Neither hydrogen nor natural gas smell in their normal state. Natural gas supplied via gas mains has a special odorant added to it to give it its characteristic smell, so that leaks can be detected. Adding some hydrogen to natural gas may dilute the smell, but will not change its effectiveness. If required, additional odorant will be added to compensate for this. Tests will be carried out on the Keele network to ensure the required levels are maintained through the trial.
There are also other gas safety management processes in place on every gas network, such as routine leak detection. This is undertaken using specialist equipment, and when a landlord undertakes a gas safety check in a home, this includes a leak test. For HyDeploy, all the equipment and procedures used for leak detection on the network will be thoroughly tested to make sure they are as effective on the blend as on natural gas. During the gas safety checks all the pipework in the buildings will be leak tested.