In 2021, Erne Fittings set up an internal ‘Hydrogen Working Group’ to develop its own piping components standard for the transport of 100% hydrogen. The group took all of the company’s previous experience with deliveries made for the global gas market into consideration. TÜV SÜD then compared Erne Fittings’ proposal with the existing standard for hydrogen transport components, which builds on existing American, European and German hydrogen standards.
“In the course of the certification process, we had to provide extensive evidence, complete an audit by TÜV SÜD and also carry out several trial productions of fittings for hydrogen pipelines,” said Alexander Heimbeck, Senior Sales Manager at Erne Fittings, who managed development and coordinated the certification.
The TÜV SÜD standard P003 ‘Material resistance to compressed hydrogen’ served partly as the basis for the qualification. However, throughout the audit, the company’s process reliability and project management capabilities also had to be proven.
The audit report states: “The submitted documents and the audit interview indicate a deep understanding of the properties and regulations of and around hydrogen.”
Erne Fittings will present its TÜV-certified butt-weld fittings for hydrogen transport later this month.
