H2LAB: A laboratory for investigating hydrogen blending in natural gas from injection to combustion

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Blending hydrogen gas (H2) into the existing natural gas pipeline network has been proposed as a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One of the most significant opportunities to introduce and boost uptake of H2 as a clean fuel is represented by the existing natural gas infrastructure, such as BC 50,000 kilometres of pipelines, where H2 can be blended into the natural gas supply; however, there is no determined % H2 by volume blend approved by industry, regulators and policymakers. An evidence-based approach is required to integrate H2 into existing gas networks successfully. The technical uncertainties of introducing H2 into the existing gas network, the potential impacts on end-users, and the lack of applicable codes, standards, and regulations are crucial impediments to H2 deployment that need to be addressed. The proposed research is a unique partnership between UBC School of Engineering, FortisBC Energy Inc., Canada's largest private natural gas distribution utility company, and Hetek Solutions Inc. (Hetek), one of Canada's premier suppliers of risk management instrumentation to Canada's natural gas sector, with the goal to develop a novel scalable and automated testbed, H2LAB, for conducting an integrated experimental study on the performance and feasibility of H2 blending in natural gas (for a range of 5 - 20% H2 by volume). The coordinated research will integrate the study of mixing quality, material exposure, separation, combustion and emission on a single testbed to determine the range of % H2 that can be safely injected into the natural gas grid to lower its carbon intensity and reduce GHGs to assess feasibility, inform regulatory codes and standards (e.g. Gas Safety Regulation), and provide evidence-based policy recommendations to inform overall public safety on the durability and integrity of FEI and BC's existing natural gas pipeline network. The successful completion of the project is estimated to reduce CO2 equivalent (CO2e) by 512,500 tonnes per year in BC, as determined by the maximum safe % of H2 determined by the proposed research, and the results will directly contribute to the design and implementation of a UBC-based building-scale pilot facility for the study of H2 blending in 2024.