Pipeline Infrastructure Research Articles

Import policy: general goals and current problems of Ukraine

The essence of import policy, its current problems and goals are investigated in this paper. The dynamics of foreign trade in Ukraine is also analyzed. It is determined that the import policy is an important tool for ensuring Ukraine's economic independence, preserving its own economic identity and security. The geographical and commodity structure of imports is analyzed, the countries with the highest share of imports to Ukraine are identified and the reasons for changes in the volume of imports of goods by broad economic categories are revealed. In particular, characterizing the real state of affairs in Ukrainian imports, it should be noted an interesting geopolitical dominant: the state's dependence on large energy supplies from abroad automatically turns countries - suppliers of oil and gas to leading sources of imported trade flows. And if during the 90s of XX century. there was a noticeable diversification of exports, then at the beginning of the new century the undisputed leader among other countries (before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine 24.02.2022) – suppliers of products to Ukraine remained Russia, due to large energy supplies. As a result, during the second half of the 1990s, Ukraine had total trade deficit of about $ 15 billion with Russia. USA. This is a third more than the average annual exports of our country at the end of the century. At the same time, Ukraine needs to provide alternative energy supply channels that can increase the importance of other countries, including Azerbaijan, if the relevant agreements are reached and the transport and pipeline infrastructure is created. Current issues and priority areas of import policy in Ukraine are analyzed. It is determined that effective means of solving the problem of import optimization is the customs policy, which takes into account the competition of goods on the national market with domestic goods, ways to accelerate the STP. Customs policy should be formed on the basis of national scientific and technical strategy. Thus, the investigation clearly outlines that the improvement of import strategy in the framework of balanced import substitution through government support for national producers of high-tech products and support for small businesses will increase the competitiveness of both individual industries and the domestic economy as a whole.

Study of transportation prospects and safety regulations of hydrogen in Indian context: A green fuel for greener future

The transportation of huge quantities of Hydrogen to the consumption points is a herculean task and can only be economically viable through the pipeline route. The creation of a dedicated pipeline infrastructure for Hydrogen comes with huge investment requirements and time consuming. The transportation of Hydrogen in existing Natural Gas pipelines and the introduction of hydrogen into modern city gas distribution networks is the low hanging fruit even if it comes with technological challenges for maintaining pipelines integrity. The need of the hour is to develop the strategies and tools to identify 'hydrogen-ready' pipelines to enable a successful transition to economical and safe introduction of hydrogen into the natural gas network. The benefit would also be similar to the blending of hydrogen into the natural gas pipeline in term of providing renewable energy to distantly located consumers. The present chapter has given details about the prospect and challenges of conversion of natural gas pipelines made from 'standard' grades for hydrogen-natural gas mixture in Indian context.

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.

Delaware Basin Case History Details Economic Benefit of Water-Recycling Program

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 204166, “Turning Produced Water Into an Asset: A Delaware Basin Case History,” by Dustin Aro, SPE, and Steven Fowler, SPE, Precision Petroleum Solutions, prepared for the 2021 SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference and Exhibition, held virtually 4–6 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Well completion operations are affected by freshwater procurement costs starting at approximately $0.75/bbl. Regardless of final fracturing design, water consumption during fracturing operations typically exceeds 500,000 bbl, or $375,000 per well at the time of writing. Significant value exists for recycling produced water by an on-lease pit that can be used for future fracturing operations. The case history outlined in the complete paper explores a multiwell sectional development in the Delaware Basin by a small operator that reduced drilling and completion costs, along with lease operating expenses, by turning undesirable produced water into an asset. Regulatory Considerations Because the Delaware Basin straddles two states, it is important to understand the guidelines and processes of pursuing produced-water recycling operations in Texas as opposed to New Mexico. The operations discussed were executed and managed on the Texas side. While contractor familiarity can be beneficial during the planning stages, the operator also must be well-versed in applicable regulations. It is advisable to consult with legal counsel regarding liability should an unplanned discharge event occur. Lease Development History Before the beginning of initial completions operations, three freshwater wells were drilled on-lease with the intention of use for fracturing operations. The flow rate from the three wells was insufficient to keep up with fracturing operations by an aboveground storage tank (AST). A large-volume fracturing pit was not constructed. The initial completion on Well 1, targeting the Wolfcamp C bench, was executed primarily with fresh water sourced from a third-party pit that was transferred to a nearby AST. During production, Well 1 maintained a high water cut (greater than 90%) and produced a significant amount of water over time. Additional infrastructure would be required to fully exploit the existing freshwater wells as a source for future completions activity. Operator break-even treatment costs have been determined to be the most favorable when using a centralized pipeline water-management program. A pit would act as a centralized gathering point with temporary pipeline infrastructure for water-transfer purposes. An internal economic analysis was undertaken to determine construction costs for a pit that could accommodate 500,000 bbl or 1,000,000 bbl of fresh water. The option of constructing a pit that could handle produced water also was included for comparison.

