Hydrogen projects are moving fast. The UK government has shortlisted 27 electrolytic projects under HAR2 (DESNZ, April 2025), the £500 million commitment to a regional transport and storage network is confirmed (DESNZ, July 2025), and detailed design work is starting on facilities that will be operational before the end of the decade. If you are specifying pipework for a hydrogen production, storage or distribution project, the decisions you make in the next few months will shape the system's safety performance for 30 or 40 years.
Here are the questions we get asked most often, and what the technical evidence actually says.
Is PE 100-RC genuinely suitable for hydrogen service?
Yes, and this is not a matter of engineering judgement alone: it has been independently tested. AGRU's AGRULINE PE 100-RC product range has been assessed by the DBI Gastechnologisches Institut and certified for hydrogen compatibility up to 100% hydrogen by volume. The range carries the H2Ready quality mark to DBI GTI 109 and meets CEN EN 1555-1-3. The system can distribute hydrogen, either as a blend with natural gas or at 100%, at pressures up to ten bar from the pressure reduction station onward. When a client or a regulator asks you to justify your material choice, that is a documented, independently verified position.
PE 100-RC also has advantages specific to hydrogen infrastructure that standard PE 100 does not. Its enhanced slow crack growth resistance improves long-term safety and service life. It can be installed without a sand bed, which matters on complex sites. Its operating temperature range extends down to -40°C, covering outdoor and some storage environments.
When does my specification need double containment?
The short answer is: wherever a single-wall failure would result in an uncontrolled hydrogen release into the environment, into a groundwater protection zone, or into a confined space where ignition is a credible risk. The HSE is clear that secondary containment is used where the substance is particularly hazardous and alternative bunding is not available, and that annulus monitoring is used to detect initial failure.
AGRU Poly-Flo is our answer to that requirement. It is a compact double containment system available in PE 100-RC and PPR, covering dimensions from OD 50/32 mm to 225/160 mm and pressure ratings from SDR 17/11 to SDR 33/17. What sets Poly-Flo apart from field-fabricated double containment solutions is manufacture: the inner media pipe and the outer containment pipe are extruded simultaneously in a single step. That means dimensional accuracy is built in, not assembled on site. Pipes and fittings come from a single production facility. The outer and inner tubes are joined with a single weld. The system arrives on site ready to use.
For the specifying engineer, that translates directly into a simpler specification, a cleaner quality audit trail, and a more defensible position at design review.
What about the rest of the hydrogen value chain?
Hydrogen does not exist in isolation. The electrolysis process that produces it requires ultrapure water, often at temperature and pressure. Alkaline electrolysis uses potassium hydroxide. Storage and buffer systems involve aggressive media. If you are designing a production facility as well as the gas distribution side, you need more than one material solution.
For ultrapure water in PEM electrolysis, AGRU's PURAD high-purity systems handle the temperature and purity demands. For KOH and other aggressive process streams in alkaline electrolysis, AGRU's AGRUCHEM polypropylene and PVDF systems are the appropriate choice. For large-diameter feedwater supply to a desalination or pre-treatment stage, AGRU XL piping is available for significant-diameter applications. IPS Flow Systems supplies all of these ranges into the UK, with large UK stocks, next day delivery and technical support from engineers who understand the hydrogen sector.
How do I access technical support for a live specification?
Book a call with one of the IPS sales engineers. We can review your duty conditions, advise on material selection and pressure rating, confirm applicable standards, and provide datasheet packages suitable for your design submission. For hydrogen projects, early engagement avoids the specification revisions that cost time and money at detailed design stage.
The hydrogen buildout is happening. The specification decisions are being made now. Get the material selection right from the start.