Q: Please could you briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience with regards to the hydrogen economy and this conference?
Helen Leadbetter, Civil Aviation Authority (HL): I am the zero-emission flight and hydrogen challenge lead at the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority. My role facilitates collaboration with industry and academia to improve understanding of hydrogen-related risks in aviation, identify gaps in policies, and propose new recommendations to develop net-zero policies. This will allow for increased regulatory readiness, reduced risk of failure, and improved collaboration with the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
Alex Marks, Equans (AM): I am a chartered chemical engineer working for Equans as a hydrogen engineer, currently working on the design and construction of a HAR1 project that has successfully achieved funding. My role is to manage the design teams and provide technical oversight whilst maintaining a good relationship with the client and ensuring an accurate cost estimate for the overall project. I have had previous experience in the design of PEM electrolyser systems, which has helped to provide a high quality, safe design for the integration of the electrolysers into the wider system.
Charlie Hutchings, Frazer-Nash Consultancy (CH): I work as a materials performance engineer in asset integrity at Frazer-Nash consultancy. My work typically focuses on the material compatibility of existing infrastructure. Testing, modelling, and managing the hydrogen assisted degradation of materials. From turbine blades to offshore pipelines, how can we increase the safe operational life and productivity of assets in the hydrogen economy?
Gaynor Woodford, TÜV Rheinland (GW): I have worked for over 30 years in the high hazard industries where the use of hydrogen has been commonplace. I am a member of TÜV Rheinland’s Global Hydrogen Competence Centre and I have responsibility within western Europe for ensuring the collaboration and sharing of technical expertise and competence with respect to hydrogen.
Amanda Lyne, ULEMCo (AL): I am Managing Director of ULEMCo, a company that supplies solutions that helps fleet or non-road machinery use hydrogen to replace diesel in their operation and deliver meaningful reductions in greenhouse emissions in line with net zero targets. In turn this creates demand for hydrogen that will unlock fuel suppliers and renewable energy investors to deliver their business plans for the hydrogen economy.
Alasdair Cairns, University of Nottingham and MariNH3 (AC): I currently lead a large team of researchers working on decarbonised fuels for sustainable internal combustion engines intended for both heavy transport and power generation. This includes experimental evaluations of direct end use of hydrogen and also hydrogen derived fuels such as ammonia and methanol. We are currently working on several multi-million pound UK government funded projects in this space with several key industry and third sector partners. Our goal is to help develop viable retrofit solutions as well as longer term replacement decarbonised engines capable of operating with minimised pollutant emissions.
Thomas Beard, BMT (TB): I am the Clean Shipping Lead at BMT, focusing on the energy transition for the maritime industry. This includes alternative fuels for the industry. I have a doctorate in hydrogen safety with over 10 years of experience.
Christopher Connolly, National Nuclear Laboratory (CC): My role at the National Nuclear Laboratory is as the deputy theme lead for Nuclear Enabled Hydrogen and Alternative Liquid Products. I personally have focused on developing process models to simulate the hydrogen generating processes that would be most advantageous to couple and power with a nuclear reactor. I have also helped to coordinate our other work on demand and economic modelling and external collaborative research.
John Barton, Loughborough University (JB): I am a researcher at Loughborough University with a long-standing interest in hydrogen as an energy vector. I first worked on a hydrogen energy storage system from 2002 to 2006. I have since worked for a hydrogen energy consultancy, a start-up company making synthetic hydrocarbon fuels using hydrogen, and have been researching battery-electrolysers since 2017.
Beau Gray, Centrica (BG): My role is as a project manager in the Energy Transition team, I am responsible for undertaking techno-economic assessments of Hydrogen projects to determine whether they will support Centrica Energy Storages transition into the sustainable energy sector.
The main areas that I am responsible for include:
- Hydrogen fuel switching project, replacing Natural Gas with Hydrogen to fuel our large combustion plant, working in collaboration with Original Equipment Manufacturers to understand what technology is available, and how we can support their research and development programmes.
- Supporting the RougH2 redevelopment project, converting the rough reservoir into world’s largest Hydrogen store
- Concentrating on leading the material assessment and testing regime for the offshore pipeline and topside equipment.
Q: What, in your experience, has been the biggest roadblock for utilising hydrogen in your sector?
