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NETWORK / 8 / NOVEMBER 2019 HYDROGEN Hydrogen for heat The idea of replacing natural gas with hydrogen gained traction in October 2017 when the government allocated £25 million to 'Hy4Heat', a four year project to assess the feasibility, and support the development of, hydrogen appliances in homes and businesses. Steve Sutton, technical manager at the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC), looks at its progress. T he Hy4Heat study, run by a team of energy and heating specialists led by the Arup con- sultancy, is already well under- way and making waves in the heating industry. The study's mission statement is "to establish if it is technically possible, safe and convenient to replace natural gas (methane) with hydro - gen in residential and commercial build- ings and gas appliances". The work will culminate in a decision, by government, on whether to proceed to a community trial of switching heating systems to hydrogen. The project is split into 10 work pack - ages (see box, below), each with its own appointed contractors and advisers. Work Package 4, on the development of domestic cookers, fires and boilers fuelled by hy - drogen, has recently reached phase 2. This workstream is seeking to demonstrate the safe use of hydrogen as an option for decar- bonising heat, aiming to develop detailed evidence on applicances' safety, emissions and functionality. Phase 2 of the project will see the de - velopment of early prototypes of hydrogen cookers, fires and boilers. This phase begins the heating industry's dive into prototype appliances, with several appliance manu - facturers actively involved in creating and testing hydrogen products. Manufacturers have until March 2020, when this phase draws to a close. A†er this, there will be demonstration trials of the appliances in a controlled, unoccupied environment, with these due to take place in 2020. Put it to the test It is not just appliances that will be needed if hydrogen is to have a future in the UK. Rigorous appliance certification standards will be required to maintain standards and ensure consumer safety. Work is already underway by the British Standards Insti - a level of 98 per cent purity. Additionally, as hydrogen burns rela- tively clear, options to colour the flame from a consumer perspective are under consid- eration, including applying colourant as a network addition, as an appliance addition, or indeed, not adding colourant. There is also work to be done ascertaining the type of odorant to be used; many experts prefer to use the current odorant, a gas smell, recognised by the general public. May 2019 marked the launch of Hy - 4Heat's Work Package 5, on commercial appliances research and development. Appliances that will need to be considered for use with hydrogen include commercial space heating and hot water systems, com - mercial catering equipment and critical system components such as connectors and sensors. Any development of appliances for commercial use will not occur until the market research study into the variety of commercial appliances and the issues to be addressed has been completed. Should the project sponsor, the Depart - ment for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, give the green light, the Hy4Heat project should culminate in Work Package 9, the roll out of community trials. tute (BSI) to produce a test standard – PAS 4444, Guidance on testing and certifica - tion of hydrogen gas appliances. Industry professionals are currently involved in the process, ensuring continued input from gas appliance manufacturers whom the changes will directly impact. A PAS, which stands for Publicly Avail - able Specification, is a fast-track standards document produced as a result of expert consultation facilitated by BSI. It sets out good practice standards for products, ser - vices and processes and is developed by a steering group of stakeholders from relevant fields and chosen by BSI. This specification provides organisations with guidance to es - tablish their products' safety and integrity. Areas of investigation Both the purity of the hydrogen to be deployed throughout the UK's gas infra- structure, and the potential requirement for artificial colourants in hydrogen, are also currently under review. The review has yielded several areas that will require further investigation. For instance, the most cost-effective hydrogen purity level deliv - ered through the grid is expected to be set at Hy4Heat Work packages WP1 – Programme and technical management WP2 – Hydrogen quality standards WP3 – Appliance certification WP4 – Domestic appliances WP5 – Commercial appliances WP6 – Industrial appliances WP7 – Safety Assessment WP8 – Demonstration showrooms WP9 – Community trial preparation WP10 – Developing hydrogen gas meters DECARBONISATION OF HEAT