Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SHIMMER (Safe Hydrogen Injection Modelling and Management for European gas network Resilience)
Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2025-02-28
The European natural gas infrastructure provides the opportunity to accept hydrogen (H2), as a measure to integrate low-carbon gases while leveraging the existing gas network and contributing to decarbonisation. However, there are many technical and regulatory gaps that should be closed and adaptations and investments to be made to assure that multi-gas networks across Europe will be able to operate in a reliable and safe way while providing a highly controllable gas quality and required energy demand. Recently, the European Committee for Standardization concluded the impossibility of setting a common limiting value for hydrogen into the European gas infrastructure recommending a case-by-case analysis. In addition to this, there are still uncertainties related to material integrity on pipelines and networks components with regards to a reduced lifetime in presence of hydrogen. Existent results from previous and ongoing projects on the hydrogen readiness of grid components should be summarized in a systematic manner together with the assessment of the existent T&D infrastructure components at European level to provide stakeholders with decision support and risk reduction information to drive future investments and the development of regulations and standards.
The SHIMMER project (Safe Hydrogen Injection Modelling and Management for European gas network Resilience) aims to enable a higher integration and safer hydrogen injection management in multi-gas networks by contributing to the knowledge and better understanding of hydrogen projects, their risks, and opportunities. It will do this by:
• Mapping and assessing European gas T&D infrastructure in relation to materials, components, technology, and their readiness for hydrogen blends.
• Defining methods, tools and technologies for multi-gas network management and quality tracking, including simulation, prediction, and safe management of network operation in view of widespread hydrogen injection in a European-wide context.
• Proposing best practice guidelines for handling the safety of hydrogen in the natural gas infrastructure and managing the risks.
The SHIMMER project (Safe Hydrogen Injection Modelling and Management for European gas network Resilience) aims to enable a higher integration and safer hydrogen injection management in multi-gas networks by contributing to the knowledge and better understanding of hydrogen projects, their risks, and opportunities. It will do this by:
• Mapping and assessing European gas T&D infrastructure in relation to materials, components, technology, and their readiness for hydrogen blends.
• Defining methods, tools and technologies for multi-gas network management and quality tracking, including simulation, prediction, and safe management of network operation in view of widespread hydrogen injection in a European-wide context.
• Proposing best practice guidelines for handling the safety of hydrogen in the natural gas infrastructure and managing the risks.
WP2 - Gas Infrastructure and operational conditions
Infrastructure data for the European gas network has been collected with inputs from the participating partners (TSOs and DSOs) as well as open access data from previous projects, and information on standardization. The information was organized in a database that will be made available to the public shortly.
WP3 - Integrity management and safety
A review study on the qualification, testing and compatibility of the gas infrastructure with hydrogen and hydrogen containing blends is ongoing. A report about “critical material properties and component factors” was finalized. Collected infrastructure information will also be included in the database created in WP2. Further, in-line inspection methods and their compatibility for hydrogen integration are investigated. A survey was conducted among gas operators in the consortium to collect their knowledge. In addition, testing of different inspection technologies is ongoing. The work package also performs an evaluation of existing monitoring technologies for detection of the leakages and their suitability for gas-hydrogen blends.
WP4 - Flow Assurance
Test cases and realistic cases for transmission and distribution networks have been defined. A list of available gas network models currently used by the consortium partners has been prepared. The information is reported in a document. Work has started on implementing the test cases and realistic cases in the modelling tools. An infrastructure optimization framework will be used for investment and capacity planning. An open-source fluid dynamic model will be demonstrated including the possibility for gas quality tracking. The requirements for gas quality measurement instruments have been gathered and are being processed.
Infrastructure data for the European gas network has been collected with inputs from the participating partners (TSOs and DSOs) as well as open access data from previous projects, and information on standardization. The information was organized in a database that will be made available to the public shortly.
WP3 - Integrity management and safety
A review study on the qualification, testing and compatibility of the gas infrastructure with hydrogen and hydrogen containing blends is ongoing. A report about “critical material properties and component factors” was finalized. Collected infrastructure information will also be included in the database created in WP2. Further, in-line inspection methods and their compatibility for hydrogen integration are investigated. A survey was conducted among gas operators in the consortium to collect their knowledge. In addition, testing of different inspection technologies is ongoing. The work package also performs an evaluation of existing monitoring technologies for detection of the leakages and their suitability for gas-hydrogen blends.
