Regulations, Codes & Standards (RCS)

Hydrogen is expected to play a critical role in the move to a net-zero economy. However large-scale deployment is still in its infancy and there is still much to be done before we can blend hydrogen in large volumes into gas networks and ramp up the production that is required to meet demands of the energy transport and industry sectors. KTN Global Alliance will host two webinars to explore these challenges and opportunities in hydrogen blending on the 2nd and 3rd March 2021.



Exciting pilot projects are being conducted and explored in the UK Canada and US states such as California to determine the technical feasibility of blending hydrogen into existing natural gas systems. Whilst the deployment of hydrogen is in its early stages there is increasing interest around permitting significant percentage blends of hydrogen into gas networks which would enable the carbon intensity of gas supplies to be reduced creating a new demand for hydrogen and with the use of separation and purification technologies downstream support the transportation of pure hydrogen to markets.

Gaps in codes and standards need to be addressed to enable adoption and there may be opportunities for international collaboration and harmonisation to ensure that best practices are shared globally and to facilitate the growth of trade and export markets. There is an opportunity for the UK Canada and US three G7 countries to work together and show market making leadership in key enabling regulation for the new hydrogen economy.



Delivered by KTN Global Alliance on behalf of the British Consulate-General in Vancouver and the UK Science and Innovation Network in Canada and the US these two webinars will showcase hydrogen blending pilot projects in the UK Canada and California highlighting challenges and opportunities with regard to standards development for hydrogen blending and supporting further transatlantic collaboration in this area. The events also form part of the UK’s international engagement to build momentum towards a successful outcome at COP26 the UN climate summit that the UK will host in Glasgow in November 2021. The webinars will bring together experts from industry academia and policy from the UK Canada and California. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions and interact using Mentimeter.











Part 1 Highlights and Perspectives from the UK can be found here.

There is no inherent property of hydrogen that makes it unsuitable for metering at distribution or transmission pressures. Towns gas containing large percentages of hydrogen was used for many years in the UK and continues to be in use in Hong Kong and Singapore. Many manufacturers sell their ordinary mechanical gas meters as suitable for hydrogen in a laboratory or industrial situation; unfortunately lack of demand has meant that none of these meters seem to have certified under appropriate metering regulations for gaseous hydrogen (e.g. the Measuring Instruments Directive)<br/>Some of the more sophisticated modern inferential meters (e.g. thermal or ultrasonic) currently designed specifically for natural gas (or LPG if suitably calibrated) are likely to unsuitable for repurposing directly to hydrogen but none of the problems appear fundamental or insuperable. The largest potential hurdle probably surrounds the physical size of current meters. A hydrogen appliance will consume about 3.3 more hydrogen than natural gas (on a volumetric basis) and using traditional designs this would have been measured through a meter probably too large to fit within an existing meter box. Unless unsolved such an increase in size would add materially to any hydrogen re-purposing programme.<br/>The meter trade thus need to be challenged to come up with a hydrogen meter that is the same physical size as a natural gas meter on a power rating basis (i.e. in kW). Ultrasonic and thermal mass meters should be included in the necessary Research and Development programme.<br/>A meter test programme is suggested that will provide evidence to meter manufacturers that the metering of hydrogen is not inherently difficult and thus convince them to make the necessary investments and/or approach the GDNO’s for assistance with such a programme.

This standard has been created for the specific purposes of the Hy4Heat programme. The standard was commissioned in 2018 and this version was considered and approved by the relevant IGEM committees in May of 2020. This version of the standard was developed using the latest publicly available information at that time and may include some conservative requirements which further research may deem not necessary. The supplement will be updated regularly following the publication of new research into the application of hydrogen.



This Reference Standard aims to identify and discuss the principles required for the safety and integrity of Hydrogen installation and utilisation in premises.



This document intends to:

• provide a point of reference for those requiring an understanding of the implications of using hydrogen as a distributed gas in properties
• detail the characteristics of Hydrogen
• detail the comparisons between hydrogen and Natural Gas (NG)
• discuss the safety implications of using hydrogen
• discuss the implications for materials when using hydrogen
• discuss the implications for the installation and use of using hydrogen in domestic & smaller commercial buildings.

The standard is available to download through the IGEM website here.

This Supplement gives additional requirements and qualifications for the transmission of Hydrogen including Natural Gas/Hydrogen blended mixtures (subsequently referred to as NG/H blends) and for the repurposing of Natural Gas (NG) pipelines to Hydrogen service. For the purposes of this document any NG/H blend above 10% MOL is considered to be an equivalence to 100% hydrogen. For blends below 10% MOL there is no evidence to confirm that blends containing up to 10 mol.% hydrogen do not cause material degradation but it is considered that the risk is low.

This Supplement covers the design construction inspection testing operation and maintenance of steel pipelines and certain associated installations in Hydrogen service and the repurposing of NG pipelines to Hydrogen service at maximum operating pressure (MOP) exceeding 7 bar and not exceeding 137.9 bar.

