TÜV SÜD Product Service has issued its first voluntary certificate for a H₂ valve for industrial use. It was awarded to a UK company. The international TIC company’s voluntary certification scheme is aimed at supporting the energy industry and the manufacturing sector in their objective of replacing fossil fuels with H₂.

“Standardization is lagging behind, and to date there have been no clearly defined qualification or test standards for hydrogen valves to be used in industrial or pipeline applications,” said Martin Sekura, Business Development Manager Hydrogen at TÜV SÜD. “However, at the same time the volatile gas imposes high demands on valve design and valve materials.”

Oliver Hydcovalves, located in the northwest of the UK, has been the first manufacturer to submit its products for voluntary certification. The company designs and manufactures high-precision valves for H₂ and carbon-capture applications. The first product to be certified for its suitability for H₂ service is a ball valve.

Within the scope of future certifications, TÜV SÜD will assess the H₂ compatibility of components’ metallic and non-metallic materials as well as their functionality and gas-tightness. The certificate will be issued in accordance with a new TÜV SÜD test specification based on various standards, including ISO 15848-1 on the fugitive emissions of industrial valves and parts of ISO 19880-3 with respect to the tightness of valves. The standards have been developed considering the H₂-related component-specific conditions and requirements.

Martin Sekura personally presented the first certificate to Nick Howard, Engineering Director at Oliver Hydcovalves, in Knutsford, England. Sekura said, “By providing this certificate, TÜV SÜD not only offers a practicable and realistic solution for qualifying valves for stationary hydrogen applications. Our expertise also supports the transformation of companies and decarbonization of the economy.”

TÜV SÜD has recently also launched new certification marks for fuel cell systems and H₂ system components. H₂ is increasingly replacing fossil energy carriers, and not only in the energy industry. The chemical and petrochemical industries use H₂ in the production of nitrogen fertilizer and synthetic fuels and for refining mineral oil.

In the manufacturing sector, H₂ is used in processes for which electrification is difficult, such as steel and ammonia production. Valves are used to shut off and control flow volumes and the flow direction of fluids and gases. They are classified as shut-off valves, an umbrella term which also includes ball valves and gate valves.