08/10/2023
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
The conversion of a natural gas pipeline to 100 percent hydrogen in the market Hohenwart in the Upper Bavarian district of Pfaffenhofen go forward. What has already happened and what is still happening.
The ten households and the commercial enterprise had already put their signature under the contract with Energie Südbayern at the beginning of this year. Starting from the heating season 2023/2024 they will, so the plans provide for it, for approximately 18 months with the help of hydrogen their areas heat (we reported). The cooperation partner Vaillant as the supplier of the H2 condensing boilers was also already determined at that time. Now the project, which runs in the context of the research project "H2 direct", progressed further.
After the district administration office Pfaffenhofen responsible for the market Hohenwart had given the building permission, already at the beginning of of July the civil engineering work started in Hohenwart. On a plot of land belonging to the Regens-Wagner Foundation, a social institution for people with disabilities, the foundation for the H2 supply and feed-in plant is currently being poured, as the project partners Thüga, ESB and Energienetze Bayern announced in a statement on August 8.
The plant is intended to reduce the pressure of the green hydrogen supplied by hydrogen trailers from Westfalen AG. At 250 millibars, it is to be fed into the network section intended for the research project. The H2-Direkt project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, is intended to demonstrate that existing gas distribution networks can be operated with pure hydrogen, according to Elke Wanke. The Renewable Gases Officer at Energienetze Bayern and project manager classifies the project as unique in Germany so far. "The first converted gas network to supply household customers with 100 percent hydrogen is being created in Hohenwart," says Wanke.
All components H2-ready
The DVGW research center at the Engler-Bunte Institute (DVGW-EBI) has already given the green light for all components installed in the distribution network area concerned, she says. They are thus suitable for 100 percent hydrogen. The same also applies to all components in the heating rooms of the households, which have been recorded in detail in advance. Jonas Heilhecker, who is responsible for H2 installations in the buildings at Energienetze Bayern, says: "We have taken into account that individual components such as gas flow monitors or house introduction systems may have to be replaced. But all components are ready for use for 100 percent hydrogen."
According to the partners, the volumetric gas meters already in place in the households are also designed for hydrogen in terms of material and measurement accuracy. However, they would still be replaced by other commercially available, but larger-dimensioned meters due to the larger volumetric flow of hydrogen.
As part of the research project, regulations for the measurement of hydrogen will also be established. A corresponding measurement concept, which Energienetze Bayern and Thüga created together with DVGW-EBI, has already been approved for field testing by the Weights and Measures Office and the State Office for Weights and Measures (LMG), respectively.
H2 Direkt is a subproject of the hydrogen lead project "TtransHyDE", which develops, evaluates and demonstrates several technologies for hydrogen transport and storage.
Author: Davina Spohn
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