Hydrogen is the next step forward for pipelines

By David Norman, CEO of Future Fuels Cooperative Research Centre

When we began our future fuels research program four years ago, hydrogen and other future fuels were seen as a possibility for the future of the pipeline industry beyond fossil fuels. Now they are a reality.

Operating our industry with future fuels instead of natural gas will take more than excellence in metallurgy, polymer science and pipeline engineering. We are also delivering the research the industry needs on broader safety considerations, social acceptance and the economics of making this transition to a new fuel, or a blend of fuels.

Future Fuels CRC CEO David Norman.

Australia already has 21 hydrogen industry projects operating or being built, with another 70 in development. Europe has started the development of a hydrogen backbone with 53,000km of transmission pipelines to transmit hydrogen between their industrial centres in up to 28 countries. That backbone will be a combination of 40-60 per cent repurposed natural gas transmission and new build pipelines. Fortytwo countries and jurisdictions across the world have already published hydrogen strategies. Hydrogen represents an unrivalled opportunity for the pipeline industry beyond fossil fuels, both for repurposing existing assets and developing new ones. You can find details on all of these projects in the HyResource knowledge sharing platform that we co-founded. Our research is already demonstrating that existing Australian steel and plastic pipelines and distribution networks can safely carry hydrogen blends, renewable biomethane and 100 per cent hydrogen. From our research outputs so far, issues like hydrogen embrittlement of linepipe steels can be managed as we understand the design, integrity and safety considerations of operating the pipeline with hydrogen.

Our understanding of hydrogen’s interactions with steels, polymers, elastomers (seals) has moved forward considerably, directly supporting and enabling many of those projects I mentioned. Our wide-ranging research on its use in industrial burners and residential gas appliances is informing hydrogen-blending trials and the next-level of projects. Operating our industry with future fuels instead of natural gas will take more than excellence in metallurgy, polymer science and pipeline engineering.

We are also delivering the research the industry needs on broader safety considerations, social acceptance and the economics of making this transition to a new fuel, or a blend of fuels. By supporting the industry to make the right decisions in their early-stage projects we can accelerate the pace of change. However, pipelines and energy networks are substantial assets that operate to the highest standards of safety and operational availability, so more research and development is needed to get our industry fully ‘hydrogen ready’, and our program still has a lot to deliver over the next three years. Moreover, we are already preparing for the potential research needs of the industry to be delivered in the second half of this decade. In APGA’s latest report ‘Pipelines vs Powerlines’, GPA Engineering identified that energy transport via hydrogen pipeline costs up to four times less than via powerlines when comparing like for like distance and capacity scenarios.

They also found that energy storage in hydrogen pipelines costs up to 37 times less than electrical battery energy storage systems and up to 10 times less than electrical pumped hydro energy storage. A hydrogen pipeline industry has the potential to have a real cost advantage and everyone in the industry should be ready to reap the future benefits. As always, I remain very impressed by the contribution of our participants and researchers including all the members of APGA’s Research and Standards Committee. Their support and expertise is invaluable to our research programs.

By being able to reuse existing infrastructure and make use of Australia’s world-class pipeline construction industry, hydrogen is setting up our industry for a future of increasing relevance and cost competitiveness as the world transitions to a net-zero emissions future. So I encourage everyone to start getting your products, assets and workforces ‘hydrogen-ready’ because the hydrogen opportunity is there for everyone to take.

You can find the latest on all Future Fuels CRC research at www.futurefuelscrc.com