We are process and mechanical engineers who work specifically in hydrogen. Not a department inside a large firm. Not a generalist consultancy that added hydrogen to its service list. We are engineers who have spent our careers on fuel cells, electrolyzers, compressed gases and hydrogen systems — and built a firm around it.
River Energy Solutions provides hydrogen engineering consulting across the US and Canada, from early feasibility through detailed design, commissioning support, and ongoing safety compliance.
Hydrogen Process and Equipment Engineering
Most engineering problems on a hydrogen project are solved — or made worse — in the design phase or after installation. We work with developers, operators, and facility managers to get the engineering right before construction starts. In some cases, we are contacted to fix other engineers mistakes.
Our work spans the full hydrogen system:
Liquid and gaseous hydrogen storage.
We design storage systems for both LH2 and high-pressure gaseous hydrogen, optimizing capacity, layout, and boil-off management against NFPA 2 requirements and local codes. One detail most engineers miss: liquid hydrogen at −423°F causes ambient air to condense and liquify on uninsulated surfaces, creating an oxygen-enriched layer that is a serious fire risk. In contrast, we design against that from day one — not as an afterthought. We also consider egress paths for personal and proper ventilation especially on sites that need walls or in cases we have seen engineers specify walls when none are required. -We could have saved that client a lot of money on design and installation fees if they include us or had us design the site from the beginning.
The extremely low temperature of liquid hydrogen (−423F) causes ambient air to condense and liquify on uninsulated surfaces. Air is composed of nitrogen (boiling point −384.8°F) and oxygen (boiling point −361°F), so oxygen condenses and liquefies more readily than nitrogen, creating an oxygen-enriched layer on the surface of cryogenic piping. In some cases, such as the one in the video below, oxygen can drip from the pipe. This is a serious fire risk. Oxygen greatly increases the flammability of nearby materials such as asphalt and organic materials. The result is that the oxygen and organic material can ignite easily, even without a spark.
Link to Air Condensing on cryogenic LH2 pipe.
Hydrogen compression.
We specialize in multistage diaphragm compressors for high-pressure hydrogen service — up to 14,000 PSIG — covering design specifications, vendor selection, quality reviews, and factory acceptance testing. Getting compressor selection wrong is expensive. Getting it right at specification saves months.
Hydrogen vent stack and atmospheric dispersion.
When hydrogen must be vented, the design has to account for overpressure protection, hazardous area identification, thermal radiation, building intakes, and code compliance simultaneously. Starting in 2026, NFPA 2 requires plume dispersion analysis for Division I Class II areas — including normal operations, LH2 blowdowns, and maintenance venting. We do this analysis in-house as part of our hydrogen consulting, not as an add-on.
Dealing with a noisy vent stack can be more than just an inconvenience; it may also conflict with local noise regulations. While tackling these issues may seem overwhelming, our team possesses the expertise to help you navigate the requirements needed to restore peace to your environment. We can assist you in finding effective solutions to minimize the noise. Cryogenic liquids typically experience a one percent boil-off, which must be vented and can generate noise at the discharge vent, potentially disturbing local residents, especially at night. Additionally, it's important to meet OSHA's tolerance levels for personnel safety in nearby work areas, and we have experience with dense stack silencers for both cryogenic gases and compressors.
Electrolyzer and fuel cell system integration.
We design hydrogen systems for electrolyzer installations, fuel cell applications, and the balance of plant connecting them — P&IDs, valve selection, line sizing, pressure systems, and utility requirements.
Hydrogen fueling infrastructure.
We engineer hydrogen fueling systems for vehicle and forklift applications — dispenser layout, supply system design, hazardous area classification, and safety system integration. We have worked with operators running Plug Power GenDrive systems across multiple facilities and understand what reliable forklift fueling infrastructure actually requires in practice.
Hydrogen fuel cell forklifts.
Hydrogen fuel cell forklifts are now operating at scale across some of the largest warehouse and distribution networks in North America. Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, Uline, FedEx, BMW, Bridgestone, Sysco, Southwire, Freezepak, Floor & Decor, and dozens of other leading companies have made hydrogen-powered material handling a core part of their logistics operations — and for good reason.
