The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is the UK's National Measurement Institute and is a world-leading centre of excellence in developing and applying the most accurate measurement standards, science and technology available. For more than a century, NPL has developed and maintained the nation's primary measurement standards. These standards underpin an infrastructure of traceability throughout the UK and the world that ensures accuracy and consistency of measurement.

Hydrogen is used extensively in industry and is already sold commercially as a zero-emission fuel for busses and passenger cars. In the near future hydrogen use will expand in the UK and abroad as new zero emission fuels to heat homes and power vehicles, particularly heavy duty vehicles such as buses, HGVs, trains, ships and aeroplanes. When it's used to power fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), the hydrogen needs to be very pure, as even trace amounts of impurities can impact the vehicle's performance (performance loss, shorter range or lifetime). NPL is a world leader in accurate measurement of impurities in hydrogen fuel and offers a commercial service where hydrogen fuel is sampled from the HRS and sent for analysis at NPL using sophisticated and sensitive instruments. This service is already used by HRS operators to periodically check that the hydrogen they sell commercially meets required standards. Unfortunately, the process is expensive, slow to return results and generally won't be suitable when there are 1000's of HRS across the UK and Europe (expected before 2030). A much more rapid and cost effective approach is needed.

In this project NPL will develop a novel low-cost online H2 fuel quality monitoring system that will trigger a warning when any impurities that could damage a fuel cell reach critical levels. These systems (composed of two sensor types) will operate continuously at a HRS, taking small samples from the station's hydrogen supply. NPL scientists will then only need to take a sample back to the laboratory for a full analysis when a problem is detected. HRS operators will also be able to know immediately if there is a problem with the hydrogen they are selling and act as necessary. This innovative solution is a significant improvement over current practice and will lead to lower priced zero emission fuels and provide consumers with greater confidence that the fuel they are buying meets internationally recognised specifications.