Actuation Lab gets government support for leak-free hydrogen hardware

Actuation Lab has been awarded a £218,000 contract by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to address one of the biggest issues holding back the sustainable transition to hydrogen after extensive R&D work in the flow control sector.

Leakage of hydrogen is a serious problem for the hydrogen supply chain because hydrogen leaks much faster than natural gas, which is estimated to lose 80 million tonnes per year to the atmosphere. We can’t sustainably transition to hydrogen use at scale without some clever innovation in the equipment used to distribute it, because hydrogen has a low ignition energy and a global warming potential 11 times that of CO2.

This is especially true when it comes to valves. A “stem,” or shaft, connects the internal valve to the handle or actuator that opens and closes it in traditional valves. Valve stem seals are estimated to be responsible for up to 50% of fugitive emissions from industrial processes. If the same dated valve technology is applied to the growing hydrogen supply chain, leakage will be significantly higher due to the ease with which hydrogen can escape.

The goal of Actuation Lab is to replace traditional hardware components that wear out with mechanisms that are designed to last a lifetime and emit no emissions. The Dragonfly Valve is being developed by the Bristol-based start-up, whose origami-inspired design eliminates all leak paths found in traditional valves, resulting in zero emissions.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has awarded Actuation Lab £218,000 to conduct a feasibility study and develop the Dragonfly Valve for hydrogen supply as part of the Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2 competition – Stream 1 Phase 1.

This project runs concurrently with a collaboration between Actuation Lab and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, which focuses on innovative actuation techniques for the Dragonfly Valve and is supported by the Net Zero Technology Centre.

Both initiatives will help build a consortium of innovative manufacturers and trial partners in the UK hydrogen sector to demonstrate the technology in 2023–2024, advancing the Dragonfly Valve’s technical and commercial readiness.