- Home
- Projects
Projects
Cominglo – Blended CV Measurement Point
This project seeks to improve the accuracy of CV measurement in gas networks which distribute blended gas streams. Element Digital Engineering will address this by first studying the physics of gas blending in the gas network using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). A wide range of simulations will enable the effects of different designs and mixing technologies to be understood in relation to the various gases under consideration. The predictions of these CFD studies will be validated through the design and development of a rig to simulate blending in the network. The overall results of these studies will be used to develop a tool that can be deployed within the gas networks to facilitate the accurate prediction of co-mingling and subsequent CV measurement points supporting the design of blending systems.
Enhancement of the anaerobic digestion process for biomethane production
The UK Government recognised that domestic biomethane production can play a significant role in decarbonising energy supplies. However biomethane production plants face technical and operational challenges. Currently the content of biomethane within biogas produced from the anaerobic digestion (AD) process is often only around 50%. This partial conversion results in lower yields for AD operators and an increase in costly gas scrubbing requirements. The increased presence of impurity gases also increases requirement for propanation to increase the calorific value high in both cost and carbon footprint.
This project seeks to address these challenges through the injection of green hydrogen into the AD process in specific quantities and at specific times to achieve greater conversion of carbon dioxide to biomethane within the acetogenesis stage of the AD process thereby increasing the yield whilst reducing the need for gas scrubbing and propanation.
Energy Plan Translator
Develop a flexible and adaptable toolset for the rapid analysis of Local Area Energy Plans (LAEPs). This will convert qualitative statements to quantified metrics and identify key network specific planning parameters.
H2 Housing Design
This project will explore ventilation and explosion relief requirements for housing currently used on the gas network for pressure regulating installations (PRIs). Housings currently provide security from a range of factors from weather to vandalism while also providing the necessary relief requirements in the event of an emergency. The understanding of these requirements for Natural Gas has been developed however work conducted in the IGEM TD/13 hydrogen supplement did not fully address whether these design specifications are suitable for use with Hydrogen. This multi-stage project will first explore the design specifications listed in industry standards (IGEM/TD/13 GIS/PRS/35 SGN/SP/CE/10 etc) and understand which of these may be appropriate and which may require redesign. The latter stage of this project will take the design specifications deemed to be unsuitable for use with hydrogen and conduct testing to develop revised design specifications which would provide the necessary relief requirements.
Decentralised Alliance for South West Hydrogen (DASH)
Early cluster projects will not benefit I&C customers that are located away from industrial clusters and are traditionally more distributed in nature. These customers are unlikely to have access to hydrogen infrastructure developed through the primary industrial clusters. This presents the need for an alternative solution.
This project will explore the concept of how a larger number of low-volume hydrogen producers can support I&C customers in the absence of natural ‘clustering’ and high-volume production by using the South West region of WWU’s network as a case study. This will be done by exploring the whole systems concept of a gas network which is driven by distributed green hydrogen production at strategic locations where there is access to both gas and electricity grid infrastructure.
Pathfinder Enhancements
This project will update the Pathfinder tool to improve functionality and reflect more current underlying data. Use of the tool developed in this project should result in better choices regarding investment in energy saving measures
Asset Compatibility Assessment Tool for Transmission
Following completion of Phase 2 of the H21 Hydrogen Ready Components project this project will look to extend the methodology developed under this project to encompass the assessment of assets operating above 7 barg. The assessment tool will be incorporated into the LTS Futures blueprint methodology for repurposing existing Natural Gas transmission assets to hydrogen. The scope will include transmission assets above 7 barg and up to the maximum transmission pressure of 94 barg and will focus on the conversion to 100% hydrogen. Assets in scope will cover both above and below ground assets and include bends valves regulators slam shuts relief valves and pig traps. Assets excluded include pipelines compressors and cast iron components.
Scaling Hydrogen with Nuclear Energy (SHyNE)
Significant efforts are required to support the transition of our energy systems moving away from carbon-intensive fuels such as coal diesel petrol and gas towards cleaner sources of power generation such as wind solar nuclear and hydrogen. There is a potential for hydrogen to play a hugely significant role in our energy system the extent of which will be driven by a range of factors including the ability to transport it to where it is needed. There have been recent positive decisions for hydrogen’s potential uses in blending transportation domestic heating and industry. To produce sufficient hydrogen to meet this potential need it will be important to increase and diversify hydrogen production methods.
As nuclear is a reliable and consistent source of clean energy that is unaffected by external factors such as the weather Northern Gas Networks and Wales and West Utilities would like to investigate the possible use of nuclear power as a method of delivering the future increased demand in hydrogen production. This project will explore the opportunity for hydrogen production from nuclear to support a net zero transition across the gas network.