WP4 - Flow Assurance
Test cases and realistic cases for transmission and distribution networks have been defined. A list of available gas network models currently used by the consortium partners has been prepared. The information is reported in a document. Work has started on implementing the test cases and realistic cases in the modelling tools. An infrastructure optimization framework will be used for investment and capacity planning. An open-source fluid dynamic model will be demonstrated including the possibility for gas quality tracking. The requirements for gas quality measurement instruments have been gathered and are being processed.
Expected results beyond the state of the art are:
- SHIMMER will establish an open European components & materials database which includes the data from several projects in addition to actual infrastructure information from four TSOs and two DSOs in the consortium. The database will allow to extract information and identify the correlation and variance in the common components in the European systems.
- SHIMMER will analyse operational strategies and provide guidelines for injection and transport of H2 blends thus providing an assessment of gas infrastructure in terms of bottlenecks of operational capacity. This will be achieved by simulating selected test and realistic cases with the capability of describing transient operational conditions or quality tracking in H2 injection scenarios provided by the T&D stakeholders in SHIMMER.
- SHIMMER will develop and demonstrate open-source modelling tools for simulating transmission and distribution networks for gas blends with H2 with the model abilities of dynamic modelling, gas quality tracking and planning and design.
- SHIMMER will provide an assessment of suitability of available technologies for gas quality measurements, in-line inspections and non-destructive testing methods as well as leakage detection methods.
- SHIMMER will advance the existing modelling framework on subsea dispersion and atmospheric surfacing of gases from subsea pipelines to include multicomponent gases (gas blends) and H2.
- SHIMMER will review the State of the art of the normative concerning H2 injection in natural gas grids and derive guidelines for the injection of H2 in NG grids and management of multi-gas networks
POTENTIAL IMPACTS
SHIMMER will contribute towards the following expected outcomes
EO1: Definition of methods, tools and technologies for multi-gas network management and quality tracking, including simulation, prediction and safe management of transients, in view of widespread H2 injection in a context of European-wide interoperability and gas market reform
EO 2: Best practice guidelines for handling the safety of H2 in the natural gas infrastructure, managing the risks (with prevention and mitigation protocols) for guaranteeing the safe interoperability of gas transport at European level
EO 3: Mapping and assessing T&D infrastructure components at European level to identify best available technologies, the H2 readiness of components, network technologies and monitoring protocols to steer stakeholders towards effective regulation and technical standards, network repurposing and modernisation investments.
- SHIMMER will establish an open European components & materials database which includes the data from several projects in addition to actual infrastructure information from four TSOs and two DSOs in the consortium. The database will allow to extract information and identify the correlation and variance in the common components in the European systems.
- SHIMMER will analyse operational strategies and provide guidelines for injection and transport of H2 blends thus providing an assessment of gas infrastructure in terms of bottlenecks of operational capacity. This will be achieved by simulating selected test and realistic cases with the capability of describing transient operational conditions or quality tracking in H2 injection scenarios provided by the T&D stakeholders in SHIMMER.
- SHIMMER will develop and demonstrate open-source modelling tools for simulating transmission and distribution networks for gas blends with H2 with the model abilities of dynamic modelling, gas quality tracking and planning and design.
- SHIMMER will provide an assessment of suitability of available technologies for gas quality measurements, in-line inspections and non-destructive testing methods as well as leakage detection methods.
- SHIMMER will advance the existing modelling framework on subsea dispersion and atmospheric surfacing of gases from subsea pipelines to include multicomponent gases (gas blends) and H2.
- SHIMMER will review the State of the art of the normative concerning H2 injection in natural gas grids and derive guidelines for the injection of H2 in NG grids and management of multi-gas networks
POTENTIAL IMPACTS
SHIMMER will contribute towards the following expected outcomes
EO1: Definition of methods, tools and technologies for multi-gas network management and quality tracking, including simulation, prediction and safe management of transients, in view of widespread H2 injection in a context of European-wide interoperability and gas market reform
EO 2: Best practice guidelines for handling the safety of H2 in the natural gas infrastructure, managing the risks (with prevention and mitigation protocols) for guaranteeing the safe interoperability of gas transport at European level
EO 3: Mapping and assessing T&D infrastructure components at European level to identify best available technologies, the H2 readiness of components, network technologies and monitoring protocols to steer stakeholders towards effective regulation and technical standards, network repurposing and modernisation investments.