National Gas Transmission (NGT) are actively engaged in developing the gas network to support the future
decarbonisation of the National Transmission System (NTS) by transporting low-carbon hydrogen, as part of the
broader energy transition. To support this transition, NGT have the objective of re-purposing the NTS for hydrogen.
This brings uncertainty as to the operational functions and safety of mechanical assets used on the NTS with hydrogen.
NGT are aware of the current ignition risk and mitigations for NG however there is still work to be done to understand
them for Hydrogen. There has been previous work completed by the Hydrogen ready electrical and instrumentation
assets project however this did not look at the mechanical equipment.
Benefits
To understand the current MRA and MIA documents and identify the risks and risk mitigations for ignition on Natural Gas ATEX mechanical equipment
To update the MRA and MIA documents to identify risks and sources of igniution for Hydrogen transmission and blends
To identify ignition risks for Hydrogen transmission and blends
To identify possible mitigations for the Hydrogen risks
To create a risk matrix detailing the ignition risks for both Natural Gas and Hydrogen including blends
Learnings
Outcomes
Maturity TRL4-5 The MRA and MIA have been updated for hydrogen but there are still questions around the mitigations and subsequently the risk reduction factors for assets in hydrogen service.
Opportunity 100% or multiple asset classes The MRA and MIA cover multiple types of assets from across the transmission system.
Deployment costs - The MRA and MIA tools can be implemented at low cost.
Innovation cost £200,000 The cost includes development of hydrogen and hydrogen blend MRA/MIA, site surveys, hydrogen ignition research and validation of the tool.
Financial Saving - This project is not expected to result in financial savings.
Safety 100% The project has developed hydrogen MRA and MIAs which weren’t previously available, however there is more work required on mitigations and risk reduction factors for assets in hydrogen service.
Environment - As this is a hydrogen ignition research project, there are no environmental savings expected however this project will support the transition of the NTS to hydrogen.
Compliance Ensures compliance The MRA and MIA are used to comply with DSEAR and mechanical ATEX
Skills & Competencies Group The immediate projects outputs will only impact individuals however further dissemination and roll out of the outputs will train operatives who deal with mechanical ignition assessments
Future proof Supports business strategy By understanding the ignition risks to mechanical ATEX equipment for blends of 5,20 and 100% Hydrogen then the relevant risk mitigation's can be implemented and created ahead of time. This will allow to future proof the transmission of Hydrogen on the NTS.
The net benefits delivered so far are:
· Understanding of the current MRA and MIA documents and identify the risks and risk mitigations for ignition on Natural Gas ATEX mechanical equipment
· Updated MRA and MIA documents to identify risks and sources of ignition for Hydrogen transmission and blends
· Mechanical Ignition risks for Hydrogen transmission and blends have been identified
· Possible mitigations for the Hydrogen risks identified
· Risk matrix detailing the ignition risks for both Natural Gas and Hydrogen including blends (5%, 20%) created
Lessons Learnt
The project brief specified that the technical work had to be completed using Microsoft Excel. As the work progressed though the project phases, it became apparent that a more elegant solution would have been to use a more bespoke software solution to enable more effective search functionality. Recommended next steps include the use or development of bespoke software to manage the Mechanical Ignition Assessments.