HL: The biggest roadblocks in utilising hydrogen are access to funding for long term projects, the availability of hydrogen and the availability of testing facilities needed to prove new technologies are safe to introduce in to the aviation sector.
AM: At an overall project level, the biggest roadblock has been offtaker commitment. It is important to increase consumer confidence in companies that are pioneering the switch to green hydrogen at such an early stage through increasing available information and giving them more confidence in the design through clear and thorough information.
At a design level, a lack of standards and operational data surrounding electrolytic hydrogen systems has led to increases in project cost. A lack of standards means that calculations must include large safety factors and costs must include large contingency. A lack of operational data of electrolysers means that large contingencies are required at all project levels and creates additional risk in the process design.
CH: From my perspective as a materials engineer the biggest challenge faced uncertainty around the impact of hydrogen on material properties. Typically referred to as hydrogen embrittlement, hydrogen negatively impacts the fracture toughness and fatigue of most metals. My work focuses on helping asset operators to quantify, manage, and mitigate the risks of hydrogen embrittlement.
AC: Availability, misunderstanding and current lack of legislation that more widely considers the mix of energy vectors and technologies required to achieve net zero. Hydrogen engines are sometimes inappropriately associated with high emissions of NOx, for example, compared to alternatives. Engines will play a key role for “difficult to decarbonise” applications.
TB: Whilst regulations have been developed, we are still seeing hydrogen vessels slow for the uptake. In part caused by prime mover availability but also by a lack of infrastructure.
CC: Nuclear power has a lack of engagement with industrial end users, due to historically relying on essentially a single customer, being the National Grid – that is changing now.
JB: Hydrogen is too expensive. Green hydrogen made by electrolysis using electricity from renewable or nuclear power has long been proposed as the best, fully renewable source of hydrogen. However, the first use of low-carbon electricity is to replace fossil fuelled electricity. Hydrogen is only made when there is a surplus of low-carbon electricity, and that rarely happens, even in an energy system run entirely on renewable energy with battery energy storage. Electrolysers then operate in short, intense bursts, at about 10% capacity factor, which makes them an expensive, under-utilised asset.
GW: TÜV Rheinland supports many and varied sectors but at a recent cross-sector workshop I hosted the overarching concern was uncertainty about both the market potential and government policy direction.
AL: Lack of hydrogen fuel supply and the uncertainty of the cost of that fuel.
BG: Regarding hydrogen storage, it is a nascent market, therefore regulatory support is required to unlock the investment needed to develop the project.
Q: What key topics are you excited to discuss at this year's conference?
HL: The key topics I am excited to discuss are learning what new and novel hydrogen technologies industry are working on, their current TRL levels and when certain areas of regulation will need to be addressed to allow the safe introduction of new technologies. By understanding these new technologies it will help ensure effective policy is created.
Also this is the first time in many years where industry will have the ability to influence and participate in the creation of new policies in aviation.
AM: I believe that a key part of building the hydrogen economy will be around developing a way to mass transport hydrogen around the world. I am looking forward to hearing the different ways that this can be achieved, the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods and how mature the different methods are. This includes cryogenic hydrogen, ammonia transport, methanol etc.
I am also excited to learn more about the different types of electrolysers that can be used to produce green hydrogen and their use cases, political drivers and how these are expected to change over time in terms of cost, use cases and reliability.
CH: It’s great to see a section of the event dedicated to the structural integrity and material compatibility challenges of hydrogen. Excited to discuss and hear more about the work other companies and research institutions are conducting in this area.
AC: I am looking forward to hearing about all new sustainable technologies emerging in this space, both production and end use.
TB: I am excited to see the growth this year and learn about developments from other industries.
CC: I am excited to discuss the unique role that nuclear power can play as a reliable and high-capacity source of both low carbon electricity and heat, and how that unlocks several higher efficiency production routes for the hydrogen economy – chiefly among these in the short and medium term being steam electrolysis.
JB: Battery-Electrolysers. These are dual-use electrochemical devices that store bulk electrical energy but also make hydrogen when fully charged. The one power electronic interface and one control system is always doing something useful: charging the store, discharging the store, or making hydrogen. Future energy systems need a lot of long-duration energy storage and also need hydrogen as an energy vector for applications that cannot be electrified. Battery-electrolysers, sometimes called ‘battolysers’ can meet those needs.
