Learnings

Outcomes

Work Package 0 – Project Management & Control
The project management and control element of the work scope provided the guidance from a work execution perspective, particularly where blockers in workflow had a potential for overall delays and failure to make recommendations due to a lack of supplier data.

 

The planning function provided a high-level schedule to align work activities and progress in the committed timescale and helped identify corrective actions where progress was limited.

 

Commercial support processed the milestone payments at the appropriate time with agreement of National Gas.

 

Work Package 1 – Determination of Lubricating Oils and Greases in NTS

WP1 objective was to gather all relevant lubricating oil and grease information from National Gas based on current usage and on which types of equipment.

 

A database of equipment types and lubricating oil and grease products was developed based on past procurement records, liaison with key vendors and detailed knowledge from the SMEs.

 

The compilation of this data resulted in a database of:

-          Oils and grease types and manufacturers (brands)

-          Equipment type (asset in which product is used)

-          Gas-facing status (highlighting which products would or could see exposure to hydrogen gas)

-          Supplier points of contact

-          Requirement for test plan development

 

 

 

 

Work Package 2 – Impact of Hydrogen on Lubricating Oils and Greases

 

WP2 focus was on researching data available within technical papers, institution or technical libraries to determine the current technical knowledge in the general domain on which to base the decision for future use of products in a hydrogen gas-facing environment.

 

The outcome of the research was that there is documented testing of hydrogen operation within combustion environments such as gas turbines, but no specific research of compatibility and testing with hydrogen gas under other conditions.

 

Further research with test laboratories was identified as necessary in addition to further engagement with product suppliers to determine the evidence behind any compatibility declaration for hydrogen.

 

Work Package 3 – Expected Service Conditions and Functional, Material Property & Maintenance Requirements

WP3 sought to define the operating conditions under which the oils and greases will operate. The general operating conditions of the gas-facing oils and greases in the NTS were defined as 40 to 94 barg pressure range with -20 to 50 °C temperature range for static components and 10 to 100 °C temperature range for compressors and other rotating equipment. It was noted. However, that the specific environments within equipment items that are using gas-facing lubricating oils and greases are less well defined.

 

General hydrogen property data was established at prescribed blends of 2%, 5%, 20% and 100% hydrogen with natural gas using the HYSYS software. Streams were modelled at 15 °C and 30 °C and 40 barg and 94 barg. Directional data on the solubility of hydrogen in oils and greases was determined via modelling solubility of hydrogen in Eicosane (C20H42).

 

Material property data for the identified oils and greases were obtained from the product suppliers. Very limited information was available for the compatibility and effect of gaseous hydrogen on the product performance. The functional properties of the products were described providing a basis on which to qualitatively compare performance with hydrogen.

 

Work Package 4 – Test & Validation Plan Proposal
No procedure for testing a lubricant’s long-term exposure to hydrogen was identified, particularly when considering the relevant static and rotating equipment. However, bespoke tests could be developed to expose the hydrogen / natural gas blend under the defined process conditions.

 

The following summarises the recommended tests:

Lubricant Oil Sampling

An autoclave test under NTS conditions, or as close as safely practicable, of oil samples, to investigate the before and after property data such as: viscosity, flash point, oxidation stability, varnish, and solubility.

 

Sealant Testing

Given the intended function of sealants versus lubricating oils, the test methods reflect the requirement for minimal permeability and resistance to hardness changes. Acceptance criteria have been determined in part based on supplier-specified information (permeation) and, where data is not available, comparison testing of products in known duties including hydrogen, LNG and air.

 

Asset-Level Testing

The lack of test data or laboratories capable of testing at the pressures reflective of the NTS leads to alternative means of test methods such as specific asset level testing within a test rig. The National Gas FutureGrid facility is one option, however other facilities might offer more flexibility for the assessment of oils and grease performance. 

 

Work Package 5 – Standards & Reporting
Project findings from all work packages were summarised in a final technical report (720818-PEN-REP-0001 - REV G2- IMPACT OF HYDROGEN ON NTS OILS & GREASES) which includes a technical summary. A technical review session was held to discuss the detailed findings with the National Gas technical leads and a project closure meeting held to disseminate the key findings to a wider stakeholder group. The data collected in WP1-3 on current NTS gas-facing oils and greases is summarised in an excel based database (Database - FINAL VERSION.xls).

