Hydrogen Blending in Gas Pipeline Networks—A Review

Replacing fossil fuels with non-carbon fuels is an important step towards reaching the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality. Instead of moving directly from the current natural gas energy systems to pure hydrogen, an incremental blending of hydrogen with natural gas could provide a seamless transition...

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Main Authors: Devinder Mahajan, Kun Tan, T. Venkatesh, Pradheep Kileti, Clive R. Clayton
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-05-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/10/3582
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author Devinder Mahajan
Kun Tan
T. Venkatesh
Pradheep Kileti
Clive R. Clayton
author_facet Devinder Mahajan
Kun Tan
T. Venkatesh
Pradheep Kileti
Clive R. Clayton
author_sort Devinder Mahajan
collection DOAJ
description Replacing fossil fuels with non-carbon fuels is an important step towards reaching the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality. Instead of moving directly from the current natural gas energy systems to pure hydrogen, an incremental blending of hydrogen with natural gas could provide a seamless transition and minimize disruptions in power and heating source distribution to the public. Academic institutions, industry, and governments globally, are supporting research, development and deployment of hydrogen blending projects such as HyDeploy, GRHYD, THyGA, HyBlend, and others which are all seeking to develop efficient pathways to meet the carbon reduction goal in coming decades. There is an understanding that successful commercialization of hydrogen blending requires both scientific advances and favorable techno-economic analysis. Ongoing studies are focused on understanding how the properties of methane-hydrogen mixtures such as density, viscosity, phase interactions, and energy densities impact large-scale transportation via pipeline networks and end-use applications such as in modified engines, oven burners, boilers, stoves, and fuel cells. The advantages of hydrogen as a non-carbon energy carrier need to be balanced with safety concerns of blended gas during transport, such as overpressure and leakage in pipelines. While studies on the short-term hydrogen embrittlement effect have shown essentially no degradation in the metal tensile strength of pipelines, the long-term hydrogen embrittlement effect on pipelines is still the focus of research in other studies. Furthermore, pressure reduction is one of the drawbacks that hydrogen blending brings to the cost dynamics of blended gas transport. Hence, techno-economic models are also being developed to understand the energy transportation efficiency and to estimate the true cost of delivery of hydrogen blended natural gas as we move to decarbonize our energy systems. This review captures key large-scale efforts around the world that are designed to increase the confidence for a global transition to methane-hydrogen gas blends as a precursor to the adoption of a hydrogen economy by 2050.
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spelling doaj.art-ea3c023891ed49edb65d36f9e2ef85732023-11-23T10:50:10ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732022-05-011510358210.3390/en15103582Hydrogen Blending in Gas Pipeline Networks—A ReviewDevinder Mahajan0Kun Tan1T. Venkatesh2Pradheep Kileti3Clive R. Clayton4Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University and Institute of Gas Innovation and Technology, Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USADepartment of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University and Institute of Gas Innovation and Technology, Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USADepartment of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University and Institute of Gas Innovation and Technology, Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USAGas Asset Management and Engineering, National Grid, Melville, NY 11747, USADepartment of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University and Institute of Gas Innovation and Technology, Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USAReplacing fossil fuels with non-carbon fuels is an important step towards reaching the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality. Instead of moving directly from the current natural gas energy systems to pure hydrogen, an incremental blending of hydrogen with natural gas could provide a seamless transition and minimize disruptions in power and heating source distribution to the public. Academic institutions, industry, and governments globally, are supporting research, development and deployment of hydrogen blending projects such as HyDeploy, GRHYD, THyGA, HyBlend, and others which are all seeking to develop efficient pathways to meet the carbon reduction goal in coming decades. There is an understanding that successful commercialization of hydrogen blending requires both scientific advances and favorable techno-economic analysis. Ongoing studies are focused on understanding how the properties of methane-hydrogen mixtures such as density, viscosity, phase interactions, and energy densities impact large-scale transportation via pipeline networks and end-use applications such as in modified engines, oven burners, boilers, stoves, and fuel cells. The advantages of hydrogen as a non-carbon energy carrier need to be balanced with safety concerns of blended gas during transport, such as overpressure and leakage in pipelines. While studies on the short-term hydrogen embrittlement effect have shown essentially no degradation in the metal tensile strength of pipelines, the long-term hydrogen embrittlement effect on pipelines is still the focus of research in other studies. Furthermore, pressure reduction is one of the drawbacks that hydrogen blending brings to the cost dynamics of blended gas transport. Hence, techno-economic models are also being developed to understand the energy transportation efficiency and to estimate the true cost of delivery of hydrogen blended natural gas as we move to decarbonize our energy systems. This review captures key large-scale efforts around the world that are designed to increase the confidence for a global transition to methane-hydrogen gas blends as a precursor to the adoption of a hydrogen economy by 2050.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/10/3582hydrogen blendinggas pipelinesmethane-hydrogen mixtureenergy transportation
spellingShingle Devinder Mahajan
Kun Tan
T. Venkatesh
Pradheep Kileti
Clive R. Clayton
Hydrogen Blending in Gas Pipeline Networks—A Review
Energies
hydrogen blending
gas pipelines
methane-hydrogen mixture
energy transportation
title Hydrogen Blending in Gas Pipeline Networks—A Review
title_full Hydrogen Blending in Gas Pipeline Networks—A Review
title_fullStr Hydrogen Blending in Gas Pipeline Networks—A Review
title_full_unstemmed Hydrogen Blending in Gas Pipeline Networks—A Review
title_short Hydrogen Blending in Gas Pipeline Networks—A Review
title_sort hydrogen blending in gas pipeline networks a review
topic hydrogen blending
gas pipelines
methane-hydrogen mixture
energy transportation
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/10/3582
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AT kuntan hydrogenblendingingaspipelinenetworksareview
AT tvenkatesh hydrogenblendingingaspipelinenetworksareview
AT pradheepkileti hydrogenblendingingaspipelinenetworksareview
AT cliverclayton hydrogenblendingingaspipelinenetworksareview