Compared to battery-electric forklifts, hydrogen fuel cells offer two-minute refueling versus fifteen or more minutes for battery swap, consistent power output across a full shift, and reliable performance in cold storage environments where batteries degrade. At the scale these companies operate, those advantages translate directly into labor efficiency, throughput, and total cost of ownership.
But deploying hydrogen fuel cell forklifts requires more than procurement. It requires a hydrogen supply system that is correctly sized, safely designed, and reliably integrated with your facility operations. That is where River Energy Solutions comes in with hydrogen engineering consulting.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles – Buses, Forklifts, and Vehicles
- Dispenser layout and throughput design — station count, placement, and capacity matched to fleet size and shift structure
- Hydrogen demand analysis — fleet size, shift patterns, refueling cycles, and peak demand calculation
- Storage system selection and sizing — gaseous versus liquid hydrogen, pressure specifications, and footprint optimization
- Tube trailer and bulk liquid delivery logistics — supplier qualification, delivery frequency, and on-site inventory management
- On-site hydrogen generation evaluation — electrolyzer sizing and integration for facilities with sufficient electricity supply and volume to justify on-site production
- Utility requirements — electrical supply for dispensers, compressors, controls, and safety system
- Piping and instrumentation design — P&ID development for hydrogen supply, vaporization, compression, and dispensing systems
- Pressure regulation and compression system specification
- Ventilation and detection system design — hydrogen sensor placement, ventilation rates, and emergency shutdown integration
- Civil and structural requirements — equipment pads, barriers, setback distances, and facility modification scope
- Fire alarm design to integrate into existing facilities.
Installation planning and owner's engineering
- Contractor bid package development — scope of work, technical specifications, and equipment datasheets for procurement
- EPC and contractor technical review — evaluation of installation contractor qualifications and design submittals
- Construction inspection and commissioning support — technical oversight during installation and system startup
- Operator training support — hydrogen safety, fueling procedures, and emergency response documentation
Hydrogen process safety — HAZOP, MOC, and OSHA PSM
Hydrogen carries specific hazards that generic process safety approaches underestimate. The flammability range runs from 4% to 75% in air. Ignition energy is one-tenth that of natural gas. In enclosed spaces, hydrogen stratifies at ceiling level before floor-level detectors activate.
We provide the full OSHA PSM support program for hydrogen facilities above the 10,000-pound threshold — and for smaller facilities where the hazards justify it regardless of regulatory obligation:
- Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) and HAZOP facilitation
- Management of Change (MOC) review
- Pre-Startup Safety Reviews (PSSR)
- Operating procedure development
- Mechanical integrity support
- Incident investigation
- Emergency planning and response
- Ignition source control
Codes and standards we work to
Hydrogen design requires fluency in a specific set of codes that most engineering firms encounter rarely. We work to these standards regularly:
- NFPA 2 — Hydrogen Technologies Code (including 2026 updates)
- NFPA 55 — Compressed Gases and Cryogenic Fluids
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119 — Process Safety Management
- EPA 40 CFR Part 68 — Risk Management Program
- IFC — International Fire Code
- SAE J2601 — Hydrogen fueling protocols
- ASME pressure vessel and piping codes
- And many others
We coordinate directly with Authorities Having Jurisdiction across the US and Canada — permit support, technical documentation, and fire marshal review.
Who we work with and who supports us
We work with developers, industrial operators, logistics companies, utilities, and infrastructure investors across the US and Canada. We are members of AIChE and the National Fire Protection Association, and are active in the local business community through the Danbury Chamber of Commerce.
We partner with FP2Fire and Marchetti Consulting Engineers on projects requiring complementary disciplines — fire protection, civil, structural, and electrical — so clients get a complete hydrogen engineering consulting engineering package without the overhead of a large firm.
Call to action section
Let us know how our Hydrogen Engineering Consulting services can support your project!
We respond within one business day. You will speak directly with the engineers who will do the work — not an account manager or project coordinator.
info@riverenergysolutions.com
P.O. Box 778, Botsford, CT 06404