Benefits of nuclear-enabled hydrogen (NEH) in the context of gas distribution networks (GDNs) will be explored building on the established benefits of nuclear energy production.
The overall project outcome is that NGN WWU and other stakeholders are sufficiently informed to determine whether further investment and integration of nuclear-enabled hydrogen to transition plans are justified and how a potential first project could take its next step to deployment through securing technology licences sites off takers and financing.
The Impact of District Heating on Our Network
This project will investigate the potential impacts of district heating on the gas network whether its viable for the network to support district heating and what repurposing would be required.
Determining Future Energy Demand of B&R Team Vans with Full On-Board Power
Wales & West Utilities is undertaking a major programme of change to support decarbonisation and deliver a Net Zero gas network. Decarbonisation of the vehicle fleet is an integral component of that programme.
WWU operates a fleet of nearly 1400 commercial vehicles the majority of these being vans up to 3.5 tonnes GVW. Our fleet – mostly diesel-fuelled - plays a crucial role in providing a safe and efficient service. In addition to our vehicle fleet WWU operates ~ 900 items of mobile plant including mini diggers and a wide range of trailers many of which are specialised.
WWU vans carry a wide range of power-operated tools and equipment some of this currently being powered by hydrocarbon fuels some by electricity and some by compressed air. Approximately a third of our van fleet (~400 units) is equipped with ‘full on-board power’ – a compressor and generator mounted under the van floor and mechanically driven by the diesel engine and operating as a source of on-site power.
This group of vehicles primarily supports below-ground network repair and replacement activity: it is a significant energy consumer so to help us understand how we can make an operationally cost-effective transition to zero emissions it is the on-site energy requirements of the tools and equipment powered by this group that Cenex will evaluate for this project. This evaluation will provide information which can take account of (and feed in to) a range of different scenarios for the fleet in the future such as changes to the number and type of vans allocated to particular teams and projects.
Integrity Management of Gaseous Carbon Dioxide Pipelines
Existing defect assessments and repair methodologies are aligned with the P/11 P/20 and PM/DAM1 management procedures and are adopted to inspect assess and repair the pipelines for defects and take suitable measures to reduce them. However the scope and applicability of these assessment and repair methodologies in the presence of gaseous phase carbon dioxide remain uncertain. The key challenges which the project aims to address are:
- Will existing repair techniques such as epoxy shell welded shells composite wraps gouge dressing etc. be suitable for transmission of gaseous phase carbon dioxide?
- What are the different defects we may encounter or consider hazardous in the presence of carbon dioxide? What are the impacts of carbon dioxide on each defect type? And how much does water/corrosion exacerbate this?
- Have the mechanisms of failure for each defect type changed after introducing carbon dioxide?
- Can we implement the assessment and repair methodologies safely? Are the techniques safe and suitable for the pipeline operations and maintenance teams?
The project seeks to answer the above in addition to understanding the types and extent of repairs across the NTS and review the impact of carbon dioxide on the effectiveness of these inspection assessment and mitigation technologies.
Stopple-Live trial (Phase 2)
The Stopple technology is a flow stop tool essential for major projects and emergency works across the LTS and NTS gas network. Its capability was tested in 100% hydrogen within a helinite environment in line with LTS Futures parameters as phase 1. This project focuses on validating flow-stopping technology as an additional deliverable with LTS Futures live hydrogen trial on the Granton to Grangemouth pipeline as a welded tee and hot-tapping operations is already being carried out. The trial will confirm the Stopple train’s effectiveness as a double-block and bleed solution for a 100% hydrogen system which will be available for the UK Gas Network. The findings will provide critical insights into the safe and efficient operation of the hydrogen networks supporting the transition from natural gas to hydrogen.
Fairer Warmth Hub
The Fairer Warmth Hub (FWH) connects stakeholders of the Net Zero Transition through place-based strategies providing tools and guidance to facilitate local energy plans and enhance collaboration. The FWH integrates digital tools and community engagement to facilitate effective communication and planning among diverse stakeholders including households small businesses and local authorities. FWH is designed to bridge the gap in the energy transition by providing tailored support to these stakeholders ensuring that the transition is inclusive and just. The FWH integrates three core elements:
- Trained ‘Champions’ – Volunteers or staff known as Champions are recruited and trained to support community engagement helping to build trust and reduce miscommunication in local energy initiatives.
- Digital Tools (Virtual Assets) – Innovative digital tools (App + Website) and resources are used to facilitate energy transition planning and community engagement particularly assisting Customer In Vulnerable Situation (CIVS) and those who are digitally excluded.
- Community Centres (Non-Virtual Assets) – Physical community hubs serve as accessible locations for hands-on support providing a space for CIVS and other stakeholders to engage directly in the energy transition.
