INJECTION OF HYDROGEN INTO HIGH PRESSURE NATURAL GAS GRIDS: INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPACT ON MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT AT RELEVANT ENVIRONMENT

This work addresses the potential of hydrogen injection into the transmission high pressure natural gas grid as way to decarbonise the gas system and gas uses. To achieve this potential, knowledge gaps have to be covered considering the current know-how on how different concentrations of hydrogen gas could affect the infrastructure and its components. The activities are developed within the frame of HIGGS (FCH 2JU funded project, No. 875091). An R&D platform working at high pressure has been developed in HIGGS to achieve advance the knowledge on operation of hydrogen admixtures in the high-pressure natural gas grid, simulating the operational conditions from selected equipment, gas quality, etc. The admixture levels consider various hydrogen concentrations until reaching pure hydrogen. So far, the impact of H₂/NG blends with up to 20 %vol H₂ on steels and equipment has been studied through a mechanical and chemical characterization after been exposed to the blend. Membrane technology has also been tested for hydrogen recovery, using a Pd-based membrane prototype installed in the platform.