Plasma steam methane reforming (PSMR) using a microwave torch for commercial-scale distributed hydrogen production

Although large-scale hydrogen production through conventional steam methane reforming (SMR) is available at an affordable cost, there is a shortage of hydrogen pipeline infrastructure between production plants and fueling stations in most places where hydrogen is needed. Due to the difficulties of transporting and storing hydrogen, onsite hydrogen production plants are desirable. Microwave plasma torch-based methods are among the most promising approaches to achieving this goal.The plasma steam methane reforming (PSMR) method discussed here has many benefits, including a high energy yield, a small carbon footprint, real-time fueling because of the short start-up time (<10 min), and the absence of expensive metal-based catalysts. Methane reforming and water gas shift reaction (WGSR) co-occur in the method advanced without a separate WGSR to achieve a high H2 yield.This study examines an experimental investigation of commercial-scale hydrogen production through PSMR utilizing a microwave torch system. The optimum results obtained showed that the hydrogen production rate was 2247 [g(H2)/h], and energy yield was 70 [g(H2)/kWh] of the absorbed microwave power. An assessment of the results indicated a similar trend to that of simulated data (ASPEN Plus). The experimental results presented in this paper demonstrate the potential of a catalyst-free PSMR for commercial-scale hydrogen production.

Flow modeling of high-viscosity fluids in pipeline infrastructure of oil and gas enterprises

Today, the issues related to solving the problem of finding an effective distribution of oil flows through the system of oil pipelines in order to reduce the total energy consumption are relevant. The solution to this problem is connected with selection of rational pumping modes for various technological sections of oil pipelines using modern methods of mathematical programming or new techniques for improving the energy and transport characteristics of oil.Reducing energy consumption during pumping of crude through oil trunk pipelines can be achieved by various methods. Numerous investigations in this direction are mainly carried out to save energy on separate single-line pipelines. However, due to the development of the network of trunk oil pipelines in the world over the past decades, the issues of energy efficient management of oil flows throughout the entire oil pipeline system of oil and gas enterprises become urgent.This paper analyses parameters for pipeline transport of high-viscosity and heavy oils. The article proposes a method for assessing the rheological properties of oil for further planning of pumping taking into account the preservation of oil quality and an increase in energy and transport characteristics. The proposed solutions and tasks for predicting changes in the viscosity-temperature characteristics of the flow for blends of different oil types are especially relevant in the current conditions of an increase in the share of oil production with complex rheological characteristics. Results of the presented investigations may be used for planning the measures of efficient transportation of high-viscosity and heavy oils.

