TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory (TÜV SÜD NEL) has secured UK government funding to build the country's first mobile primary standard facility for testing hydrogen refueling stations to ensure that they deliver the correct amount of fuel.

Funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), through the National Measurement System mechanism, the mobile facility will ensure accurate and consistent measurement of the dispensed quantity of fuel at hydrogen refueling stations. This will assure drivers of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) that financial transactions are correct and ensure accurate fiscal measurements for future taxation purposes.

Dr. Martin Hanton, Technical Director at TÜV SÜD NEL, noted, "The design of petrol and diesel refueling stations is highly standardized, and if hydrogen FCEVs are to become a viable transport choice, then establishing a standardized refueling infrastructure is crucial. Ensuring the consumer gets what they pay for at the refueling station necessitates accuracy at the nozzle, not the meter. We must, therefore, bring the calibration facility to the refueling station, and that is precisely what we will do with our new mobile primary standard."

The international accuracy requirements for hydrogen refueling station fuel dispensers are mandated as ±2% for new installations. However, current ranges can be anywhere between ±1 and 10%. Furthermore, if a consumer disputes the dispensed volume, Trading Standards cannot investigate, as the UK currently has no traceability chain that is linked to a physical primary standard for hydrogen, or the equipment and skills to test fuel dispensers.

TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory's new mobile facility will provide this measurement traceability for the UK and the only practical, traceable capability to test hydrogen refueling stations for dispensed quantity at the nozzle in the country.

Marc MacDonald, Head of Clean Fuels at TÜV SÜD NEL, said, "From our involvement in EU projects such as MetroHyVe, it is clear that the dispensed quantity performance of hydrogen refueling stations can be variable, in part due to inconsistency in design. We have seen that compliance with the prevailing regulation [OIML R-139] is possible, but not always achieved, especially if less than a full tank fill is delivered. We will use our new mobile facility to work with industry and test HRS for compliance with the regulations, which is essential to ensure public support for FCEV use."

TÜV SÜD NEL selected hydrogen technology specialist Logan Energy to construct the mobile test facility. Once completed, the mobile primary standard facility will also be used to conduct a research campaign, which will be used to update industry guidance for the design, construction, modification and maintenance of hydrogen refueling stations.

The project supports TÜV SÜD NEL's ongoing work as part of the European Metrology Program for Innovation and Research (EMPIR) Metrology for Hydrogen Vehicles program, which is part of the world's first large-scale research project to tackle hydrogen fuel measurement inaccuracy challenges.