Overview

Explore the Future of Clean Hydrogen: Visit the HyPER Pilot Plant at Cranfield University!

Join the HyPER Project – a pioneering collaboration between Cranfield University, GTI, and Doosan Babcock (co-funded by UK BEIS) – to discover the next generation of low‑carbon hydrogen production through sorbent‑enhanced steam methane reforming (SE‑SMR).

The HyPER Project is a novel hydrogen production technology which achieves substantial greenhouse gas reduction from a fossil fuel feedstock. An international collaboration between Cranfield University, GTI, Helical Energy and Doosan Babcock, HyPER is a state-of-the-art 1.5MWth pilot plant built at Cranfield University to test and evaluate GTI’s compact hydrogen generator technology.

GTI’s technology uses the sorption-enhanced steam methane reforming process where natural gas and steam are converted into hydrogen and carbon dioxide. CO2 is then captured and removed from the gas stream, leaving a stream of hydrogen that is almost pure. Meanwhile, the captured CO2 is transported to a different reactor where the sorbent is heated, leading to a near-pure stream of CO2 that can either be transported and stored or converted into a different product that is useful.

What you will see:

• 1–1.5 MWth pilot-scale plant demonstrating GTI’s compact hydrogen generator technology, integrating CO2 capture directly in the reforming process
• high‑pressure operation (~24 bara) to boost both efficiency and output – with 25 % lower hydrogen production costs, over 50 % reduced CAPEX, and ~97 % CO2 capture
• on-site carbon and hydrogen streams at industrial-grade purity—ideal for storage, transport, or use.

Meet the innovators:

• Cranfield’s energy engineering experts leading clean‑energy research
• GTI’s technology team showcasing their SE-SMR design
• engineers from Doosan Babcock, who specialise in low‑carbon power plant delivery.

Why it matters:

• reduces CO2 footprint by up to 40 % compared to conventional SMR + tail‑end capture
• scalable blueprint for the UK’s hydrogen economy: industry, power generation, grid decarbonisation, and heavy‑duty transport
• recognised nationally – winner of the H2 Awards 2023 Academic Excellence in Hydrogen Research and Innovation.

Ideal for: industry leaders, policy‑makers, researchers, students, and investors keen on sustainable hydrogen tech.
Includes: guided tour of the pilot plant, live technical briefings, and Q&A with project leads with Peter Clough and Phil Longhurst.

Attendees must provide their own transportation to the site and back.

The material presented has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenter’s own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the Milton Keynes Member Group. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.

Time

To be confirmed.