This standard can be purchased here

The purpose of this paper is to give a strategic overview of the existing standards governing the construction and operation of hydrogen refueling stations. A succinct and comprehensive study of hydrogen refueling station standards globally in Europe and in Italy is conducted and discussed in light of the new European Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap. Among the numerous topics examined a particular emphasis is placed on the standards in force for on-site hydrogen production via water electrolysis hydrogen storage both liquid and gaseous and refueling protocols for lightduty and heavy-duty vehicles on an international level through the provision of ISO IEC and SAE standards; on a European level through the examination of the CEN/CENELEC database; and on an Italian national level through the analysis of the UNI database.

Hydrogen specifications for different scenarios are various. Based on national standards for China a comparison of hydrogen specification standards is discussed in this paper including specification standards for industrial hydrogen pure hydrogen high pure hydrogen ultrapure hydrogen hydrogen for electronic industry and hydrogen for PEM FCVs. Hydrogen purity for electronic industry is greater than that for industrial hydrogen pure hydrogen and hydrogen for PEM FCVs. Specifications of general contaminants in hydrogen for electronic industry including H2O O2 N2 CO CO2 and total hydrocarbons are stricter than that in hydrogen for PEM FCVs. Hydrogen purity for PEM FCVs is less than that for electronic industry and pure hydrogen. However contaminants in hydrogen for PEM FCVs are strict. Contaminants in hydrogen for PEM FCVs should include not only H2O O2 N2 CO CO2 Ar and total hydrocarbons but also helium total sulfur compounds formaldehyde formic acid ammonia halogenated compounds and particulates.

The supplement to the standard IGEM/TD/1 gives the additional requirements and qualifications for pipelines transporting hydrogen and hydrogen/natural gas blends (NG/H blends) at pressures at MOP exceeding 7 barg.<br/>Where there is no numbered section in the supplement corresponding to a section in the main document the requirements of the main document apply in full. Where there is a corresponding numbered section in the main document the numbered section in the supplement is either in addition to or replaces the section in the main document.<br/>Repurposing in accordance with the recommendations of this supplement should only be considered for pipelines which have been operated in accordance with the recommendations of the main document for at least 5 years and which have been audited in accordance with the recommendations of clause 12.4.2.1. This requirement is specified so that compliance with the operational and maintenance requirements specified in the main standard is confirmed through records. With respect to pipelines this includes the requirements for MOP affirmation. This requirement is more onerous than the requirement is ASME B31.12 Clause GR-5.2.1[1] which requires that assessment for conversion to hydrogen service shall be assessed at the time of conversion and reassessment of integrity shall be done within 5 years of conversion.<br/>NG/H blends containing more than 10% mol hydrogen are considered to be equivalent to 100 mol.% hydrogen with respect to limits on design stresses and the potential effect on the material properties and damage and defect categories and acceptance levels unless an additional technical evaluation is carried out to qualify the materials (see clause S5.8). It is noted that there is no evidence to confirm that blends containing up to 10 mol.% hydrogen do not cause material degradation but it is considered that the risk is low.<br/>With respect to industry experience with towns gas this product contained 10-20 % carbon monoxide which has been identified as inhibiting the effect of hydrogen on fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth. Therefore the historical experience with town gas is not relevant.

A range of existing and newly developed hydrogen standards certification and labelling (SCL) schemes aim to promote the role of ‘renewable’ ‘clean’ or ‘green’ hydrogen in decarbonising energy transitions. This paper analyses a sample of these SCLs to assess their role in the scaling up of renewable hydrogen and its derivatives. To analyse these hydrogen SCLs we embellish a novel conceptual framework that brings together Sustainability Systems Thinking and Governance (SSG) literatures. The results reveal noteworthy scheme differences in motivation approach criteria and governance; highlighting the complex interconnected and dynamic reality within which energy systems are embedded. We consider whether the sustainable utilisation of renewable hydrogen is well-served by the proliferation of SCLs and recommend an SSG-informed approach. An SSG approach will better promote collaboration towards an authoritative global multistakeholder compromise on hydrogen certification that balances economic considerations with social and environmental dimensions.

Hydrogen is widely recognized as a promising clean energy carrier but its highly flammable and explosive nature presents significant safety challenges in its production storage transportation and usage. Addressing these challenges is critical for the successful integration of hydrogen into global energy systems aligning with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals to support the transition to a low-carbon future. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of hydrogen safety through a metadata analysis framework focusing on risks challenges mitigation strategies and regulations for safe handling. Previous reviews have largely addressed general hydrogen safety concerns but none have systematically evaluated the issue from a data-driven perspective. This review fills that gap by analyzing research trends root causes of hydrogen’s unsafe handling such as its low molecular density broad flammability range and high permeability and exploring solutions such as chemical additives and gaseous inhibitors to improve safety. Utilizing bibliometric techniques and scientific mapping tools this study synthesizes extensive research spanning from 2000 to 2024 visualizing the evolution of hydrogen safety research and identifying critical areas for future inquiry. The findings contribute valuable insights into the safe deployment of hydrogen technologies offering recommendations for future research and regulatory advancements to mitigate risks and ensure hydrogen’s role in a sustainable energy future.