Skanska has started using a hydrogen dual fuel piling rig on HS2 which is thought to be the first real-world use of the technology on a construction site.
The piling rig installed four 30-metre-deep piles during a trial carried out in collaboration with Skanska’s piling and ground engineering business, Cementation Skanska, hydrogen fuel company ULEMco and the Business Research Establishment.
The project has been funded through the BEIS Phase 1 Red Diesel Replacement competition.
Cementation Skanska and ULEMCo modified a medium-sized CFA piling rig and converted it so that the machine component operated using energy from on-board hydrogen tanks.
Using the dual-fuel system, both diesel and biofuels (HVO) can be mixed with hydrogen, displacing the fuel with hydrogen, resulting in a reduction in fuel use and lower CO2 emissions.
The operation follows simulated trials of the technology last year at Cementation Skanska’s plant and fabrication facility at Bentley Works, South Yorkshire.
HS2 claims that the use of the hydrogen dual fuel piling rig cuts the use of traditional fuel by 36%. To date, 19 HS2 sites operate entirely diesel-free.
Andrea Davidson, head of environmental sciences for HS2, said: “HS2 is continuing to drive a positive change in the construction sector and is providing an important environment to develop the real-world use of hydrogen energy technology.
“The development of dual-fuel systems that can be used to adapt existing equipment so it can run off cleaner, low carbon energy sources, could be a game changer across the construction sector.”
