Publication: Technical considerations when testing hydrogen valves with air
Hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources can make an important contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. When hydrogen gas is to be transported through the existing gas pipelines, the safety level has to be at least the same as for the transportation of natural gas. This means that important safety questions need to be answered, for example when it comes to the leak tightness of pipes and components that are used with hydrogen gas.
In a new paper Kiwa’s Materials expert Ernst van der Stok describes technical considerations explaining why air can safely be used to test the leak tightness of mechanical fittings and valves, which are to be used in the field of the supply hydrogen as an gaseous fuels up to 16 bar(g), without impacting the quality of the tests. This is important in the view of the product standards ISO 4437-4 (and its European counterpart EN 1555-4) and ISO 17885, which are well known documents to confirm the functional requirements (such as leak tightness) of valves for PE piping systems and mechanical fittings respectively.
It is the mission of Kiwa to create trust in among others test methods and products. By sharing our expertise and knowledge in this publication, we are happy to contribute to the development of safe and high quality standards.