Modeling Hydraulic Fracturing Using Natural Gas Foam as Fracturing Fluids

Stranded gas emission from the field production because of the limitations in the pipeline infrastructure has become one of the major contributors to the greenhouse effects. How to handle the stranded gas is a troublesome problem under the background of global “net-zero” emission efforts. On the other hand, the cost of water for hydraulic fracturing is high and water is not accessible in some areas. The idea of using stranded gas in replace of the water-based fracturing fluid can reduce the gas emission and the cost. This paper presents some novel numerical studies on the feasibility of using stranded natural gas as fracturing fluids. Differences in the fracture creating, proppant placement, and oil/gas/water flowback are compared between natural gas fracturing fluids and water-based fracturing fluids. A fully integrated equation of state compositional hydraulic fracturing and reservoir simulator is used in this paper. Public datasets for the Permian Basin rock and fluid properties and natural gas foam properties are collected to set up simulation cases. The reservoir hydrocarbon fluid and natural gas fracturing fluids phase behavior is modeled using the Peng-Robinson equation of state. The evolving of created fracture geometry, conductivity and flowback performance during the lifecycle of the well (injection, shut-in, and production) are analyzed for the gas and water fracturing fluids. Simulation results show that natural gas and foam fracturing fluids are better than water-based fracturing fluids in terms of lower breakdown pressure, lower water leakoff into the reservoir, and higher cluster efficiency. NG foams tend to create better propped fractures with shorter length and larger width, because of their high viscosity. NG foam is also found to create better stimulated rock volume (SRV) permeability, better fracturing fluid flowback with a large water usage reduction, and high natural gas consumption. The simulation results presented in this paper are helpful to the operators in reducing natural gas emission while reducing the cost of hydraulic fracturing operation.

Evaluation Model for Sustainable Development of Settlement System

Sustainability of settlement systems is of greatest relevance in political and socio-economic stability all over the world. The development effectiveness of a rural settlement system involves the solution of a number of matters in sustainable development, namely social welfare and environmental balance, economy and industry development, improving the pipeline and utility infrastructure, and improving the efficiency of the decision-making process. Currently, the sustainability of a rural settlement system is one of the key objectives in regional planning in post-Soviet countries. The introduction of new tools for assessing and managing the settlement system development is particularly true for Belarus, as a country with a strong focus on agricultural industry. The research aim was to develop and approve a model for evaluating the settlement system development. The research methods were based on the complex and interdisciplinary approaches, namely the system-element approach, the comparative analysis, spatial and mathematical modelling, factor analysis, and the cartographic analysis. The model was approved by practical consideration for evaluating the development of the analogue object at the local planning level. The practical relevance of the research is associated with the potential for using the model as a significant tool in land use planning. The model employs both quantitative and qualitative evaluation to obtain alternative solutions towards sustainable development of rural areas. Another advantage of the model is its multifunctionality, which enables: (1) sustainability evaluation of a settlement system, (2) establishment of regional planning priority areas, and (3) development of specific measures for ensuring the sustainability of a regional settlement system and its elements.

(Invited) Additive Manufacturing of Mixed Potential Gas Sensors for Natural Gas Emissions Monitoring

