Natural Gas Pipeline Infrastructure Research Articles

Weather-Related Combined Effect on Failure Propagation and Maintenance Procedures towards Sustainable Gas Pipeline Infrastructure

Weather-related events are among the major causes of failure propagation in natural gas pipeline infrastructure. The interaction between multiple natural-force factors, such as temperature, precipitation, and wind, and their unpredictable simultaneous occurrence can intensify the vulnerability of pipeline infrastructure, increasing the likelihood of leaks, ruptures, and mechanical damage. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the combined effect of weather-related events on the failure propagation of pipelines, focusing on the impact of weather-related external force factors and climate change on sustainable pipeline integrity, including corrosion, erosion, and mechanical damage. Additionally, the paper examines various maintenance policies and strategies that can be implemented to mitigate the impact of weather-related failures. The review highlights gaps in existing knowledge and future research directions to enhance the understanding of weather-related failure propagation in natural gas pipeline infrastructure. This paper provides insights into the challenges and opportunities for improving the resilience and sustainability of pipeline infrastructure to weather-related failures.

Optimization research on energy consumption and carbon emissions in hydrogen-blended natural gas pipeline networks considering compressor performance - A case study of the west-east gas pipeline (line 1)

The blending of hydrogen into natural gas can utilize existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure to achieve long-distance, large-scale, and cost-effective hydrogen transportation. However, the introduction of hydrogen poses a series of new technical and safety challenges to the operation of natural gas pipelines. Addressing these issues, this paper focuses on minimizing compressor station energy consumption and carbon emissions as objective functions, conducting a comprehensive analysis of station operation modes. Incorporating the characteristics of the model, the soft frost search strategy, the hard frost penetration mechanism, and the positive greedy selection mechanism are introduced to propose the IRIME algorithm. Comparisons are made with well-performing optimization algorithms using classical test functions to evaluate algorithm performance. To further validate the algorithm's accuracy, the West-East Gas Pipeline (Line 1) is considered, comparing the convergence speed and precision of the IRIME algorithm, leading to its selection for solving the model. Furthermore, consider analyzing the impact of different hydrogen blending ratios on the performance curves and operating points of compressors. Results indicate that compared to conditions without hydrogen blending, the compressor outlet temperature and pressure drop increase for hydrogen blending ratios of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%; as the hydrogen blending ratio increases, the efficiency of fuel-driven compressors, efficiency of electrically driven compressors, and average efficiency of compressor units decrease; with an increase in hydrogen blending ratio, carbon emissions from fuel-driven compressors and electric-driven compressors both decrease. In conclusion, with an increasing hydrogen blending ratio, total energy consumption increases by 3.14%, 5.69%, 8.68%, and 10.90%, while total carbon emissions decrease by 2.99%, 5.36%, 8.32%, and 10.68%. These findings provide valuable insights for operational guidance in the field.

The Case of Renewable Methane by and with Green Hydrogen as the Storage and Transport Medium for Intermittent Wind and Solar PV Energy

Long-duration energy storage is the key challenge facing renewable energy transition in the future of well over 50% and up to 75% of primary energy supply with intermittent solar and wind electricity, while up to 25% would come from biomass, which requires traditional type storage. To this end, chemical energy storage at grid scale in the form of fuel appears to be the ideal option for wind and solar power. Renewable hydrogen is a much-considered fuel along with ammonia. However, these fuels are not only difficult to transport over long distances, but they would also require totally new and prohibitively expensive infrastructure. On the other hand, the existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure in developed economies can not only transmit a mixture of methane with up to 20% hydrogen without modification, but it also has more than adequate long-duration storage capacity. This is confirmed by analyzing the energy economies of the USA and Germany, both possessing well-developed natural gas transmission and storage systems. It is envisioned that renewable methane will be produced via well-established biological and/or chemical processes reacting green hydrogen with carbon dioxide, the latter to be separated ideally from biogas generated via the biological conversion of biomass to biomethane. At the point of utilization of the methane to generate power and a variety of chemicals, the released carbon dioxide would be also sequestered. An essentially net zero carbon energy system would be then become operational. The current conversion efficiency of power to hydrogen/methane to power on the order of 40% would limit the penetration of wind and solar power. Conversion efficiencies of over 75% can be attained with the on-going commercialization of solid oxide electrolysis and fuel cells for up to 75% penetration of intermittent renewable power. The proposed hydrogen/methane system would then be widely adopted because it is practical, affordable, and sustainable.

