We’ve been granted funding to continue developing pipeline datasets for hydrogen deployment

We’re examining the opportunities to accelerate the pipeline assessments that would be required for a transition to hydrogen, including the use of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), through our HyNTS Pipeline Dataset project.

We’ve been granted funding for the next phase of the project to continue our research into pipeline datasets, to help us make important decisions about our pipeline assets.

Earlier this year, we conducted a desktop study to determine the feasibility of carrying out hydrogen pipeline assessments and reviewing all possible methods of gathering the data we’d need. This Discovery phase was the first stage of the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) process, a three-phase competition grant.

The National Transmission System (NTS) was designed and built to transport natural gas. Although hydrogen possesses similarities to natural gas, such as being colourless, odourless, and tasteless, other properties such as its potential effect on pipeline materials mean that gas networks need to assess their pipeline assets in a different way to how they would for natural gas.

Through the Discovery phase, we found that we could gather additional pipeline integrity data by using existing pipeline inspection methods, such as In-Line Inspection (ILI) tools, while using a novel data management system could accelerate pipeline assessments and future proof our asset infrastructure.

This funding for the next project phase – Alpha – will determine the detailed design required for the data management system and demonstrate the opportunities to fill the gaps in the current datasets by utilising information gathered with ILI tools.

This project is funded by energy network users and consumers through the Strategic Innovation Fund, a programme from the UK’s independent energy regulator Ofgem, managed in partnership with Innovate UK.

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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.