CASE STUDY
National Gas FutureGrid: Emissions Monitoring for Hydrogen Integration with EmissionsTrack™
“Work package 3 provided a measurement of the systems performance against known, controlled releases of natural gas, NG/H2 blends, and 100% hydrogen. It demonstrated that the (EmissionsTrack™) technology is a viable contender for future use across a blended transmission network, and a 100% transmission network. It has also shown that the methane detection, location, and quantification capabilities are generally accurate above modest leak rates of 0.2l per minute. The data collated provides confidence that the recommended deployment at Future Grid should be able to detect leaks >20 scfh within 90 min and predict their locations within 5 m and sizes within 30% of the ground truth values.”
FutureGrid Closure Report, July 2024
Overview
National Gas is a key player in the UK’s energy sector, focused on safely and efficiently managing natural gas transmission. As part of their FutureGrid initiative, they are testing the viability of hydrogen transmission through existing infrastructure to prepare for a future hydrogen economy.
The Challenge
With the growing importance of hydrogen in the UK’s energy transition, National Gas sought to evaluate the potential for hydrogen integration into their natural gas transmission system. A key objective was to implement a fugitive emissions monitoring system that would be suitable for both the current natural gas network and future hydrogen infrastructure. The system needed to detect fugitive emissions of natural gas, hydrogen, and blends of the two, while providing accurate localization and quantification of emissions.
The FutureGrid Facility
The FutureGrid test facility at DNV Spadeadam is a pioneering, high-pressure test environment designed to explore how the UK’s National Transmission System (NTS) can safely transport hydrogen gas. The testing program assesses key transmission assets, such as valves, filters, and pipework, to evaluate performance with varying hydrogen and natural gas blends. Key phases of testing include:
- Material permeation testing
- Pipe coating and cathodic protection testing
- Flange testing
- Asset leak testing
- Rupture testing
Phase 1 of testing, which focused on blends of 2%, 5%, 20%, and 100% hydrogen with natural gas, revealed critical insights into the behavior of hydrogen and its differences from natural gas. This foundational data is used to develop appropriate safety standards and procedures.
NevadaNano's Role
NevadaNano was tasked with testing and implementing a monitoring system that could detect and quantify fugitive emissions from the hydrogen and natural gas blends. Specifically, the objectives were:
- To evaluate the EmissionsTrack™ system’s ability to detect emissions of H2, CH4, and H2/CH4 blends.
- To provide an accurate location of the emissions
- To provide an accurate quantification (leak rate and volume) of the emissions
To minimize the number of endpoints required while ensuring high accuracy for both detection and quantification.
Implementation
The solution involved deploying 23 EmissionTrack™ beta endpoints designed to detect H2, CH4, and H2/CH4 blends. The battery powered and wireless endpoints were easily installed across both the low and high-pressure sections of the FutureGrid loop, as well as at key areas such as the compressor station, where leaks were likely. Other components of EmissionsTrack™ included:
- 1 x LoRa gateway, that all the endpoints wirelessly communicate through
- 1 x LoRa wireless anemometer to measure local wind speed and direction
The data from the endpoints and anemometer was analyzed using NevadaNano’s Leak Source Isolation™ / LSI™ cloud based software for visualization of any emissions, with the potential for generating alerts, which will be more crucial for future trials with the Operational needs of NG to manage the gas network, and response.
Results
The implementation of NevadaNano’s EmissionsTrack™ system provided National Gas with real-time, continuous monitoring of emissions. The system effectively detected and quantified emissions from a mix of H2/CH4 and their blends, showcasing its suitability for both current and future energy networks. Results included:
- Accurate localization of leaks
- Emission quantification for H2, CH4, and blends
- Real-time visual data analysis for leak identification
These results were shared in a report that validated EmissionsTrack™’s effectiveness in supporting National Gas’s mission to safely integrate hydrogen into their gas network.
Next Steps
As National Gas moves into the second phase of their RIIO-2 plan with the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, NevadaNano will continue to support further development and testing at the FutureGrid site. The focus will be on enhancing the understanding of new and existing assets’ leak potential and ensuring the performance of the infrastructure used to transport hydrogen.