f HyDeploy: Demonstrating Non-destructive Carbon Savings Through Hydrogen Blending

The project has successfully developed the safety case and delivered a hydrogen blend via the gas network into customers’ homes. The demonstration of safety for the specific network was based on robust evidence and clear operational procedures. Alongside the enabling safety case, the HyDeploy project has demonstrated the first steps of hydrogen deployment are safe, technically feasible and non-disruptive, both for the network and domestic users.
The key outcomes of the HyDeploy project were:

• Successful achievement of the first regulatory approval from the HSE to operate a live gas network above the current hydrogen limit of 0.1 vol%. The approval allowed blending up to 20 vol%.
• Development of the technical and procedural precedents to generate evidence for review by the HSE, which have informed subsequent safety case submissions through HyDeploy2 and the wider hydrogen safety case industry.
• The design, fabrication, installation and operation of the UK’s first hydrogen grid entry unit.
• Integration of novel hydrogen production and blending technologies to create the first hydrogen delivery system, based on electrolytic generation into a live gas grid.
• Safe delivery of the UK’s first hydrogen blend trial to 100 homes and 30 faculty buildings. The trial delivered over 42,000 cubic metres of hydrogen and abated over 27 tonnes of CO2.
• Collaboration with appliance and equipment providers to build a robust evidence base to demonstrate equipment suitability.
• Evidencing the suitability of hydrogen blends with domestic appliances as well as larger commercial appliances including catering equipment and boilers up to 600 kW.
• Evidencing the suitability of hydrogen blends with medium and low-pressure distribution systems, relating to key performance metrics such as: pressure control; odour intensity and uniform gas compositions.
• Promotion of supply chain innovation through facilitating trials to develop gas detection and analysis technologies.
• Establishing a robust social science evidence base to understand the attitudes and experience of consumers actually using hydrogen blends.