Additive manufacturing (AM) of ceramic materials offers a promising route to manufacturing high temperature electrochemical devices at small prototyping scales where mass production techniques have excessively high tooling setup cost and time.1 AM also enables the production of components with customizable geometries unavailable to traditional techniques. Mixed Potential Electrochemical Sensors (MPES) are an attractive technology for environmental monitoring applications due to their robustness, low cost, and tunable selectivity.2 MPES devices consist of two or more dissimilar material electrodes in a solid-state electrolyte where the mixed potential difference between the electrodes is used as a sensing parameter. Previously, we have demonstrated the capability to print two-electrode MPES devices on laminated yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates and their sensitivity to NOx and NH3.3 We are currently pursuing the development of MPES systems for environmental monitoring of natural gas emissions from pipeline infrastructure. The system will include MPES devices manufactured by additive manufacturing which interface with wireless data acquisition hardware to perform remote sensing. We have used AM to evaluate a wide range of materials and geometries for optimization of sensitivity, selectivity, and stability.Material extrusion with a multi-print-head Hyrel System 30M syringe printer (Figure 1a) was used to deposit the YSZ substrate material, YSZ porous electrolyte, and electrodes consisting of Au, Pt, La0.87Sr0.13CrO3 (LSC), and Indium Tin Oxide (ITO). YSZ, ITO, and LSC pastes were formulated by mixing powders into resins. A UV-curable resin was used for the printing of YSZ substrates under continuous 365 nm illumination. Pt and Au inks were also extruded from a syringe onto the substrate (Figure 1b) and the final 4-electrode device is shown in Figure 1c. Parameters we optimized included paste solids loading, addition of powder dispersants, the incident power of the UV-curing process. The sensor response to CH4, simulated natural gas, NH3 and H2 were evaluated for sensitivity and selectivity in single gas and binary mixtures at temperatures of 450-600oC (Figure 1d) . Acknowledgments: This project was supported by US Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy through award DE-FE0031864. References (1) Travitzky, N.; Bonet, A.; Dermeik, B.; Fey, T.; Filbert-Demut, I.; Schlier, L.; Schlordt, T.; Greil, P. Adv. Eng. Mater. 2014, 16 (6), 729–754.(2) Garzon, F. H.; Mukundan, R.; Brosha, E. L. Solid State Ionics 2000, 136–137, 633–638.(3) Tsui, L.; Benavidez, A.; Evans, L.; Garzon, F. H. Prog. Addit. Manuf. 2018, 4, 13-21. Figure 1. (a) The Hyrel System 30M syringe dispense printer with two UV assisted dispensing heads. (b) Extrusion of Pt ink from a syringe printer onto partially sintered YSZ substrate. (c) Photograph of a completed multi-electrode MPES device. (d) Sensor response to 1000-4000 ppm CH4 in air at 550oC. Figure 1

The Responsibility of Engineers

Victor Weisskopf said “Human existence is based upon two pillars: compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; knowledge without compassion is inhuman.” A cursory examination of how science and engineering have operated historically reveals a litany of instances where they serve oppression. Neither is inherently good. Both exist within the context of societal frameworks and cannot be isolated panaceas for challenges of the day. Whether to install pipeline infrastructure in Standing Rock or Flint results in disparate health and economic outcomes depending on race and class. Whether to introduce the class “Hacking 4 Defense” into curriculums, or one titled “Engineering Ethics and the Public,” trains engineers towards drastically different ends. Recognition of such frameworks may imbue us with the critical conscientiousness and political consciousness necessary to take commensurate action. Only then will science and engineering contribute to reimagining and remaking the world in an equitable fashion never seen before.

A transfer-learning approach for corrosion prediction in pipeline infrastructures

AbstractPipeline infrastructures, carrying either gas or oil, are often affected by internal corrosion, which is a dangerous phenomenon that may cause threats to both the environment (due to potential leakages) and the human beings (due to accidents that may cause explosions in presence of gas leakages). For this reason, predictive mechanisms are needed to detect and address the corrosion phenomenon. Recently, we have seen a first attempt at leveraging Machine Learning (ML) techniques in this field thanks to their high ability in modeling highly complex phenomena. In order to rely on these techniques, we need a set of data, representing factors influencing the corrosion in a given pipeline, together with their related supervised information, measuring the corrosion level along the considered infrastructure profile. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to access supervised information for a given pipeline since measuring the corrosion is a costly and time-consuming operation. In this paper, we will address the problem of devising a ML-based predictive model for internal corrosion under the assumption that supervised information is unavailable for the pipeline of interest, while it is available for some other pipelines that can be leveraged through Transfer Learning (TL) to build the predictive model itself. We will cover all the methodological steps from data set creation to the usage of TL. The whole methodology will be experimentally validated on a set of real-world pipelines.

