European multi-gas network is launched
In the EU project SHIMMER, the German institute for materials research and testing BAM is working on a comprehensive knowledge database. There, important information on standards for safe materials and components as well as on the European gas infrastructure is to be made available. SHIMMER will be led by the Norwegian research organization SINTEF. The project brings together twelve European institutions, including national institutes and gas network operators from the countries Spain, Italy, Norway, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
The injection of hydrogen (H₂) into existing gas networks brings with it both technical and regulatory challenges. They particularly concern the material integrity of pipelines and the harmonization of legal requirements. The project SHIMMER (Safe Hydrogen Injection Modelling and Management for European Gas Network Resilience) involves improving understanding for the integration of hydrogen into the existing gas infrastructure and with that support overall the market ramp-up of safe hydrogen technologies. The research project already started in September 2023 and will end in August 2026. Financing comes from the EU program “Horizon Europe – Clean Hydrogen Partnership.”
Functionality and security of the gas network
Already the title Safe Hydrogen Injection Modelling and Management for European Gas Network Resilience indicates the objectives associated with the project: For a planned higher injection of hydrogen into the existing gas network, reliable models or simulation tools and secure management systems is to be provided, to ensure the reliability and robustness of the European gas network.
“Injecting H₂ into the existing gas network in higher proportions or in higher concentrations is associated with technical challenges, because the infrastructure was not originally designed for this. Therefore, tools, test methods and simulation programs for planning and operation as well as an overview of the existing infrastructure must be created, to guarantee the security of the network and its functionality,” explains the project manager Dr.-Ing. Oded Sobol from the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM).
As part of the stated overarching objective, additional specific goals are being pursued, such as mapping and providing an overview of the existing infrastructure with regard to materials, components, technologies used and the suitability of these for H2. This data will be part of a public knowledge database, through which users should receive early information about the suitability of the infrastructure. In addition, suitable material testing procedures as well as tools or methods for inspecting and detecting leaks should be developed.
It also involves creating simulation tools, for example for planning or simulating gas quality with varying feed-in and varying consumption based on rate and concentration. The gas composition of the project partners is also a question for the researchers. A certain gas quality is to be ensured by the project, and strategies for the injection of H₂ into the gas grid are to be developed. Last but not least, planned is to create guidelines for risk management and to develop simulation studies for running through various scenarios.
For the project partners, these topics are not new, though. The gas network operators have firmly anchored H₂ injection into their strategy and future plans. And the research companies involved have already gained experience with the topic in their respective specialist areas.
Preceding projects to be taken into account
Thus, in SHIMMER, data from participating industry partners – mainly European long-distance grid and distribution network operators – will be collected. The SyWest report – tests of representative material samples from pipes in the German gas grid – will be made use of in the project. “There will possibly be a correlation to the VerifHy database (www.verifhy.de), in which pipeline manufacturers have altogether provided information on the H2 readiness of their products,” explains the project manager Dr. Heiner Schümann from SINTEF Industry.
Other projects that are being examined for results that can be used for the database include:
- the EU project HIGGS (list of suitability of TSO pipe material – incomplete)
- the British project HyDeploy (field tests with 20% H2 injection in the UK)
- the EU projects THyGA (test end consumption devices and their suitability for H2–natural gas mix, such as heat pumps, water boilers and ovens, CHP – combined heat to power, distributors, etc.), CEN H2 PNR (literature research for many critical areas, including gas quality and steel pipes) and CANDHy (compatibility for non-metallic materials).
The possibility of collaboration is being discussed with those involved in these projects.
Fig. 2: European projects
Five work packages
In terms of content, the project consists of five work packages, which are to be carried out simultaneously. “There are dependencies on different tasks within the work packages, however, that must be taken into account when planning the schedule,” says Schümann.
The first work package, led by SINTEF, bears the title “Projektmanagement und Koordination (Project Management and Coordination).” “The aim here is to ensure that the project is carried out on schedule with the given resources and the expected quality,” says Schümann.
The second work package “Gasinfrastruktur und Betriebsbedingungen (Gas Infrastructure and Operational Conditions)” is under the direction of BAM. “Our task is to obtain information about the existing European gas infrastructure in relation to metallic materials (pipes). For this, we’re using existing data from other projects as well as from the literature and are also collecting new information from our partners,” says Sobol. In addition, they are obtaining information about operating conditions. Applicable standards and laws will also be viewed, compiled and checked for agreement. “Ultimately, we want to organize all information into a user-friendly database and make it publicly accessible,” says Sobol.
The third work package is entitled “Integritätsmanagement und Sicherheit (Integrity Management and Safety)” and falls under the responsibility of the Spanish research center TECNALIA. The aim here is to check the suitability of common material and compatibility test procedures for the planned higher H2 feed-in. In addition, a GAP analysis is carried out from the perspective of the need for adaptation, changes or new procedures and regulations. Also guidelines for inspection methods for pipes will be worked out and recommendations for leak test methods conceived. Ultimately, it is about making recommendations for risk analysis regarding leaks and developing tools for this.
In the fourth work package “Sicherung des Durchflusses (Flow Assurance),” led by the Dutch organization for applied scientific research TNO, realistic test procedures will be described and existing simulation programs evaluated for their suitability. In addition, a selection of suitable programs are to be improved and adapted so that corresponding scenarios can be played out. Finally, suitable technologies for the measuring and monitoring of gas quality will be evaluated.
In the fifth and final work package “Verbreitung, Kommunikation und Verwertung (Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation),” led by the European gas research company GERG, the dissemination of the results will be ensured, meaning that they reach the right end users, decision-making bodies and stakeholders. GERG is responsible for the publication of articles in magazines and other public media as well as for the organization of conferences. Furthermore, their task is to communicate with interest groups during the project phase in order to obtain feedback and necessary information.
In their work, the researchers within the consortium face a number of challenges: “First of all, the confidentiality of information from industrial partners should be mentioned. At the same time, we intend to publish as much as possible,” says Sobol. In addition, the designation of materials, for example steel qualities, is not 100% standardized and different materials with sometimes different names are used across Europe. The environment (gas quality, climate) to which the different materials are exposed also differs. In addition, the industrial partners pursued different interests with regard to the scenarios for simulation studies. A consensus on the blend of H₂ (2, 5 or 20 %) does not exist either. “In our project, seven countries are represented. The problem is also how we should cover the information from the rest of the European countries,” says Schümann.
Publication of the interim results is imminent
The first results are already available. “We are currently awaiting approval and clearance from the European Commission, however. These will then be accessible online and will also be linked on our website” says Schümann. The publishing of the database on the project website (https://shimmerproject.eu/) as well as other scientific publications is projected to happen, according to Sobol, by the end of the project.
Industry and legislation benefit
After the project is completed in August 2026, most results, including the database, should be publicly accessible. Benefitting from this could, on the one hand, be industry: Planning for H2 injection will be simplified. Network operators, suppliers and manufacturers of pipes and equipment save time and money. On the other hand, legislative bodies can adapt their guidelines. “Today there are neither harmonized requirements nor feed-in limits nor regulations for testing and suitability procedures for H2 feed-in for Europe. The results of this project will be a basis for such a standardization process,” says Schümann.
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