DNV will be providing key safety and operational evidence by carrying out a series of offline tests for this project at their remote research facility in Cumbria, Northern England. The programme of work will demonstrate hot working on hydrogen pipelines, delayed ignition and over pressure tests, burst and fatigue tests as well as exploring the hydrogen compatibility of existing pipeline connections and fittings. As the project progresses, DNV will also support a live network SGN trial by investigating the measurement and monitoring of a hydrogen linepack, (the volume of gas that can be ‘stored’ in a gas pipeline), on a section of the local transmission network.
SNG is leading this project, working in collaboration with other UK gas networks. The LTS is owned and operated by gas distribution networks. These are the pipelines that connect the high-pressure National Transmission System (NTS) with the lower pressure tiers. These pipelines are considered the ‘backbone’ of the energy network, currently delivering gas from NTS offtakes to towns and cities across the country.
Angus McIntosh, Director of Energy Futures at SGN, said: “Repurposing the UK’s extensive gas networks to transport hydrogen offers an exciting opportunity to deliver deep decarbonisation of the energy system. We’re delighted to be working with DNV to undertake offsite testing at their Spadeadam facility. This testing is a key component of our overall programme and will provide critical evidence to support our live demonstration of a conversion of a 30 km natural gas pipeline to hydrogen. The evidence and outcomes will be representative and scalable to all local transmission assets in the UK, over 11,000 km of pipeline assets and associated plant.”