Open Maps
There is currently no method for organisations to easily know where to target their work based on feedback from third sector organisations and public bodies. Creating a map of current actual need which also shows where delivery has happened and is planned will be game changing for both customers and funding organisations as it will ensure work is carried out where there is absolute tangible need rather than modelled demand. It will also allow on the ground resource to sign post their service users to the most effective method of support. Open Maps enables GDPR compliant data sharing – vital to unlocking important insights that can change the lives of vulnerable customers and help organisations to make better business decisions.
Biomethane Islands
To achieve decarbonisation targets all gas network operators in the UK need to demonstrate that the gas network can safely technically and economically facilitate the distribution of low-carbon gases (biomethane and hydrogen). In response to this challenge SGN aim to review the feasibility of the formation of biomethane islands in their Scotland area of operation. The outputs of this project will establish a business model for the optimisation of biomethane injection and formation of biomethane islands across the UK’s gas network. A feasibility study will address key areas including regulatory technical environmental social and commercial aspects as well as comprehensively assess the viability of developing Biomethane Islands. The outcome of the feasibility study will be to inform decision-making regarding project implementation. This will be captured and delivered in a comprehensive report and financial model of the business case. These islands will serve as models for sustainable living demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of a circular economy approach to energy production and waste management and offer a low disruption option for the decarbonisation of all classes of gas consumers - Industrial Commercial and Domestic.
H2 Rail
This project will explore the feasibility of integrating hydrogen train refuelling infrastructure to support the development of a hydrogen rail network. This has particular relevance to our network as some of the UK’s hardest to electrify rail routes are situated in Wales and South West England. The project will focus on these hard to electrify routes exploring H2’s potential role in enabling their decarbonisation. If successful this project can help the WWU network to become a proving ground for real-world delivery of impactful H2 rail technology. It is expected to provide information which can be used in planning strategic hydrogen pipeline routes and network repurposing plans and support regional energy planning.
Future Hydrogen Safe Control of Operations (SCO) Procedures
Following the work completed on the policies and procedures project by QEMS WWU have identified the requirement to update and re-vamp the existing Safe control of operations (SCO) procedures used by the network to support delivery of upcoming projects.
Forecaster for Embedded Generation (FEmGE)
Gas networks supply embedded power stations that support the electricity network. These embedded generators can fire up without any warning to GDNs and is causing significant challenges to gas networks.
GDNs are required to submit hourly gas demand nominations to National Gas for each offtake point within specified time deadlines.
Embedded generators are small. They are not included in the UNC’s requirements to notify their GDN of intended offtake activity due to their size being below the threshold for NExAs (network exit agreements). Despite this GDNs must include the demand from these embedded generators in their nominations to ensure there is sufficient gas within their network. This causes numerous challenges for SGN and other GDNs.
GDNs’ current forecasting process does not specifically forecast embedded gas generation and current models do not take inputs from the electricity market. Embedded generators act in a variety of electricity markets yet GDNs don’t have visibility of this demand.
It is anticipated that additional embedded generators will connect in the coming months/years as the demand for electricity increases.The challenge of not having knowledge of embedded generator’s demand and its potential to contribute to a storage shortage has been acknowledged by both EGRIT (Electricity and Gas Resilience Task Group) and NESO (National Energy System Operator). The benefits of creating a notification platform supported by a ML engine are various. Namely to develop an ML-enabled forecasting tool to predict gas demand from embedded generators with increased accuracy as delivery time approaches. In addition to create a notification platform to improve real-time visibility of embedded generator activities within the electricity and gas networks.
This NIA project aims to progress the FEmGE forecasting tool from TRL 1 to TRL 7 delivering a fully functional MVP. NGN will be funding this project to the value of £92333 and SGN to £184666 of the total of £276999.
Carbon Networks
As the UK transitions to a low-carbon energy future gas networks must consider how strategic utilisation of existing assets can be realised. GDNs must also consider adjacent markets such as CCUS and its role in the supply chain now and in the future. The project will take a pragmatic approach to provide SGN with an assessment of the role of the gas network in the growing UK CCUS market
Hydrogen Permeation through the Oxide Layer Phase 1
This project is looking to address uncertainties surrounding LTS pipeline materials by investigating the effect of the oxide layer on hydrogen permeation rate for steel pipelines. This project will also investigate the formation of an oxide layer inside the pipe at different temperatures as well as how the microstructure of the pipeline steel and condition of the oxide layer affect permeation for different grades of steel. It is critical this relation is better understood as these uncertainties are currently hindering our ability to fully and accurately assess the repurposing of the LTS. The outcomes of this project have the potential to increase cost-savings and improve confidence in the existing network to carry hydrogen including blends.