DNV funded partners on multiple strategic hydrogen innovation projects

DNV are funded project partners on 4 Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) projects from Ofgem, the UK gas and electricity regulator.

LONDON, United Kingdom, 28 March, 2022 - Launched by Ofgem in the summer of 2021 and run by Innovate UK, the UK's national innovation agency, the SIF functions as a competition that aims to find and fund ambitious, innovative projects with the potential to accelerate the transition to net zero. The UK has reduced emissions by 44 per cent over the last three decades and is aiming to reduce by 100 per cent by 2050.

Initiating a collaborative process involving several “internal idea creation” workshops across the DNV organisation, successful ideas progressed to innovation funding proposal activities with key customers, SGN and National Grid.

Hari Vamadevan, Regional Director UK & Ireland of Energy Systems at DNV said "DNV is pleased to further progress the collaborative and innovative work which aims to determine the viability of repurposing the gas transmission assets for hydrogen."

Project details

Digital Twins - Exploring the commercial, societal and operational benefits on green hydrogen projects
This project will explore the commercial, societal and operational benefits that could be derived from the deployment of a digital twin on a green hydrogen use case - based on H100-Fife. Using the methodologies in DNV Recommended Practice DNV-RP-A204, DNV will partner with SGN and Amazon Web Services to develop key concepts that will provide learnings that will be pivotal to the development of similar projects across the UK.

Velocity design with hydrogen
This project will establish a gas design velocity limit for natural gas/hydrogen blends and 100% hydrogen in distribution networks to minimize the costs of re-purposing existing network assets to zero carbon. The discovery phase of the project will define the test work, to be delivered in subsequent phases, to establish and validate suitable gas velocity limits in the zero-carbon future.

HyNTS Compression
The aim of this work is to investigate the key challenges with the compression of hydrogen and hydrogen blends. The project looks to relocate a gas compressor from one of the National Grid Gas compressors sites to DNV’s Spadeadam Research and Testing, Cumbria – and identify if and how it can operate alongside the FutureGrid project. In the alpha ‘detailed design’ phase and the beta ‘demonstration’ phase the project will design and build the hydrogen compression test rig enabling the determination of capability with hydrogen and development of novel systems such as inspection tools.

Hydrogen metering
This project will pull together partners from transmission, distribution and last mile metering connections to test the feasibility, design and ultimately build of a series of metering installations at the FutureGrid facility at Spadeadam - testing the safety and performance of repurposed and new metering assets and ancillary equipment in a hydrogen environment. The project aims to support networks in understanding how they will control the energy balance and give industrial and consumers the confidence that standards for design and build of metering installations are robust.

About the Strategic Innovation Fund

The purpose of Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund is to support network innovation that will contribute to achieving Net Zero rapidly and at lowest cost; deliver real net benefits to network companies, energy users and consumers; and help the UK to become a ‘Silicon Valley’ of energy. It aims to work with other public funders of innovation so that activities appropriately funded by energy users and consumers are coordinated with activities funded by Government. The Fund is delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.

About Ofgem

Ofgem is Britain’s independent energy regulator. Their role is to protect consumers now and in the future by working to deliver a greener, fairer energy system. They do this by:

• Working with Government, industry and consumer groups to deliver a net zero economy at the lowest cost to consumers
• Stamping out sharp and bad practice, ensuring fair treatment for all consumers, especially the vulnerable
• Enabling competition and innovation, which drives down prices and results in new products and services for consumers.

About Innovate UK

Innovate UK is the UK’s innovation agency, part of UK Research and Innovation. It drives productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas, including those from the UK’s world-class research base.