Transitioning to a Hydrogen Economy: Exploring the Viability of Adapting Natural Gas Pipelines for Hydrogen Transport through a Case Study on Compression vs. Looping

The growing importance of hydrogen as an energy carrier in a future decarbonised energy system has led to a surge in its production plans. However, the development of infrastructure for hydrogen delivery, particularly in the hard-to-abate sectors, remains a significant challenge. While constructing new pipelines entails substantial investment, repurposing existing pipelines offers a cost-effective approach to jump-starting hydrogen networks. Many European countries and, more recently, other regions are exploring the possibility of utilising their current pipeline infrastructure for hydrogen transport. Despite the recent efforts to enhance the understanding of pipeline compatibility and integrity for hydrogen transportation, including issues such as embrittlement, blend ratios, safety concerns, compressor optimisation, and corrosion in distribution networks, there has been limited or no focus on pipeline expansion options to address the low-energy density of hydrogen blends and associated costs. This study, therefore, aims to explore expansion options for existing natural gas high-pressure pipelines through additional compression or looping. It seeks to analyse the corresponding cost implications to achieve an affordable and sustainable hydrogen economy by investigating the utilisation of existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure for hydrogen transportation as a cost-saving measure. It explores two expansion strategies, namely pipeline looping (also known as pipeline reinforcement) and compression, for repurposing a segment of a 342 km × 36 inch existing pipeline, from the Escravos–Lagos gas pipeline system (ELPS) in Nigeria, for hydrogen transport. Employing the Promax® process simulator tool, the study assesses compliance with the API RP 14E and ASME B31.12 standards for hydrogen and hydrogen–methane blends. Both expansion strategies demonstrate acceptable velocity and pressure drop characteristics for hydrogen blends of up to 40%. Additionally, the increase in hydrogen content leads to heightened compression power requirements until approximately 80% hydrogen in the blends for compression and a corresponding extension in looping length until around 80% hydrogen in the blend for looping. Moreover, the compression option is more economically viable for all investigated proportions of hydrogen blends for the PS1–PS5 segment of the Escravos–Lagos gas pipeline case study. The percentage price differentials between the two expansion strategies reach as high as 495% for a 20% hydrogen proportion in the blend. This study offers valuable insights into the technical and economic implications of repurposing existing natural gas infrastructure for hydrogen transportation.

How do coalitions stop pipelines? Conditions that affect strategic action mobilizations and their outcomes

The study develops a strategic action perspective on public opposition to energy infrastructure by examining the conditions that lead to mobilization and conditions and actions that lead to a decision not to build a pipeline. Based on clearly defined inclusion criteria, fifty cases of proposed natural gas pipeline infrastructure in the U.S. were selected. Location within just one state is associated with a lower level of mobilization against a pipeline. In cases with higher opposition, the no-build outcome is associated with location in at least one state that leans toward the Democratic Party (more progressive), a higher level of tactics and more diverse coalitions, and pipeline opposition from state government officials. A processual model of the mobilization process, decision points, and outcomes is developed. Even with federal government approval, court decisions and state-government certification can create legal and regulatory hurdles that are associated with a no-build outcome. Given limited mobilization resources, opposition coalitions may benefit from strategic action focused on institutional targets of action such as the decisions of uncaptured regulatory agencies and the courts. The study also identifies incremental rule changes in these targets of action and the potential for improved democratic governance.

