCombustible where reactiveGrounded, rated recovery
Membrane & polymer materialVariesHEPA-retained recovery
Hydrogen gas (area classification)Flammable — Group BAir-operated, zero-electrical recovery in classified areas
General fine powderVariesHEPA-retained recovery on schedule

Combustibility and severity are material- and particle-size-specific — testing and your Dust Hazard Analysis govern. Full directory: the full materials directory.

Applications in hydrogen & fuel cells

Built for performance. Built for compliance.

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Representative case study

Controlling Sulfur Dust in a Specialty Chemical

How a representative chemical compounder runs housekeeping around the most ignition-sensitive common industrial dust — grounding verified before anything else moves, air-operated recovery with zero electrical components, and a disposal path that respects what burning sulfur becomes.

Read the full case study

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Get the right explosion proof vacuum for your application.

Tell us what you need to vacuum and where. Our technical team will recommend the PrestiVac model best suited to your material, your classification and how hard you will work it — and because we build every unit ourselves, we can modify it to fit.

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  • Legally certified explosion proof
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  • Designed & manufactured in the USA
  • 200+ vacuum versions