How to measure hydrogen?
Hydrogen can be transported in various ways, with transportation through pipelines expected to play a greater role in the future. Reliable and accurate metering technologies are central to ensure correct and fair custody transfer of hydrogen in hydrogen supply chains, a topic researchers are addressing in the HyMe project, as Dr Kjetil Folgerø explains.
The development of the hydrogen energy sector is an important part of efforts to meet emissions reduction targets, as countries seek to reduce their dependence on conventional fossil fuels. Today hydrogen is typically transported by trailers and tankers over relatively short distances, but this is set to change. “In the future more hydrogen will be transported via both new and repurposed pipelines. There will be several import corridors to the European continent, with dedicated pipelines,” outlines Dr Kjetil Folgerø, Chief Scientist in Measurement Science at the research institute NORCE. Reliable and accurate metering technologies are required for hydrogen supply chains, a topic that Dr Folgerø and his colleagues in the HyMe project are addressing.
“We are looking at the challenges and needs for adaption involved when transferring metering technologies from the natural gas industry into hydrogen, as well as evaluating the expected
HyMe
Reliable metering for the hydrogen supply chain
Funded by the Research Council of Norway, and research partners Norske Shell, TotalEnergies EP Norge, Equinor, Gassco, Justervesenet and University of Bergen.
Kjetil Folgerø Chief scientist, NORCE Energy and Technology NO-5838 Bergen, Norway
T: +47-97173548
E: kjfo@norceresearch.no W: https://www.norceresearch. no/en/projects/reliablemetering-for-the-hydrogensupply-chain-hyme
Kjetil Folgerø is chief scientist in measurement science at NORCE. His focus area is flow measurement, sensor development, uncertainty analysis and modelling/simulation. He holds a PhD in physics from the University of Bergen.
uncertainties, operating ranges, technical readiness and potential risk for various metering technologies,” he says.
Metering technologies
A variety of different metering technologies are available for measuring natural gas, with researchers now looking into their suitability for measuring hydrogen. Properties that are important for the meters’ performance - such as density, speed of sound, viscosity - differ significantly between hydrogen and natural gas. Therefore, the metering technologies developed
are getting what they purchased, in terms of both the quality and quantity of hydrogen, and that the producer receives the correct payment. This represents an important contribution to the wider goal of shifting towards a more sustainable means of supplying energy. “The Norwegian government aims to supply Europe with clean, low-carbon hydrogen, which the EU needs in order to encourage the shift towards renewables,” explains Dr Folgerø. A pipeline to transport hydrogen from Norwegian production sites to Germany is under consideration, and Dr Folgerø says several of the organisations involved in the project are also participating in HyMe. “There are several production sites in Norway that would produce the hydrogen for this pipeline” he says. “We have used this as one of our study cases.”
Researchers are currently talking to vendors and gathering information about their technology development, with Dr Folgerø keen to speak to as many stakeholders as possible. This reflects a commitment to considering the perspective of industry, which will then feed
“How do different meters respond to hydrogen? How can meters be combined in the best way at stations along the supply chain? How to calibrate or prove the meters? How to detect losses and quality degradation along a supply chain?”
for natural gas may give erroneous answers for hydrogen. Alongside their accuracy in measuring the quantity and quality of hydrogen, there are also other factors to consider. “How do different meters respond to hydrogen? How can meters be combined in the best way at measurement stations along the supply chain? How can we calibrate and prove the meters? How can we detect losses and quality degradation along a supply chain?” says Dr Folgerø.
The HyMe project is focusing on these questions from the end-users’ industrial perspective, but also collaborates with the Met4H2 project (funded by the European Partnership on Metrology), which is assessing more fundamental metrology aspects related to hydrogen.
The aim of custody transfer measurement is to ensure that a buyer can be confident they
into the development of a tool for the design and analysis of metering stations. “This will be a tool for uncertainty analysis, as well as for considering operating ranges and technological risk issues,” outlines Dr Folgerø. The team at NORCE have long experience in this area, having conducted a lot of uncertainty analysis on metering technologies used in the oil and gas industry. “The challenges are related - there are the same kinds of meters and approach to analysis,” says Dr Folgerø. “We are developing methodologies for finding technologies relevant to specific measurement challenges, and for evaluating which technologies can be used under different circumstances.” HyMe also share information with industry through other collaborative forums, such as the Norwegian Centre for Environmental-friendly Energy Research HyValue.