GW: TÜV Rheinland in Germany is currently overseeing a trial of up to 20% hydrogen for domestic heating. In the UK there has been resistance to similar trials, and many arguments as to whether this is the “right” use for hydrogen. I would welcome engineering debate about the uses for hydrogen.
AL: How ULEMCo’s solutions create demand for hydrogen fuel, now, so that the investment in hydrogen supply can be unlocked.
BG: For me, the challenges we are facing around the transportation and storing of hydrogen. Although hydrogen has been produced and used in industry for many years there is limited information within the existing design and construction codes that are applicable to the process conditions we will experience. CES+ are working in collaboration with industry experts to develop appropriate solutions to overcome the unique process conditions we will face. The opportunity to share our progress on this is something I am looking forward to.
Q: Regarding the utilisation of hydrogen, what would you say are the technologies or applications to watch for the future?
HL: The areas to watch are gaseous fuel cells, liquid hydrogen fuel cells and liquid hydrogen combustion and how these systems will integrate into an aircraft whether it is a retrofit or clean sheet aircraft.
AM: Large scale hydrogen storage for grid balancing is an interesting potential application for the long-term future. In the short-term future, replacing large industrial natural gas boilers with hydrogen combustion boilers is a realistic, tested technology/application that could help decarbonise current carbon heavy industries.
CH: Recently have been seeing more and more interest and noise around the role of hydrogen in aviation. If the material compatibility and regulatory compliance challenges can be overcome, particularly for liquid hydrogen, this will be an exciting area to watch.
AC: Key areas of research emerging include cryogenic fuel storage and associated fuel handling and end use, particularly for medium range aerospace. For fuels like ammonia there is some emerging research underway into inherently safe storage (a key barrier to acceptance) and also clean end use, with minimised pollutants.
TB: The development in fuel cells and engines is increasing which will support the uptake of hydrogen in more industries.
CC: I would pay close attention to how low carbon hydrogen can be transformed into synthetic liquid fuels, which should revolutionise the way aviation and shipping can contribute to net zero. I am looking forward to one day taking a holiday flight where the plane is deriving its thrust from nuclear reactors and other renewables – with low carbon hydrogen as an intermediary.
JB: Hydrogen as a by-product of other processes and as a sustainable input to many industrial processes. Today, chemicals derived from fossil fuels are used to make electricity, other chemicals, and industrial products. After the sustainable energy transition, electricity will be the main starting point and hydrogen will be an energy store and energy carrier. Big sectors to watch are iron and steel, carbon dioxide capture (from both concentrated sources and direct air capture), synthetic fuels, and high-value chemicals.
GW: Implementation of green hydrogen production to decarbonise chemicals and processes where hydrogen use is unavoidable e.g. production of syngas (fertiliser and methanol production) and the production of e-fuels.
As such you either need some where to store lots of CO2 if you want to break methane apart or need an awful lot of clean electricity to break water apart. This typically makes clean hydrogen expensive relative to current hydrogen production technologies that can pollute for almost free, at least currently. Ultimately someone has to pay the premium collectively either via subsidies or the end customer, which ultimately is us. At the moment the demand is slow in coming, so anything that can be done to reduce the cost gap through lowering operating and capital costs is critical.
AL: There’s opportunity for all technologies that can use hydrogen effectively; including engines, fuel cells, turbines, synthetic fuels, etc…to date none of these are commercially or operationally proven so we need to work on them all.
BG: Hydrogen can replace Natural Gas as a fuel, the adoption of Hydrogen as a fuel can all but remove the scope 1 carbon emissions of existing combustion equipment. Further to this, several Original Equipment Manufacturers are developing hydrogen powered gas turbines. It is my view that a Hydrogen powered CCGT power station will be able to offer a much greater capacity factor for electrical generation when compared to other technologies such as wind and solar, essentially overcoming the intermittency issues of those options.
I must stress that this is not an either/or, the adoption of all these technologies will allow for the development of a diverse electrical generation network increasing the UKs energy security. This is where hydrogen storage comes in, think of it as a chemical battery for the times when wind and solar is not available allowing clean electricity to be generated by hydrogen power stations.
Q: Who else are you most interested in hearing from on the programme?