Steel pipeline for the hydrogen storage and delivery: metallurgical viewpoint for Finnish ecosystem

For more than a century, hydrogen has been used as an industrial chemical to produce ammonia for fertilizers and to process intermediate products in oil refineries. However, hydrogen has recently received renewed interest due to its ability to reduce carbon emissions to the atmosphere, particularly in the steel-making industries. Thus, hydrogen has the potential to play a critical role in combating climate change and achieving Finland's national goal of carbon neutrality by 2035. In this regard, national and global demand for hydrogen is rapidly increasing, and it is now three times more than what it was in 1975. The production and supply of hydrogen for industrial consumption would be a massive business that is expected to expand even faster than before. According to the IEA, the total demand for hydrogen in pure and mixed gas was approximately 115-120 million tones in 2018. (Gaseous) hydrogen can be efficiently transported by pipeline networks at a pressure of typically <100 bar. Pipelines provide an economical means of transporting hydrogen in large quantities over long/short distances, and hence they are often found serving end users who take hydrogen from a local central source of production. Nevertheless, the correct pipe material for hydrogen distribution must be designed and used, and the current natural gas pipeline infrastructure must be upgraded significantly if it is to be used for the delivery of pure hydrogen at high pressure. Hence, new research is needed to focus mainly on the possibility of use/modification of available natural gas pipeline network for hydrogen delivery as well as the study on the new economical pipeline material, exclusively for hydrogen transportation and storage.

Political Economy of Green Hydrogen Rollout: A Global Perspective

The present paper dwells on the role of green hydrogen in the transition towards climate-neutral economies and reviews the central challenges for its emancipation as an economically viable source of energy. The study shows that countries with a substantial share of renewables in the energy mix, advanced natural gas pipeline infrastructure, and an advanced level of technological and economic development have a comparative advantage for the wider utilization of hydrogen in their national energy systems. The central conclusion of this review paper is that a green hydrogen rollout in the developed and oil-exporting developing and emerging countries is not a risk for the rest of the world in terms of the increasing technological disparities and conservation of underdevelopment and concomitant socio-economic problems of the Global South. The targets anchored in Paris Agreement, but even more in the EU Green Deal and the European Hydrogen Strategy will necessitate a substantial rollout of RESs in developing countries, and especially in the countries of the African Union because of the prioritization of the African continent within the energy cooperation frameworks of the EU Green Deal and the EU Hydrogen Strategy. Hence, the green hydrogen rollout will bridge the energy transition between Europe and Africa on the one hand, and climate and development targets on the other.

Machine Learning for the Quantification and Identification of Natural Gas from Mixed Potential Electrochemical Sensors

Methane emissions from natural gas pipeline infrastructure contribute to over 2 billion dollars in losses in the US and 1.6 x 108 metric tons of CO2-equivalent per year.[1-2] Widely deployable sensors are needed to quickly identify and repair leaks so that their environmental and economic impact can be minimized. Mixed potential electrochemical sensors (MPES) are a low cost, highly robust system which can be deployed in the field. Mixture identification and quantification using sensor signals produced by MPES devices is challenging due to cross interference effects and complicated by the presence of interferent methane sources including wetlands and agricultural resources.We have developed a machine learning system with artificial neural networks using MPES devices as inputs and either concentration or mixture label as outputs. We have previously demonstrated using this approach to automatically decode sensor signals associated with automotive emissions gas mixtures [3-4]. Artificial neural networks created using the Google Tensorflow library for the Python programming language were trained on MPES sensor signals to identify and quantify mixtures as natural gas, CH4 only, and a CH4+NH3 mix as a simulant for bovine emissions. The results we have collected showed >99% test accuracy in identification of these gas mixtures as shown in the confusion matrix in Figure 1 in the concentration range of 1000-4000 PPM CH4 and 75-255 PPM NH3. Optimization of the ANN architecture to minimize processing time and facilitate deployment of machine learning onto portable hardware will also be presented. We will also compare the performance of ANNs to alternate ML techniques.This work was supported by the US Department of Energy under award DE-FOA-0031864.[1] A.J. Marchese, T. L. Vaugh, D. J. Zimmerle, D. M. Martinez, L. L. Williams, A. L. Robinson, A. L. Mitchell, R. Subramanian, D. S. Tkacik, J. R. Roscioli, S. C. Herndon. Science. 7204 (2018).[2] Kort, E. A.; Frankenberg, C. Costigan, K.R.; Lindenmaier, R.; Dubey, M. K; Wunch, D. Geophys. Res. Lett, 2014, 41, 19, 6898[3] L. Tsui, A. Benavidez, P. Palanisamy, L. Evans, F. Garzon, Electrochim. Acta 283 (2018) 141–148.[4] L. Tsui, A. Benavidez, P. Palanisamy, L. Evans, F. Garzon, Sens. Act. B: Chem. 249 (2017), 673-684Figure 1. Confusion matrix for (a) natural gas simulant, (b) CH4, (c) NH3, and (d) CH4+NH3. Mixtures (b) and (d) serve as surrogates for wetlands and agricultural bovine emissions respectively. Figure 1

