The European THOTH2 consortium held its fourth in-person project meeting on 30 June and 1 July at the Metrology and Innovation Centre of the partner, Enagás, in Zaragoza, Spain. During the meeting, the leaders of the different work packages presented the latest updates and research results to the rest of the consortium, highlighting the progress achieved across their respective technical areas. In parallel, the 3rd Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAB) meeting was organised, during which these same results were shared with external stakeholders closely involved in the project.
The consortium meeting opened on 30 June with a welcome address by Julián Martínez, Enagás Metrology and Innovation Centre Coordinator, and Jorge Modrego, representative of the Metering Area at Enagás. This was followed by an overview of the project status presented by Matteo Robino, Decarbonization R&D Manager at Snam and THOTH2 project leader, who reported on administrative progress as well as upcoming clustering activities in which THOTH2 will participate alongside other European initiatives.
One of the key technical sessions was led by Pawel Kulaga, Head of the Flow Metrology Department at the Oil and Gas Institute- National Research Institute , who presented an overview of the experimental testing and validation activities carried out. These activities focus on gas metering technologies operating with hydrogen-natural gas (H₂NG) and pure hydrogen, to update current research protocols and support future metrology standards. The tests covered a wide range of devices, including gas meters, trace water analysers, pressure transmitters, trace water sensors, and leak detectors. The results are intended to validate testing methodologies, generate reliable performance data, and contribute to the development of future measurement standards and protocols.
On the second day, the consortium visited the Enagás Central Laboratory, including Gas Analysis and Quality Laboratory, Instrumentation Laboratory and Meters Calibration Laboratories (laboratory operating with air, laboratory operating with natural gas and laboratory under construction for operating with hydrogen (HYLOOP+).
Fares Ben Rayana, Gas Metering Expert at NaTran, presented updates on THOTH2 contributions to the review and identification of gaps in existing standardisation frameworks forhydrogen measurements within gas infrastructure. His presentation highlighted the project’s recommendations to bridge these gaps in key areas, including calibration protocols, material and sealing requirements, durability and ageing tests, leak-tightness criteria, and the lack of hydrogen-specific safety and performance requirements for sensors and analysers.
In the end, Ludovico Mazzocco, Project Officer at the European Gas Research Group, reviewed the project’s communication and dissemination activities, highlighting THOTH2’s growing visibility and participation in international conferences and technical meetings. In order to increase the project’s impact, the consortium agreed on creating an R&D+I HUB linked to the THOTH2 project. The events will include participation by partners and manufacturers, who will be involved in meetings discussing their specific products.
SAB Meeting
In addition to the consortium meeting, THOTH2 also held its 3rd SAB meeting, aimed at presenting project results to key external stakeholders and gathering feedback from experts in the field.
The session opened with a presentation by Lucie Dangeon-Vassal, research engineer of Césame-Exadebit, who introduced the devices used in the hydrogen testing campaigns. This was followed by a detailed presentation of the experimental results obtained from these devices, previously discussed during the consortium meeting by Pawel Kulaga. The testing presentations also included contributions from Vito Fernicola, Research Director in Physical Thermodynamics at the Italian National Metrology Institute, Andrea Gaiardo, Researcher at the Bruno Kessler Foundation, who provided additional technical insights and contextual feedback on the presented results.
To conclude the session, Fares Ben Rayana summarised the project’s overall contributions to standardisation, particularly in relation to the development of reliable hydrogen and hydrogen-natural gas metering. He highlighted how THOTH2 is actively supporting the transition from experimental validation to harmonised European and international standards.
