HG2V Project

With a third of the UK’s carbon emissions coming from road transport, decarbonising this sector is a priority to meet our commitment to Net Zero. Hydrogen presents a viable zero carbon fuel for the transport sector if it can be supplied through the existing natural gas network at the quality required for transport.

Fuel cell electric vehicles will be a major user of hydrogen in the future and with a highly effective gas network allowing distribution across the county hydrogen will be available around the country. With fuel cell technology being the technology of choice for hydrogen transport applications the high sensitivity to contaminants of this technology requires a high purity of hydrogen.

The objective of the HG2V project was to determine which contaminants are likely to be present in the existing gas network, which might have an impact on the performance of fuel cells, and so build an appreciation of what purification activities are required at the point of supply.

The project report detailing the outcome of the project has not been released yet. When it does it will be available here.

Kiwa Gastec’s principal role in the project was the design and build of a network simulation rig to enable testing of purification technologies for hydrogen. Kiwa also contributed its extensive knowledge of the gas network which was instrumental understanding the contaminants in the gas distribution network, and assisted DNV GL in exploring the technologies available for purification.

• Technical consultancy
• Design, procurement and build of test environment
• Stakeholder engagement
• Writing of final report