A Bridge to Nowhere? Our Energy Transition and the Natural Gas Pipeline Wars

This article chronicles how natural gas has replaced coal as today’s energy dilemma. The pipeline wars illustrate landowners’ concern with special treatment for industry seeking to condemn lands, while some states and the public object to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC or Commission) approach to approving new pipeline projects, or the Commission’s assessment of GHG emissions associated with project development. Part II examines the pipeline wars in their historical context, portraying the rise of natural gas regulation, its increasing dominance as a fuel source, its associated environmental consequences, and the marked differences in how the Obama and Trump administrations have treated natural gas. Part III describes and analyzes three principal matters collectively displaying the challenges confronting the industry: (1) the Commission’s approach toward conditionally approving pipelines before states can ensure construction activities will comply with the Clean Water Act (CWA); (2) the Commission’s willingness to allow pipeline condemnation proceedings to occur before landowners have an opportunity to thoroughly air their concerns; and (3) FERC’s unwillingness to examine the indirect upstream and downstream effects from increased GHG emissions associated with approving a pipeline. This Part also discusses FERC’s 2018 Notice of Inquiry, soliciting input on the Commission’s pipeline policies. Next, Part IV addresses the principal, looming questions in the pipeline wars: whether and how the Commission ought to reexamine the need for new natural gas pipeline infrastructure. Major energy transitions present major challenges, and the resultant follies from these efforts abound. If we fail to avoid yet another folly, our new natural gas infrastructure could become either a shackle, impeding a zero-carbon energy future, or a bridge to nowhere.

Reversible solid oxide cell systems for integration with natural gas pipeline and carbon capture infrastructure for grid energy management

Electrical energy storage (EES) is necessary to enable greater penetration of renewables and as a grid-balancing solution, but current EES technologies suffer from capacity or geological limitations and high cost. Reversible solid oxide cells (ReSOCs) are an electrochemical energy conversion technology that can produce both electricity from fuel (gas-to-power) and fuel from electricity (power-to-gas), depending on resource availability and demand. Leveraging in situ C-O-H chemistry and operating at intermediate temperature (600°C) and elevated pressure (10–20 bar) enables these cells to be mildly exothermic, eliminating the need for external heat input or high over-potential (low-efficiency) operation during electrolysis mode. This operating strategy also results in higher methane production during electrolysis, facilitating easier integration with natural gas pipeline infrastructure over steam/hydrogen electrolytic processes.This study proposes a ReSOC system integrated with both natural gas pipeline and carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure to render a flexible, grid energy management resource. In gas-to-power mode, the system takes natural gas from a pipeline to produce electricity. Un-utilized fuel is combusted with oxygen and expanded through a turbine to produce more power. The water in the exhaust is condensed, and the remaining carbon dioxide is compressed for tanker or pipeline transportation to a carbon sequestration site. In power-to-gas mode, carbon dioxide and water are co-electrolyzed in the stack to produce methane and hydrogen, which can be injected directly into a natural gas pipeline or further refined into a purer stream of methane. We explore system design concepts, performance, and cost of a 50 MWe ReSOC system. Results indicate that synthetic natural gas (92.0% methane) can be produced at $22.7/MMBTU with a lower heating value efficiency of 81%. Alternatively, a system that net meters produced syngas and operates in power producing mode 50% of the time can generate electricity at a levelized cost of 10.5 ¢/kWh with an efficiency of 69% (LHV), while producing exhaust that is 95.5% carbon dioxide at 40 bar. If the system operates disproportionally in gas-to-power mode the LCOE drops to near 6 ¢/kWh. The economic outlook for mature ReSOC systems presented herein are found to be competitive with current energy storage technologies and natural gas peaker plants.

