A 15% hydrogen mix and pipeline nanocoating are the focus of a pilot project by Hawaii Gas
Hawaii Gas and Oceanit, a Honolulu-based technology company, recently announced a pilot project in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy that, if successful, will make a significant and positive impact on the transportation of hydrogen through natural gas infrastructure.
The two companies are partnering to test Oceanit’s HydroPel technology, a nanocoating applied to the interior of steel pipelines to remove risk of hydrogen embrittlement, which occurs when hydrogen molecules penetrate metals. That can be an issue for steel pipelines operating at high pressures. According to Hawaii Gas and Oceanit, by reducing drag, the coating also reduces the cost of compressing and transporting hydrogen through pipelines.
Most significantly, the pilot project aims to test a mix of natural gas and up to 15% hydrogen. Hawaii Gas has been safely blending hydrogen in its low-pressure pipelines for years, and its existing natural gas pipeline network already accommodates up to 15% hydrogen, which is more utility hydrogen than any other gas utility company in the United States.
“The end goal is to enable major U.S. gas pipelines to safely carry hydrogen blends for utility gas distribution,” Hawaii Gas and Oceanit said in a statement provided to American Gas. “Working together on this test pipeline environment provides real-world test conditions and expertise that are not available elsewhere. In the future, Hawaii Gas may decide to coat its transmission pipeline with HydroPel to safely accommodate increased concentrations of hydrogen in its gas blend.”
While the process to apply the HydroPel is laborious, requiring the use of a PIG, or pipeline intervention gadget, it is onetwentieth the cost of laying new pipeline, according to numbers Oceanit and Hawaii Gas furnished to American Gas. According to the two companies, over a 40-year time span, repurposing 10,000 miles of existing pipeline using HydroPel technology would provide a savings of close to $250 billion.
“The United States, along with [the] International Energy Agency, is aggressively pursuing the goal of achieving a net-zero carbon emission by 2050,” Hawaii Gas and Oceanit’s statement observed. “Hydrogen production, distribution and processes are a huge part of making that a reality. With the big push from the U.S. Department of Energy, this could be a very fastmoving development.”