Debunking The Myth: Existing Natural Gas Pipelines Are Not A Cheap Slam Dunk For Transporting Hydrogen

Join daily news updates from CleanTechnica on electronic mail. Or follow us on Google News!

Final Up to date on: seventeenth March 2025, 12:01 pm

Hydrogen proponents love to color a rosy image of the long run — one the place we merely repurpose current pure fuel pipelines for hydrogen transport, avoiding the necessity for expensive new infrastructure. This declare is simplistic, deceptive, and constructed on a basis of wishful pondering moderately than engineering realities.

This can be a companion article to the Cranky Stepdad vs Hydrogen for Energy materials. In the same method to John Prepare dinner’s Skeptical Sciencethe intent is a speedy and catchy debunk, a second stage of element within the Companion to Cranky Stepdad vs Hydrogen for Energyafter which a fuller article because the third stage of element.

Transporting hydrogen by means of outdated pipes is like making an attempt to squeeze a basketball by means of a backyard hose — it requires loads of changes.

Pure fuel infrastructure was designed for, properly, pure fuel. Hydrogen is a completely totally different beast. Its molecular construction, circulation traits, and chemical interactions with supplies make transporting it by means of current pipelines something however an easy job. Hydrogen’s small measurement means it leaks way more readily than pure fuel (Zhang, Wang, & Chen, 2022). Worse, it embrittles pipeline supplies, inflicting them to crack and fail over time (Wescott, Sudholt, & Carter, 2021). This isn’t a minor situation; it’s a elementary problem that necessitates in depth—and costly—modifications.

Proponents who declare we are able to merely reuse current pipelines ignore the sheer scale of the required upgrades. The required modifications embody:

• New Linings and Reinforcements: Normal pipeline supplies degrade when uncovered to hydrogen, which means inner coatings have to be changed or pipelines themselves have to be swapped out completely (Melaina, Antonia, & Penev, 2013).
• Compressor Replacements: Hydrogen requires a lot larger pressures to maneuver effectively by means of pipelines, demanding an overhaul of compression infrastructure (U.S. Division of Vitality (DOE), 2023).
• Sensor and Management System Upgrades: Hydrogen interacts with electronics in ways in which pure fuel doesn’t, which means sensors, leak detection methods, and different monitoring gear have to be re-engineered for security and reliability (UK Well being & Security Govt (HSE), 2021).
• Leak Mitigation Methods: Hydrogen’s small molecular measurement makes leakage practically unavoidable with out expensive reinforcements, presenting each financial and security issues (European Gasoline Analysis Group (GERG), 2022).

These are usually not minor changes. They’re elementary redesigns of the infrastructure itself, turning the thought of “repurposing” right into a full-scale rebuild.

Latest hydrogen pipeline initiatives have seen important value estimate will increase, highlighting the financial challenges of large-scale hydrogen transport. The European Hydrogen Spine, initially projected to value round €80 billion, has seen revised estimates exceeding €100 billion attributable to materials upgrades, security modifications, and inflation. Within the U.S., the HyVelocity Gulf Coast hydrogen pipeline community has confronted rising value projections because of the want for embrittlement-resistant supplies and high-pressure compressors. Equally, Australia’s proposed hydrogen pipelines have encountered escalating estimates, with some initiatives doubling in value attributable to sudden infrastructure and security necessities. These will increase underscore the complexity and monetary burden of adapting pipelines for hydrogen transport.

The argument that we are able to “simply” reuse current pipelines falls into the traditional lure of hasty generalization. Simply because some modifications will be made doesn’t imply they’re simple, cost-effective, or scalable. The true-world constraints — supplies science, security rules, and economics — make hydrogen transport by means of repurposed pipelines a pipe dream moderately than a sensible answer.

Hydrogen transport by way of current pipelines isn’t a silver bullet. It’s a advanced, expensive, and technically difficult endeavor that requires excess of simply “a few tweaks.” These pushing this narrative are both uninformed or intentionally downplaying the engineering hurdles concerned. Because the analysis overwhelmingly exhibits, hydrogen pipeline transport is an infrastructure problem of its personal, not a free journey on the again of pure fuel networks.

References:

European Gasoline Analysis Group (GERG). (2022). Assessing Hydrogen Readiness of Gasoline Networks.

Melaina, M. W., Antonia, O., & Penev, M. (2013). Mixing hydrogen into pure fuel pipeline networks: A assessment of key points. Nationwide Renewable Vitality Laboratory (NREL), Technical Report.

UK Well being & Security Govt (HSE). (2021). Hydrogen Transport Security Report.

U.S. Division of Vitality (DOE). (2023). Hydrogen Infrastructure and Pipelines: Technical and Financial Challenges. Washington, DC: DOE.

Westcott, J., Sudholt, A., & Carter, J. (2021). Supplies challenges for hydrogen transportation and storage. Joule, 5(9), 1905–1908.

Zhang, X., Wang, Y., & Chen, Z. (2022). Hydrogen leakage and security challenges in repurposed pure fuel pipelines. Worldwide Journal of Hydrogen Vitality, 47(5), 3206–3219.