European policy makers are increasingly acknowledging the important role that hydrogen will play in existing gas networks, to meet targets for decarbonisation with minimum consumer disruption. The existing gas infrastructure is a vital asset for energy delivery and security of supply, capable of long-term and high capacity storage of energy. Blending hydrogen with natural gas will take advantage of this asset. To ensure the safety and determine the performance of a system with an increasing hydrogen concentration, an effort in pre-normative research is required.
In this context, the new THyGA project (Testing Hydrogen Admixtures for Gas Appliances) sets out to develop and communicate a detailed understanding of the impact of blends of natural gas and hydrogen on end use applications, specifically in the domestic and commercial sector.
Following successful proposal evaluation by the European Commission and Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH 2 JU), the THyGA project has been selected for funding as part of the 2019 FCH 2 JU work programme.
The main goal of the project is to enable the wide adoption of H2NG (hydrogen in natural gas) blends by closing knowledge gaps regarding technical impacts on residential and commercial gas appliances. The project consortium will identify and recommend appropriate codes and standards that should be adapted to answer the needs and develop a strategy for addressing the challenges for new and existing appliances.
It will do this by:
- Screening and segmenting the portfolio of appliance technologies in the domestic and commercial sectors and assessing the impact of hydrogen admixtures.
- Testing up to 100 residential and commercial gas appliances to provide a generic protocol that can be adapted for virtually any appliance.
- Developing a validated certification protocol for different levels of H2 in natural gas
- Making recommendations for manufacturers, decision makers and end-users along the gas value chain for appliance design, manufacture and certification.