Volume 21: Sustainable Energy Solutions for a Post-COVID Recovery towards a Better Future: Part IV

The Influence of increasing Hydrogen concentrations in the Natural Gas Supply Network Vanessa Kaub, Roland Span

Abstract

With the necessity of new technologies to move energy systems from fossil to renewable sources, hydrogen takes an important role within the discussion. Whether in transport, industry, commerce, or private energy supply, hydrogen is predicted to be one of the main suppliers in our energy systems of the future. To enable a safe and easy solution for transportation, existing natural gas infrastructures can be used. Originally those structures were built for gas mixtures that contained higher amounts of hydrogen than the gas mixtures which are transported nowadays. But when fluctuating amounts of hydrogen are added to natural gas, it is important to determine the actual concentration of hydrogen – not only for the decreasing heating value but also the change in gas qualities and behavior of the mixture.
With advanced measurement principles and technologies, these concentrations could be determined due to their effect on thermodynamical properties. This paper summarizes the effects of hydrogen on natural gas mixtures and evaluates how these effects can be used to determine the composition of the gas. By knowing the hydrogen concentration, gas qualities can be recalculated and end devices adjusted to the changing conditions.

Keywords hydrogen, renewable/green energy resources, energy storage, natural gas, climate change