Quantifying fishing activity targeting subsea pipelines by commercial trap fishers

Over 1400 km of oil and gas pipeline infrastructure exists within the boundaries of the Pilbara Trap Managed Fishery (PTMF) operating on the North West Shelf of Australia. Some of this infrastructure has reached the end of its operational life and requires decommissioning. Location and speed data collected from 2008 to 2018 using vessel monitoring systems onboard all trap fishing vessels (n = 3) operating in the PTMF were used to understand how fishing activity near pipelines has changed through time, and to identify the best predictive variables to explain hours spent fishing km−2 week−1. The proportion of fishing activity within 200 m of a pipeline increased over the survey decade and averaged 4.2% across all years. Hours spent fishing km−2 within 200 m of any pipeline was found to be 8.0 h km−2, ~ 11.4 times more than that recorded, on average, for the remaining area of the PTMF (0.7 h km−2), and ~ 4.6 times more than the western portion of the PTMP (1.7 h km−2) where all pipeline infrastructure exists. Fishing activity within 1 km of pipelines increased after their installation, and hence time since installation was the best predictor of fishing. This study demonstrated that trap fishers in the PTMF allocate a small proportion of their time targeting pipeline infrastructure, with the area close to a pipeline experiencing a relatively greater magnitude of fishing than that elsewhere in the PTMF. As such, the results of this study provide decision makers with an understanding of the intrinsic value of this infrastructure to trap fishers.

IoT fusion based model predictive pid control approach for oil pipeline infrastructure

“Pipeline integrity” implies the concepts of failure prevention, inspection and repair that help inspection engineer to maximize their safety. With the entire circumstance built on the reliable pipeline, its integrity is receiving more attention than ever of its high-tech tubular structure with modeling and monitoring. In the modern pipeline infrastructure, regulating the pressure and flow rate throughout transportation plays a crucial role with tedious data frameworks. To afford a suitable data fusion platform for IoT-based monitoring and control, Model Predictive Control is formulated. Since the different models can extract a variety of field sensors data may result in inconsistent results in the decision process. In the proposed work, data fusion is integrated with model predictive control to improve the robustness by tackling different scenario risk rates to formulate the final model for real-time implementation. The accurate models are selected based on the scheduled task identification and risk probability characteristics in the oil pipelines. The final control signal will be actuated based on the multi-criteria decision-making method using cloud server data with field PID control signal rates. The proposed prediction model is capable of predicting the oil pipeline leaks and blocks several steps ahead which are used in the optimization part of the controller. Finally, the final output illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed controller with a simulation example, employing real fluid pipeline pressure and flow rate data under a variety of hard constraints.

Worm‐Inspired Soft Robots Enable Adaptable Pipeline and Tunnel Inspection

The inspection, maintenance, and repair of pipeline and tunnel infrastructure have motivated the increasing research in the development of suitable robots with high flexibility, good adaptability, and large load capacity. Herein, a worm‐inspired soft robot that is capable of operating and performing a variety of tasks in a complicated pipeline/tunnel environment is reported. The soft tubular robot consists of elongation pneumatic actuators (EPAs), radial expansion pneumatic actuators (REPAs), and a spatial bending pneumatic actuator (SBPA). A series of experiments are performed to demonstrate the capability of the soft robot to crawl robustly under different pipeline conditions, including varying diameter, different cross‐sectional shapes, and wet or oil‐covered internal surfaces, and underwater environment. The soft robot can carry a load of more than 11 times of its own weight in a vertical pipeline. Equipped with a visualization unit, the soft robot can detect the internal conditions of the pipeline and cross the multibranched pipeline as needed. The tubular soft robot provides a useful tool for the inspection, cleaning, and maintenance of pipelines and tunnels.

