This project aims to provide an offline demonstration of gas separation or 'deblending' technology on a gas network scale. Previous NIA projects have proven deblending technology could be utilised to support a gas network applications, however, current solutions are large industrial facilities that you would not want to build for a potentially transient application. This programme of work looks to develop a smaller scale skid mounted solution for the National Transmission System (NTS) that can be deployed to customers, providing the blend of gas needed on the point of extraction from the NTS.
The project will review the opportunity to demonstrate skid mounted deblending technologies at our FutureGrid facility and leverage Phase 1 of FutureGrid which will have built a hydrogen ready test facility which gas separation assets can be connected to. In Alpha and Beta we will work with a chosen original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to facilitate designing, building and testing a demonstration; in collaboration with a mobility infrastructure providers who are looking to build refuelling facilities across the UK.
This project directly addresses all of the scope challenges under the Zero Emissions Transport Theme as demonstrating gas separation, compression and purification technology will increase the locations for hydrogen refuelling across the country and remove the reliance on local production of hydrogen for the transport sector. Refuelling from the transmission system is also a viable option for hydrogen in the heavy haulage, trains, buses and shipping sectors due to the higher demands.
The partners chosen for this SIF application each offer a unique aspect to the overall picture of gas separation, compression, purification, refuelling and use. Element Energy have been selected due to their extensive hydrogen capabilities and work in the deblending sector. HyET are a specialist company focusing on new technology which not only compresses hydrogen but also purifies it in the same process which we hope could reduce overall costs. Element 2 will offer insight into the refuelling infrastructure sector. Jaguar Land Rover will provide a end user perspective and requirements for the final gas output.
Scenarios for gas separation are:
- The customer is interested in extracting the hydrogen, purifying it and offering it to the transport sector.
- The offtake customer cannot accept any increase in hydrogen as they are not ready to transition.
- The offtake customer requires a very precise blend of hydrogen and natural gas and will be sensitive to fluctuations.
VIDEO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsC58xoLAWQ&list=PLrMOhOrmeR6ktSag0RbT7zPNVn0p1P2f6&index=26
Problem Bring Solved
The hydrogen strategy released by the UK government in August 2021 stated that in order to support the net zero targets of 2050, by 2030 there is an ambition to produce 5GWs of low carbon hydrogen. This ambition to provide low carbon hydrogen as a part of a suite of net zero energy sources provides clear guidance to the UK gas networks to progress our hydrogen transportation capability. The national transmission system (NTS) provides a supply of gas to 40 power stations, large industrial users and gas distribution networks from natural gas terminals situated on the coast. The NTS provides a resilient supply of natural gas today and aims to provide the same capability for hydrogen, especially in light of the variability in green hydrogen production.
In the transition to Net Zero by 2050 we are looking at utilising the current high pressure NTS to provide hydrogen as a net zero alternative to natural gas to our consumers. The first step of this will be to provide a hydrogen backbone (Project Union) that links industrial clusters to terminals improving the resilience of hydrogen supply. In developing this backbone we could provide transportation applications hydrogen directly from gas network assets earlier than previously expected.
In transport applications fuel cells are sensitive to impurities in the hydrogen fuel utilised, this could be a limitation to using gas transported through the gas networks. Deblending followed by electrochemical compression could resolve this for the transport sector enabling the use of gas network hydrogen for transport applications.
In some areas of the country there are limited parallel feeders which could cause a constraint when looking at running a hydrogen and methane gas network in the transitional period. In this case an alternative to building new pipelines is to blend natural gas and hydrogen into the feeders and utilising deblending systems to provide the correct blend to the consumers who may have varying needs along a particular feeder.
Another constraint to the hydrogen transition is where customers cannot accept an increase in hydrogen at the point when we wish to begin injecting hydrogen into the NTS. Deblending could also prevent hydrogen entering sensitive consumers and/or provide very precise blends of hydrogen to those whom may be sensitive to fluctuations.
In this project we will consider the wider impact of deblending but focus on the transportation application, comparing the cost of other hydrogen fuelling systems against deblending.
Impacts and benefits
Potential net benefits – large scale transmission connections:
The technology developed in this project will allow hydrogen to be transported to industrial users on the National Transmission System (NTS) whilst protecting those that cannot accept hydrogen in the short term. The deblending technology will therefore accelerate the transition to hydrogen and support the UK Government’s target of 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production by 2030.
A key quantifiable benefit is the CO2 emission reductions that can be achieved by transitioning the NTS connected gas users to hydrogen. For example, a single deblending facility used to supply the median industrial gas user on the NTS with hydrogen (10.9 MW of H2) could provide emissions savings of 17.4 ktCO2 per year.
Potential net benefits – transport sector:
- The distribution of hydrogen to a refueling station by deblending from the NTS gas network can be cost competitive with the conventional delivery method by tube trailer (on a £/kg H2 delivered basis).
- Refueling stations can source hydrogen from multiple large scale production projects blending into the NTS, accessing the economies of scales, and reducing dependency on single, small local production systems.
- Large scale refueling stations would require multiple compressed hydrogen trailer deliveries daily, presenting a logistics challenge and requiring a large quantity of on-site hydrogen storage. NTS deblending avoids this challenge.
These benefits will be quantified through the number of refueling stations ultimately supplied by the NTS and cost of hydrogen delivered by deblending compared to by tube trailer delivery.
No change to the impacts since the application stage.
Project Changes:
- A change control was agreed with Ofgem to remove Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) from the Discovery project as it was not possible to agree contractual terms that were satisfactory for JLR and compliant with SIF Governance. This was mainly around the tight control of IPR, instead Element 2 completed the deliverables.
- Technology supplier selection was not included in Discovery and will instead be carried out in the Alpha phase. This was agreed by all as it has allowed additional time for development and refinement of the functional specification, soft market engagement with potential suppliers, and lowered the risks associated with proceeding to the detailed design and delivery phases of the project.
- During the application there was mention of a ‘skid mounted solution’, as the Discovery project developed it became apparent the solution could be containerized, i.e. more easily transported than a skid mounted solution.