 

The project value tracking is listed below:  

·         Maturity

o  TRL 1-2. Desktop research completed; next steps defined.

·         Innovation Opportunity

o  >50% or multiple asset classes. Gas-facing oils and greases present in multiple assets such as valves, actuators, regulators, pig traps, isolation joints and filters.

·         Deployment Costs

o  £0.00. No direct deployment costs as this is a research project. However, costs might need to be incurred to ensure hydrogen readiness of assets with respect to oils and greases performance (for example, additional performance checks). These will be determined in Phase 2.

·         Innovation Cost

o  £ 63,101.00. Cost of innovation project (Phase 1).

·         Financial Saving

o  £ 0.00. No direct financial savings as this is a research project. However, confirmation of oils and greases performance might enable life extension or avoidance of replacement of assets.

·         Safety

o  0%. No direct safety improvement as this is a research project. However, confirmation of oils and greases performance might inform decisions on asset condition monitoring in hydrogen.

·         Environment

o  0.0 tonnes CO2e. No direct environmental benefits as this is a research project. However, confirmation of oils and greases performance might enable life extension or avoidance of replacement of assets with associated avoidance of environmental harm.

·         Compliance

o  Ensures compliance. Work supports transition to hydrogen.

·         Skills & Competencies

o  Individuals. Work has augmented knowledge of individuals involved in project.

·         Future Proof

o  Supports business strategy. Work could eventually inform hydrogen repurposing and future new build strategies (e.g. procurement requirements).

Lessons Learnt

A kick off meeting was held and led by National Gas in order to define the project scope of work and set the lines of communication going forward. Aspects such as schedules of meetings and agenda, planning schedule and progress reporting, technical queries and requests for information were all discussed and confirmed. The working project folder location (NGT SharePoint) was described and access arrangements made. This provided a robust location accessible to all defined personnel and limited email correspondence and sharing of potentially sensitive information by email.

 

The weekly meeting ensured all aspects of the scope of work could be discussed without delay. 

 

Recognition of the risks at the project outset proved to be a key activity given the requirement to extend the schedule based on delays in supplier responses and a lack of relevant available data for use of oils and greases in hydrogen service.

 

The execution and logical process of the project remained consistent from the outset with an extension to the duration required in order to obtain the right level of data to make recommendations.

 

 

A lessons learnt session was held during the project closure meeting in which a number of unplanned and planned successes and improvement opportunities were identified:

 

Planned Success

·       Project Management​

o   Wood under the guidance of National Gas managed the project well from start to finish.

·       Client Engagement – Innovation & SMEs​

o   Engagement from National Gas internal colleagues was in general very good, with prompt responses to requests for information.

Planned Improvement Opportunities

·       Vendor Response – target specific suppliers with longer term view

o   To improve the quality of vendor responses it was suggested that longer-term, strategic partnerships should be considered.

·       Project start and finish dates over holidays​

o   The project start was slow due to summer holidays of key staff from both Wood and National Gas. Furthermore, the project reporting phase occurred over the Christmas holidays further delaying the project. This led to a change control for time being required.

o   Future projects should consider holidays when planning key project activities. 

·       Operations & NGS Engagement

o   Whilst there was good engagement from the Asset Engineering and Innovation teams at National Gas, the project might have benefitted from more involvement from the Operations and National Gas Services teams, as these are the people who use the products regularly.

o   These stakeholders will be key in future phases.

Unplanned Improvement Opportunities

·       Opportunity for Site Visits & Data Gathering – establish Full Asset List​

o   A more complete and robust product list might have been achieved if visits to National Gas sites had been included in scope of work.

·       Established-Vendor Engagement - difficult to obtain information​

o   Even though many external companies were approached there appeared to be a lack of willingness to engage with discussions on this topic.

o   It was surprising how little work had been seemingly carried out on the compatibility of oils and greases to high-pressure hydrogen.

·       Available H2 Research – conduct precursory research prior to project​

o   Suggestion that if some preliminary research had been conducted prior to project start it would have identified the lack of data in the literature on this topic, which could have saved time and enabled more efficient project delivery.

o   The funding mechanism available to National Gas means that such research is not easily carried out.