Abstract
The deployment of a hydrogen economy at an industrial scale requires pipeline transportation. Duty holders are willing to develop such pipeline infrastructure by taking advantage of the existing hydrocarbon assets. It is unreasonable to expect that pipelines designed for hydrocarbon service can be converted directly to hydrogen without due diligence and in consideration of the distinctive integrity challenges introduced by the transportation of gaseous hydrogen.
The incumbent industry codes do not offer a practical approach to holders of license to operate existing pipeline assets for repurposing it safely and economically for hydrogen transportation. The enforcement of dubious and undue conservatism could penalize the realization and the value of a hydrogen chain economy. This paper provides a guide for operators to repurpose pipelines safely from an integrity-led and holistic perspective. An emphasis is given to the safety and maximum utilization.
This guide is summarized by a ‘Pipeline Hydrogen Repurposing Roadmap’, which has been built from the research and practical experience of the authors in addressing the challenges of existing pipeline for hydrogen conversion.
