Hydrogen delivery with high capacity compressed gas trailer

Topic description

Specific Challenge:

Current industry practice for the distribution of gaseous hydrogen from central production plants is by means of trailers equipped with approximately 200 bar compressed gas storage cylinders. The maximum effective payload of these trailers is around 400 kg.

The FCH 2 JU aims to fund development and demonstration projects to increase the payload to 1000 kg, while keeping cost and unloading time acceptable. The aim is to reduce distribution cost, reduce the number of distribution trucks on the road and minimize the impact of delivery at hydrogen retail stations, thus enabling road transport of hydrogen on a larger scale than is currently possible.

The recently completed DeliverHy project concluded that the MAWP target for high pressure trucks (1000kg capacity at investment cost of 450 €/kg in 2023) is feasible. Further conclusions were that improvements are needed for filling the truck and for emptying it at the hydrogen retail station; as well as to standards (EN/ISO on cylinder design) and regulations (ADR for transport of dangerous goods by road).

This topic calls for proposals to enable high pressure hydrogen delivery by proposing changes to regulations and the interfaces between the truck and hydrogen supplying and receiving equipment. The proposal should describe activities to obtain acceptance by hydrogen retailers and distributors as well as regulators. It is possible that the results of the project will be used in a future full scale demonstration project.

Projects should focus on industry agreement on standard equipment (connections, pipe-diameters, etc.) and procedures for loading and off-loading trucks and aim at bringing standardised high-pressure (≥450bar) hydrogen trailer delivery from TRL level 3 to TRL level 7. Projects should start with a review of the public conclusions of the DeliverHy project. The project should include:

• Building of a consortium with sufficient critical mass to enable standardisation of equipment and procedures to load and unload high pressure gas trucks
  • Stakeholders include hydrogen suppliers, hydrogen retailers and standardisation/regulation bodies. These are encouraged to participate in the project, but could also participate in other forms for example as advisors or steering committee members
• Define standard equipment and procedures for the interfaces between the high pressure truck and the truck filling station and the high pressure truck and the hydrogen retail station
• Design and build, or adapt an existing high capacity trailer on a relevant scale with the interfaces defined before
  • The volume and weight of the system should be on the same scale so that it is clear that full system would meet EU trucking regulations regarding these
  • The system pressure should be at the full intended (optimum) pressure and at least 450bar
  • The capacity of the system should be at least 200kg
• Integrate as far as possible technologies and tank components (liner, mechanical reinforcement, valves…) used for on board hydrogen tank for transportation in order to optimize the production process and lower production cost. Size effect will have to be taken into consideration
• Design and adapt the interface to a hydrogen retail station to receive hydrogen at high speed according to the standards defined; and optionally: design and build or adapt a high pressure hydrogen truck filling station according to the standards defined (otherwise find an alternative way to fill the truck)
• Demonstration of trailer delivery at a filling station using the agreed equipment and procedures“. Data (filling times, hydrogen losses, incidents and other relevant aspects) from at least 10 deliveries should be documented and published
• A cost analysis of the trailer when produced at full scale as well as the cost impact on the hydrogen terminal and filling stations of transitioning to high pressure trailers
• Initiation of the process to certify high-pressure trucks for operation on European roads

• Industry agreement on the interfaces between high pressure hydrogen trucks and truck filling points as well as hydrogen refuelling stations regarding equipment and procedures has been obtained and published
• The agreed interface equipment and procedures have been demonstrated at relevant scale and in a relevant operating environment and results have been published
• The process to amend EU legislation to allow high pressure hydrogen trucks on the road has been initiated and a pathway to certification of high-pressure, high-capacity trucks is visible
• The feasibility of the 2023 cost (≤450€/kg) and capacity (≥1000kg) targets have been validated or changes have been proposed based on adequate reasoning.
• Offloading time has been optimised within safety constraints to allow as fast as possible offloading at the filling station. A minimum target is ≤60min for 200 kg, but consortia are expected to aim for quicker offloading.