During the approaching heating season, up to 20% hydrogen will be progressively added to natural gas in a sub-network in the Fläming region (Saxony-Anhalt).
The goal of the collaborative initiative between Avacon and the German Association for Gas and Water (DVGW) is to demonstrate that it is technically viable to feed hydrogen into an existing gas network at a far greater proportion than the DVGW technical standards previously allowed. The project’s findings can be used as a model for future hydrogen utilization in gas distribution networks.
“Both significant hydrogen users and a related hydrogen infrastructure may be found in the Central German Chemical Triangle. We regard the creation of a CO2-free hydrogen economy as an opportunity for the country’s economic prosperity. “High-quality employment can be secured and new jobs may be generated by developing new value chains,” stated Economics and Agriculture Minister Sven Schulze at the opening of the hydrogen admixing facility in Schopsdorf last Friday.
The study will focus on a part of Avacon’s gas distribution network in Jerichower Land, Saxony-Anhalt. Because the network architecture constructed there is indicative of the complete Avacon gas distribution network, the findings may be shared. The network portion is a medium-pressure distribution network with around 35 kilometers of pipeline length, serving approximately 350 network customers. The specified network region encompasses a wide range of device technologies with the matching number of gas devices, which are mostly utilized for heat delivery.
In the first phase of the initiative, all gas appliances installed by customers were registered and tested for operational and safety technology, as well as hydrogen compatibility, in collaboration with the Gas and Heating Institute Essen (GWI) and the gas appliance manufacturers. Overall, the gas installations and gas devices that have been surveyed thus far have received nearly 100% positive feedback. Only four equipment that were no longer appropriate were replaced with new, contemporary hydrogen-compatible devices.
The real admixing phase commences in the following project phase when the admixing system is commissioned. The hydrogen feed-in will take place in stages of 10, 15, and 20% hydrogen admixture over the two heating periods of 2021/22 and 2022/23. During commissioning, ten percent hydrogen will be injected to the natural gas in the first stage over a four-week period, ensuring that the percentage remains within the DVGW standards’ admixture threshold. Random assessments of combustion quality with measurements of the actual hydrogen concentration are carried out on site in roughly a third of gas appliances in order to scientifically accompany the feed-in at all feed-in stages.
The maximum hydrogen admixture of up to 20% will be obtained in five percent increments over time. The 15% admixture phase is set to begin in the first quarter of 2022. According to estimates, the goal hydrogen content of 20% should be reached by the conclusion of the heating season. During the heating season of 2022/23, another 20% feed-in phase will take place over many weeks. In addition to a uniform admixture, volatile feeds will be used to replicate varying hydrogen production using wind and solar energy, as well as to explore the consequences of variable hydrogen levels in the current plant.