Experimental assessment of the combustion performance of an oven burner operated on pipeline natural gas mixed with hydrogen

With the increasing need to reduce greenhouse gas emission and adopt sustainability in combustion systems, injection of renewable gases into the pipeline natural gas is of great interest. Due to high specific energy density and various potential sources, hydrogen is a competitive energy carrier and a promising gaseous fuel to replace natural gas in the future. To test the end use impact of hydrogen injection into the natural gas pipeline infrastructure, the present study has been carried out to evaluate the fuel interchangeability between hydrogen and natural gas in a residential commercial oven burner. Various combustion performance characteristics were evaluated, including flashback limits, ignition performance, flame characteristics, combustion noise, burner temperature and emissions (NO, NO2, N2O, CO, UHC, NH3). Primary air entrainment process was also investigated. Several correlations for predicting air entrainment were compared and evaluated for accuracy based on the measured fuel/air concentration results in the burner. The results indicate that 25% (by volume) hydrogen can be added to natural gas without significant impacts. Above this amount, flashback in the burner tube is the limiting factor. Hydrogen addition has minimal impact on NOX emission while expectedly decreasing CO emissions. As the amount of hydrogen increases in the fuel, the ability of the fuel to entrain primary air decreases.

Hydrogen from renewables: Supply from North Africa to Central Europe as blend in existing pipelines – Potentials and costs

Strong efforts are necessary to stem climate change. It requires to switch to renewable fuels. But as energy demand in Central Europe is high, renewable energy resources are of moderate quality, and available potentials are limited, energy imports from areas with beneficial renewable resources – such as North Africa – might be a promising option. Against this background this paper investigates the costs and potentials for hydrogen produced on the basis of electricity from wind and solar energy in North Africa and the subsequent transport as a blend with natural gas in existing pipelines. Linear optimization using hourly wind and solar data yields minimum hydrogen production cost. 2419 locations covering a 2° proximity of the existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure are considered in a lower and higher cost case for a near-term future (ca. 2020). Modell results provide lowest hydrogen production cost of 45 resp. 99 €/MWh. The production potential is in the range of PWh/a and therefore exceeds the hydrogen that can be transported in the existing infrastructure: Operating pipelines are potentially able to carry 10 vol% hydrogen in the natural gas feed with negligible adjustments to the infrastructure so that 9.5–23.2 TWh/a of hydrogen can be transported to Europe at minimum transport costs of 9 resp. 19 €/MWh. As these transport costs are low, supplying hydrogen leads to lower cost than transforming it to methane, Diesel or gasoline and is therefore the cheapest form of supplying a power based fuel. The hydrogen costs sum up to supply costs of 54 resp. 119 €/MWh free Central Europe.