HL: I am interested in understanding the how the whole aviation ecosystem may need to adapt to enable the introduction of hydrogen, this will require changes to the aircraft, airport and possible the airline and airspace operations. I would also be interested in understanding the end-to-end fuelling aspect of hydrogen for an aircraft and ensuring the integrity of an aviation grade fuel.
AM: I am looking forward to hearing from the hydrogen offtakers and seeing things from their perspective, to better understand their concerns/reservations so we can better develop solutions that meet their needs. This is not something you often see from the design and construction side of projects.
CH: Looking forward to hearing more about the work being done on safety considerations for a widespread hydrogen economy. How can the risks of hydrogen be communicated and managed on a national scale. What tools, such as standards, can we expect to be released in the coming years to aid the transition.
AC: Both energy and third sector partners on future outlook and policy developments.
TB: The increased production and storage options for hydrogen are fundamental in the increased uptake of hydrogen and are of keen interest.
CC: I am looking forward to hopefully hearing about how industries are considering the applications of low carbon hydrogen that I have not even heard considered before.
JB: Helen Leadbetter’s talk on Zero Emissions Flight & Hydrogen. What is the future of aviation? Will it be liquid hydrogen or liquid fuels made from hydrogen? Both carry huge engineering challenges.
GW: I am particularly interested in the presentations on Marine applications including the role of ammonia.
AL: Hydrogen supply chain component manufacturers, policy makers and those involved in the detail of the regulations and standards.
BG: I am looking forward to the presentations on hydrogen power generation and industrial applications.
Q: Why is it important for engineers to join this conference?
HL: To share information, build knowledge and understanding and demonstrate the wide-ranging skill set available in the UK aviation industry. It will also give them the opportunity to engage with the regulator about their work on hydrogen aviation.
AM: Hydrogen will play a key role in decarbonisation across the UK. It will create jobs for engineers in many different areas such as design, project management and business development. The topics discussed during this conference will give a good insight into the sector and give engineers a head start on a growing industry.
CH: I attended the conference last year and the effect offered great insight into both the wider hydrogen landscape but also focuses sessions and particular challenges / applications. Similarly, the opportunity to discuss these challenges and network with a bunch of people also working in the hydrogen space was great.
AC: This is now a rapidly evolving space on a global scale, with significant opportunities for UK based engineers to take a lead.
TB: This conference provides the opportunity for engineers to discuss and learn about the technical challenges which we need to overcome to maximise the potential of hydrogen.
CC: Time is of the essence; the years will fly by and deadlines for our promises and commitments to meeting Net Zero will be upon us. While we all have important roles in our own industries and sectors, I think it is important to keep a sense of the big picture. Professionals should join this conference to pool understanding of how technologies will change operations and hear from experts in other fields who are making these changes happen today.
JB: Hydrogen is an essential industrial gas and will be even more important as a carbon-free energy vector. Innovation, research, and development is needed in every industry that uses, or will use, hydrogen.
GW: To gain insights and learn about the engineering challenges in the hydrogen economy. To achieve net zero hydrogen is one of the many interacting pathways. In one sense there is nothing new in hydrogen, but it needs to be treated with respect and it is important to share knowledge across generations and industry sectors.
AL: The hydrogen has such great opportunity that keeping up to date with the latest developments should be hugely important for engineers that want to deliver net-zero solutions!
BG: As an industry we acknowledge that there is a need to reduce our carbon emissions, Centrica have an ambition to be Net Zero by 2045.
By attending this conference:
- You will see what is been done by Centrica to transition from fossil fuels to more sustainable solutions to meet their Net Zero targets.
- Understand some of the technological and safety challenges around the transportation and storage of hydrogen.
The Engineering Challenges in the Hydrogen Economy 2024 conference will be taking place on 6-7 March 2024 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Join this conference to:
- Hear case studies from mature projects addressing infrastructure challenges for production, storage and distribution
- Identify bottlenecks and barriers in moving to a hydrogen economy
- Develop your understanding of the utilisation across different engineering sectors including rail, heavy-duty, aerospace, power generation, marine and more
- Hear from leading experts in the field and explore opportunities to collaborate on new projects
- Gain insight into gaps in the market and requirements for new technology
- Take away lessons learned from other innovative companies to ensure optimal development strategies
- Understand how your existing equipment or products can be deployed in the new hydrogen economy
To book your place, please visit the event website.