The Uncertain World of Natural Gas Infrastructure

A very interesting combination of court decisions came out in June, regarding natural gas infrastructure, its justification and the rights of its developers. One court decision would make it more difficult to prove the need for a natural gas pipeline. The other decision would make it easier for a pipeline with a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) certificate to condemn rights‐of‐way, even across state land when the state does not support the build‐out of natural gas pipelines. In other words, one decision is restrictive for new pipeline infrastructure, while the other decision is supportive. The dueling decisions impact two significant issues regarding the authorization of new natural gas infrastructure development; (1) whether firm contracts are sufficient to prove supply need, and (2) how broad the right of eminent domain conferred by a FERC certificate can be.

Could biological biogas upgrading be a sustainable substitution for water scrubbing technology? A case study in Denmark

Biological upgrading of biogas, a sub-category of “power to gas” technology, has provoked great interest because it enables the secure storage of surplus renewable electricity within existing gas pipeline infrastructure in the form of biomethane yielding low storage costs and high environmental benefit. However, a barrier to commercialization of this technology is evaluation of sustainability aspects in comparison with alternatives, e.g., water scrubbing. Although many studies have assessed techno-economic aspects of biological biogas upgrading technology, there is a lack of sufficient research over its sustainability aspects. As such, this study uses life cycle assessment to investigate the environmental and life cycle cost impacts of biological biogas upgrading vs water scrubbing using a case study in Denmark. Consequential life cycle assessment with marginal data for 2030 (i.e., the minimum time frame needed to commercialize this technology) was used to model and compare the environmental impacts of the two upgrading technologies. Similarly, a comprehensive economic analysis was also performed regarding technological development in 2030, scaling effects, probable electricity prices, as well as potential policy scenarios. The results demonstrate that biological upgrading can be a sustainable alternative to water scrubbing if surplus electricity in 2030 can be purchased at 50% of the regular electricity price paid by consumers when the amount of electricity production copes with the demand (i.e., 22.36 €/MW hel) and if the CAPEX of electrolyzer and methanation systems can be decreased to approximately one-third of reported prices in 2020 via technological learning and scaling effect. Having considered a case study biogas plant in Denmark treating 240000 t/year agro-industrial waste, the results were improved by net environmental savings of 5.46 kilopoints, levelised energy cost of 50.55 €/MW h biomethane, net present value of 24.18 million €, internal rate of return of 20%, and payback period of 5.18 years, even in the case that a subsidy is not granted to biomethane. The sensitivity analysis demonstrated that economic profitability and the production cost of biomethane would be highly associated with the price of surplus electricity and the subsidy granted for biomethane production.

Model-Based Optimization of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells and Stacks for Power-to-Gas Applications

