Tightening up the process

To date, valves continue to be overlooked in the energy transition. For example, valves are considered to account for 60% of all fugitive emissions of refineries and a lack of innovation in the space has left the industry with cumbersome technology that isn’t designed for the future needs of the gas distribution or oil and gas sectors. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has catalysed ambitions for energy security, and the energy transition should now be topping the agenda of countries globally. In response, many see hydrogen as part of the answer.

Hydrogen blending is already planned in the relative short term. Throughout Europe, hydrogen pipelines have been announced across the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Germany. Steps are also being taken in Singapore to meet growing demand across the APAC region for hydrogen. Across the globe, policy makers, governments and operators are interested in exploring the role of hydrogen in our energy systems.

This includes the UK, where the government is expected to press ahead with plans for the blending of hydrogen into the UK’s gas distribution networks at a 20% concentration, which could happen as soon as 2025. As some of these plans aim to reach 100% hydrogen pipelines, this poses questions to policymakers around whether infrastructure can be adapted or where new infrastructure may be required.

Despite these ambitions, the lack of industry standards for hydrogen infrastructure and equipment poses a threat. Hydrogen blending across incumbent gas transmission and distribution networks is a nascent technology, and governments must develop enforceable regulations, instead of issuing guidance, to avoid leaving the industry operating in a vacuum without any agreed safety standards.

Sector supply chain leads the way in setting standards

The desire is there, but the industry must adapt and act quickly if it is to bring this increasingly volatile energy source into everyday use. Meeting emissions targets will be key, and hydrogen blending will play a vital role in the energy transition. According to the Energy Networks Association (ENA)1, a 20% hydrogen blend could reduce carbon emissions by 6 million tpy of carbon dioxide, equivalent to 2.5 million cars being taken off the road.

However, it won’t be the only factor when it comes to future proofing the grid. Emissions reduction and elimination are critical from an environmental perspective, but more efficient grids will save time and money for gas distribution operators, and in future, hydrogen networks.

To implement hydrogen-ready infrastructure that can exceed 20% concentration, several challenges need to be solved. Hydrogen is a highly volatile and incredibly buoyant fuel and can ignite at 75% concentration, which means networks will need to be even tighter when making the transition to hydrogen blending. Instead of kicking this into the long grass, industry standards are required now.

Since its inception, Oxford Flow started examining the potential for this. Its founder, Thomas Povey, recognised that the same materials used for valve solutions in other industries, such as aerospace, could be used for valves in energy infrastructure, including upstream oil and gas, downstream applications, and gas transmission and distribution.

With a new design and material in place, but a lack of existing industry testing standards, Oxford Flow recently took matters into its own hands. Working with a third-party test house which specialises in engineering and design solutions for valves, fuel systems and associated accessories, the pair set out to not only verify the efficacy of Oxford Flow’s solution, but to prove their claim that it was hydrogen ready.

Due to the lack of any enforced standard, the companies worked to define the testing criteria, including cyclic stress testing up to 100 bar with both hydrogen and helium. In addition, Oxford Flow conducted test checks to meet its own factory acceptance criteria, which goes beyond current natural gas regulator testing standards, conducting air tests to as high as 150 bar. To contextualise this, that would be like dropping a diver to one of the deepest parts of the ocean, and then pulling them back up again within a second. The testing conditions drastically exceeds normal operating levels, but for such a volatile fuel, the companies felt that this level of scrutiny was and is necessary.

The tests were designed not only to prove that Oxford Flow’s designs are ready for use with hydrogen, but also to test the life expectancy of its valves over an accelerated length of time. This was necessary to verify the company’s claims that the valves would vastly outlive existing infrastructure, when used with hydrogen or natural gas.

Improving maintenance

In the UK, many gas distribution and transmission systems date back to the 1960s. So, it is not unrealistic to think that a lot of the equipment within these systems is either nearing or has surpassed its recommended shelf life. But, as manufacturers phase out existing valves from standard product lines, it is also becoming harder to maintain, repair or replace these valves with a like for like system.

Tackling ageing infrastructure with ongoing maintenance challenges, Oxford Flow developed a solution that…

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