A Bridge to Nowhere?: Our Energy Transition and the Natural Gas Pipeline Wars

[enter Abstract BodyThis article canvases the debate surrounding the nation’s increasing reliance on natural gas and the attendant push toward new natural gas pipeline infrastructure. Natural gas is fast becoming the next principal sector our economy must address to arrest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in our energy systems. And during the past few years, states, landowners, and environmental organizations have waged what is now being dubbed a “pipeline war.” A “Bridge to Nowhere” portrays this war. It discusses the history of federal natural gas regulation, along with methane’s contribution toward climate change and the Obama and Trump administrations’ opposite responses. It then explores the dominant conversations surrounding new pipeline construction, including whether states enjoy sufficient authority to block new pipeline construction under the Clean Water Act, whether the Federal Energy Regulatory (FERC) impermissibly avoids examining the impact of GHG emissions associated with new pipeline approvals, and finally whether the process that allows new pipeline construction to proceed expeditiously is so “Kafkaesque,” as an August 2019 judged observed, to warrant changes to protect landowners and the environment. Each of these contemporary issues is capturing considerable public attention and increasing judicial interest. The article next probes the often ignored yet fundamental question of whether FERC ought to consider examining the need for new natural gas in the first place before deciding whether to approve new pipeline construction. The article concludes by explaining why FERC can and must do so, and offers a framework and justification for the agency to engage meaningfully in a modern energy policy conversation.

Hydrogen integration in power-to-gas networks

The share of renewable energy resources is consistently rising in the global energy supply, and power-to-gas technique is being seen as the feasible storage of surplus renewable electricity. In this regard the sensitivity of hydrogen towards various elements of the P2G network needs to be assessed. The study provides an overview of a number of P2G projects mainly concentrated in Europe, and summarizes the results of investigations carried out on the effects of hydrogen injection on the existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure. It has been found that each element of the natural gas infrastructure has a varying degree of acceptability to hydrogen concentration; however the determinant element affects the overall allowable hydrogen concentration. In the transmission network, compressors are the determinant element and have a limiting value of 10% hydrogen admixture. Distribution network and storage elements allow a 50% concentration of hydrogen. End use appliances have a tolerant range of 20–50%. The second portion of the study demonstrates the effect of hydrogen injection on gas quality, which reveals that an introduction of 2% hydrogen in the distribution network has negligible effect however a 10% hydrogen mixture affects the calorific value of the supplied fuel gas below the desired level.

The future of natural gas infrastructure development in the United states

Changes in the natural gas market have spawned the need for pipeline infrastructure planning. Previous studies have analyzed natural gas infrastructure development largely independent of the interactions of the natural gas sector with the broader economy. However, natural gas infrastructure development is strongly influenced by broader domestic and international socioeconomic conditions. We couple a global Human-Earth system model with state-level detail in the United States (GCAM-USA) that provides the broader socioeconomic context for natural gas supply and demand with a natural gas infrastructure investment model (NANGAM) to examine inter-state natural gas pipeline infrastructure development in the U.S. under a range of socioeconomic scenarios. Here we show that existing pipeline infrastructure in the U.S. is insufficient to satisfy the increasing demand for natural gas and investments in pipeline capacity will be required. However, the geographic distribution of investments within the U.S. is heterogeneous and depends on the capacity of existing infrastructure as well as the magnitude of increase in demand. Our results also illustrate the risks of under-utilization of pipeline capacity, in particular, under a scenario characterized by long-term systemic transitions toward a low-carbon economy. More broadly, our study highlights the value of integrated approaches to facilitate informed decision-making.

Evaluating Risk and Natural Gas Pipeline Safety

This research conducts an experiment on individuals’ perceptions of natural gas pipeline incidents and the expansion of natural gas pipeline infrastructure in the United States. This work contributes to the literature on natural gas pipeline safety and risk by utilizing Kahneman and Tversky's Prospect Theory. This work is relevant from a public policy perspective because of the recent expansion of the U.S. natural gas pipeline network that has been underway since 2010. It provides policy makers with a better understanding of how the public perceives risks and benefits associated with pipeline expansion. Overall, the study results find that when individuals balanced the benefits and risks of pipeline expansion, a majority of all respondents (53.4 percent) picked safety over monetary gains. Further, a majority of respondents who received at least one treatment were more likely to choose safety and two‐thirds of respondents who received a second treatment chose safety over material benefits associated with pipeline expansion.Related Articles Ash, John S. 2010. “.” Politics & Policy 38 (): 255‐284. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2011.00310.x/full Ash, John S. 2011. “.” Politics & Policy 39 (): 317‐344. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2010.00237.x/full Neill, Katharine A., and John C. Morris. 2012. “.” Politics & Policy 40 (): 629‐656. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2012.00371.x/full Related Media Kassab, Beth, and Kevin Spear. 2017. “.” Orlando Sentinenal. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/environment/os-sabal-trail-pipeline-impact-20170329-story.html Parry, Wayne. 2017. “.” Associated Press. February 24. http://6abc.com/news/hotly-contested-nj-pinelands-natural-gas-pipeline-approved/1771013/