The temporarily fluctuating power supply produced by renewable energy sources (RES) forces the integration of energy storage technologies in our energy network at a massive scale, in order to make future scenarios of a sector-coupling and distributed clean energy supply feasible. Power-to-Methane (PtM) chemical storage concepts are very attractive in this regard, since the production of synthetic CH4 has the advantages of a high-energy density carrier that is easily transportable within the existing pipeline infrastructure and that is a feedstock for various applications in the form of compressed or liquefied natural gas (CNG/LNG). However, in all these scenarios, the levelized cost of the synthetic fuel is a major obstacle due the relatively inefficient conversion chain, i.e. energy losses associated with the fuel production plus consumption. Thermal integration of high-temperature (HT) steam electrolysis based on solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) with the exothermic catalytic methanation is a very promising concept to boost the system’s efficiency by making use of the intrinsically favored thermodynamics and kinetics of HT-electrolysis for H2 generation. On stack level, electrical efficiencies (based on the lower heating value (LHV)) of 96% and specific energy consumptions of 3.3 kWh per Nm3 of H2 were reported for HT-steam electrolysis [1], whilst net system PtM efficiencies of ~80% could be demonstrated in a pilot project [2].Still, there exists the fundamental question on how to optimize the cell design and the operating conditions in terms of balancing area-specific power density, efficiency, degradation rates, and costs, i.e., how to use this synergy optimally in a future real-world application.Here, we use a detailed multi-physics and multi-scale SOEC simulation tool alongside initial and long-term experiments performed on commercial electrolyte- (ESC) and anode-supported cells (ASCs) to make further strikes towards this question. Firstly, a planar single cell model coupling 1D+1D gas transport and spatially-resolved charge transfer across the electrode thickness is calibrated based on polarization curves recorded at different temperatures (600-900 °C) and inlet compositions (80-95% H2O, balance H2). By accounting for realistic microstructural cell data acquired from Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), a nearly quantitative accordance with the experimental data could be achieved. Subsequently, by incorporating a 2D heat transport model, adiabatic simulations are performed to identify optimal operation conditions in a parametric study, which are used as a basis for the long-term degradation experiments. It is demonstrated how the selection of the cell design affects the selection of optimal operation points, and how the creation of reactant starvation zones within the cell can severely impact the electrical efficiency. A scale-up to the stack level is performed afterwards by applying a 3D stack model [3], which considers heat loss to the surroundings across a thermal insulation layer. This enables to realize system-oriented simulations with conditions experienced by the stack that are close to the real-world application. In this way, the implications of scaling-up on (i) the SOEC performance depending on the cell design, and (ii) the selection of optimal operation conditions from an electrolyzer point-of-view in the context of PtM are illustrated on the basis of industrially-scaled stacks. Acknowledgements Financial support by the federal ministry for economic affairs and energy (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie, BMWi) under Grant Numbers 03EIV041D and 03EIV041E in the “MethFuel” group of the collaborative research project “MethQuest” is gratefully acknowledged.

Failure Detection Methods for Pipeline Networks: From Acoustic Sensing to Cyber-Physical Systems.

Pipeline networks have been widely utilised in the transportation of water, natural gases, oil and waste materials efficiently and safely over varying distances with minimal human intervention. In order to optimise the spatial use of the pipeline infrastructure, pipelines are either buried underground, or located in submarine environments. Due to the continuous expansion of pipeline networks in locations that are inaccessible to maintenance personnel, research efforts have been ongoing to introduce and develop reliable detection methods for pipeline failures, such as blockages, leakages, cracks, corrosion and weld defects. In this paper, a taxonomy of existing pipeline failure detection techniques and technologies was created to comparatively analyse their respective advantages, drawbacks and limitations. This effort has effectively illuminated various unaddressed research challenges that are still present among a wide array of the state-of-the-art detection methods that have been employed in various pipeline domains. These challenges include the extension of the lifetime of a pipeline network for the reduction of maintenance costs, and the prevention of disruptive pipeline failures for the minimisation of downtime. Our taxonomy of various pipeline failure detection methods is also presented in the form of a look-up table to illustrate the suitability, key aspects and data or signal processing techniques of each individual method. We have also quantitatively evaluated the industrial relevance and practicality of each of the methods in the taxonomy in terms of their respective deployability, generality and computational cost. The outcome of the evaluation made in the taxonomy will contribute to our future works involving the utilisation of sensor fusion and data-centric frameworks to develop efficient, accurate and reliable failure detection solutions.

Critically exploring the future of gaseous energy carriers

Opinions are divided if natural gas is a boon or bane in the context of climate change mitigation. This article explores the arguments around what role this fuel, and so called “green gas” will play in a future energy mix. The analysis splits the natural gas resource from the associated infrastructure, and argues that the pipeline infrastructure may have an important role to play in the transition. Green gas has emerged as a solution that may play an important role in the future, provided costs can be reduced further. Both “green” and “blue” hydrogen, as well as biomethane are explored in this context. Relatively little analysis and exploration has been focused on the midstream infrastructure aspect, as opposed to the focus on the fuels use in the power generation or, for example, home heating. Much will depend on future technical issues, but just as importantly in the regulatory and policy space, and interactions with society and the environment.

America’s Natural Gas Pipeline Routes and Environmental Justice

Pipeline infrastructure disproportionately burdens America’s most vulnerable communities.