Development of techniques & methods for sampling, calibration and testing of hydrogen purity for fuel cell vehicles

Hydrogen fuel cells are an alternative power supply for electric drive trains and could represent 32% of fuel demand by 2050. Current barriers to mass implementation of hydrogen in transport arise from European Directive 2014/94/EU and OIML recommendations that must be met by all European hydrogen refuelling stations. FCEV have been rolled out worldwide with more than 8000 vehicles on the road. The number of HRSs is increasing across Europe (> 100 HRSs in 2018) to support FCEVs roll-out. However, measurement challenges are still preventing the overall sector from growing quickly enough to meet 2050 targets of the European Commission in line with the COP21 agreement. Reference materials (RMs) and reliable measurements are required to resolve these urgent measurement challenges for the industry and end-users in the areas of fuel standards, hydrogen sampling and stability of critical contaminants in hydrogen. According to European Directive 2014/94/EU, HRSs shall comply with ISO 14687-2 which provides maximum limits for 14 contaminants. These contaminants cause degradation of the FCEV and dramatically reduce its lifetime. End users require quality control RMs to evaluate commercial laboratory performance and ensure measurement reliability. Contaminant stability in the gas phase has not been studied at these trace level amounts. Therefore, the reliability of hydrogen fuel sampling is currently unknown. Contaminant stability in gas cylinders is a challenge to ensure reliable laboratory measurements are made.

The RI self-assessment of an individual's research projects will mean that the cohort have a high degree of understanding of the potential beneficial impact from their research on the economy, society and the environment. This then places the cohort as the best ambassadors for the CDT, hence most pathways to impact are through the students, facilitated by the CDT.

Industrial impact of this CDT is in working closely together with key industry players across the hydrogen sector, including through co-supervision, mentoring of doctoral students and industry involvement in CDT events. Our industrial stakeholders include those working on hydrogen production (ITM Power, Hydrogen Green Power, Pure Energy) and distribution (Northern Gas, Cadent), storage (Luxfer, Haydale, Far UK), safety (HSL, Shell, ITM Power), low carbon transport (Ulemco, Arcola Energy), heat and power (Bosch, Northern Gas).

Policy impact of the CDT research and other activities will occur through cohort interactions with local authorities (Nottingham City Council) and LEPs (LLEP, D2N2) through the CDT workshops and conference. A CDT in Parliament day will be facilitated by UKHFCA (who have experience in lobbying the government on behalf of their members) and enable the cohort to visit the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST), BEIS and to meet with local MPs. Through understanding the importance of evidence gathering by Government Departments and the role this has in informing policy, the cohort will be encouraged to take the initiative in submitting evidence to any relevant requests for evidence from POST.

Public impact will be achieved through developing knowledge-supported interest of public in renewable energy in particular the role of hydrogen systems and infrastructure. Special attention will be paid to demonstration of safety solutions to prove that hydrogen is not more or less dangerous compared to other fuels when it is dealt with professionally and systems are engineered properly. The public, who are ultimate beneficiaries of hydrogen technologies, will be engaged through different communication channels and the CDT activities to be aware of our work. We will communicate important conclusions of the CDT research at regional, national, and international events as appropriate.

Socio-economic impact. There are significant socio-economic opportunities, including employment, for hydrogen technologies as the UK moves to low carbon transport, heat and power supply. For the UK to have the opportunity to take an international lead in hydrogen sector we need future innovation leaders. The CDT supported by partners we will create conditions for and exploit the opportunities to maximise socio-economic impact.

Students will be expected in years 3 and 4 to undertake a research visit to an industry partner and/or to undertake a knowledge transfer secondment. It is expected these visits (supported by the CDT) will be a significant benefit to the student's research project through access to industry expertise, exploring the potential impact of their research and will also be a valuable networking experience.