PROJECTSCOMPUTAMEH

ComputaMEH

CFD Modeling of Methane-Hydrogen Mixtures in Natural Gas Transmission Grids
September 2020 - March 2021

SUMMARY AND OBJECTIVES

The main goal of this project is the design of an experimental testbench to evaluate different mixtures of natural gas with hydrogen and other trace components that could appear in the mixture of natural gas in transport grids. Building this design represents a further step towards the integration of renewable energies in the current energy mix with the consequent transition towards the complete decarbonization of the gas network. Furthermore, this design will allow an important advance that can serve as a starting point for the subsequent installation and use of this design in order to test its viability experimentally for the mixtures and components present in the gas grid.

To achieve this objective, the following sub-objectives are proposed:

Preliminary design of a system capable of preparing different gas admixtures that could appear in the transport gas network in the event that it injects hydrogen.

CFD modelling of the proposed experimental system to then investigate its behavior using the model developed with reagrd to parameters such as pressure drop in the circuit, momentum experienced by the circuit materials, quality of the gas mixture, possibility of segregation of the mixture or existence of backwater points. Improvements will also be proposed for the operation of this originally proposed experimental circuit, both related to the mode of operation and to the equipment of which it is composed.

Modification of the initial design according to the results of the simulations and final validation of this to obtain the final optimized design of the test circuit.

FOUNDATION ROLE

The role of Aragón Hydrogen Foundation in this project is to provide the geometries of critical sections in the natural gas transmission grid and to participate in the interpretation of the results of the computational model.
Coordinator
Funding entities
AEI-NTH (2019 – 2022)
Partners