Prospects of natural gas pipeline infrastructure in hydrogen transportation

SUMMARY This paper analyses the transportation and delivery features of hydrogen as energy market evolves and approaches a fully functional Hydrogen economy. Initially physical aspects have been assessed that affect the flow of hydrogen through the existing pipeline infrastructure. Line pack and compressors are the only identified problems that need to be addressed. This is followed by an investigation into the mixing of hydrogen with natural gas gradually. It was revealed that a mix of up to 17% by volume does not have any significant effect, however higher concentration of hydrogen leads to a changeover of high-pressure grid pipelines as well as the end-user applications. It is suggested that initially hydrogen can be introduced in the distribution system, while emphasizing towards developing means for high-pressure transportation of hydrogen fuel gas. Government policies towards encouraging use of hydrogen in an evolving market is important for widespread and early assimilation in energy mix. Renewable sources of energy are recommended for distributed generation of hydrogen along the pipeline network. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Enriched methane production using solar energy: an assessment of plant performance

A novel hybrid plant for the production of a mixture of methane and hydrogen (17 vol%) from a steam-reforming reactor whose heat duty is supplied by a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant by means of a molten salt stream is here presented. It has been demonstrated in the literature that mixtures containing up to 17 vol% of hydrogen in a natural gas (NG) stream can be sent in the NG pipeline infrastructure and can supply NG–ICE propulsion systems reducing the GHG emissions and improving the engine efficiency. A rigorous two-dimensional model has been developed to investigate the behaviour of the steam-reforming reactor and the effects of some important operating conditions, such as the reactant mixture residence time, the steam-to-carbon ratio in the feedstock, the operating pressure and the inlet temperature. The final outcome of this work is the dimensioning of a solar enriched methane plant for the electricity and gas requirements of domestic users.

Separation of hydrogen from a hydrogen/methane mixture using a PEM fuel cell

If the existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure were to be used for the transportation of hydrogen, one of the issues would be the separation of the hydrogen from the natural gas. This work describes such a separation using PEM fuel cell technology. Experiments were performed using a single proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell ( 25 cm 2 active area MEA), fed with pure hydrogen as well as various hydrogen–methane mixtures and hydrogen–argon mixtures, at temperatures from 293 to 343 K, with either platinum or platinum/ruthenium anode electrocatalysts, and at atmospheric pressure. The experimental results show that little energy is consumed in producing pure hydrogen and that the methane is essentially inert at low temperatures and does not cause significant fouling of the anode electrocatalyst. A simple mathematical model of the electrochemical separation process has been developed. Calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Electrification of natural gas pipeline-a great opportunity for two capital intensive industries

At a time when the US natural gas pipeline infrastructure needs to be upgraded with new high-horsepower compressors to meet additional capacity demands, there exists an electric motor technology suitable for the task. The power electronic adjustable speed drive (ASD) controlled electric motor offers superior economics of initial, operating and maintenance costs compared to natural gas powered equipment. Coincidentally, natural gas pipeline deregulation is causing pipe line operators to evaluate electric drives as an alternative to gas driven equipment. Thus, an opportunity for load building is being offered to the electric power industry by the economics of the deregulated natural gas transmission industry. The gas transmission industry needs to upgrade equipment for more capacity. The new high-speed electric motor technology provides means for upgrading, at a fraction of the life cycle costs of conventional gas powered equipment.