Metrology for hydrogen vehicles 3

To support the European Green Deal, in 2023 the EU adopted the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR). The AFIR outlines the EU’s goal for a ‘Trans-European Transport Network’, with hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) every 200 km and within all urban nodes, serving both cars and lorries. For this to be realised by AFIR’s 2030 target, new standards are needed to ensure safe refuelling and fair payments for users.

EMPIR projects MetroHyVe and MetroHyVe 2, as well as Partnership project MetHyTrucks, developed new gravimetric and sampling standards for hydrogen fuel, but these are limited to masses below 100 kg and flow rates below 18 kg/min. Methods are also required to lower the cost of flow meter type approval and increase the speed of HRS validation. As novel sources are utilised to meet growing demand for hydrogen, further investigation into hydrogen impurities is also needed.

This project will create traceable flow calibrations for high-flow refuelling of heavy-duty vehicles, investigate surrogate flow meter calibration fluids, and develop methodology to verify HRS quality and accuracy in half the current time. It will develop traceable methods to test sensors and instruments for online monitoring – including validation, calibration and quality control – and create primary standards for on-site calibrations. It will also extend the knowledge of hydrogen quality by analysing a range of samples to identify contaminants throughout the new hydrogen supply chain, including production, transportation and storage. This work is anticipated to aid AFIR’s goals and, in the long run, contribute to Europe's aim of being the first carbon neutral continent by 2050.