PilgrHYm aims to contribute to the decarbonization of the energy sector by providing a European roadmap with comprehensive guidelines to assess the feasibility of safely and efficiently integrating pure H2 into existing natural gas infrastructure.
This project has received co-funding from the European Commission and the Clean Hydrogen Partnership under Grant Agreement No 101137592. This Partnership receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation program, Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research.
THE OBJECTIVES
The PilgrHYm project has 7 strategic objectives:
- Develop a database of material characterization testing on representative steel grades of the EU gas grids, including tensile, fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth (FCG) properties.
- Establish harmonized testing protocols to support the repurposing of natural gas lines to hydrogen.
- Develop a numerical modelling approach for simulating and predicting hydrogen assisted fracture and fatigue.
- Optimize a more realistic FCGR (Fatigue Crack Growth Rate) master curve for fitness-for-service assessment purpose, in particular for low ΔK values corresponding to the actual operating domain of the EU gas grids.
- Identify existing and/or innovative technologies for mitigation compatible with operational constraints.
- Engage with stakeholders to ensure cooperation and awareness.
- Facilitate the uptake and exploitation of PilgrHYm results by the academic community, technology developers and end-users.
work packages
- Inventory and gap analysis on main steel grades in EU
WP1 will be focused on the comprehensive and detailed description of the European natural gas transmission network of steel pipelines, both in terms of infrastructure properties and in terms of current operating conditions with natural gas.
The objectives of WP1:
- Completely map the EU natural gas pipeline grid with technical characteristics and current operation modes, as well as potential reuse for hydrogen transmission and intended operating strategies with hydrogen
- Carefully determine criteria to restrict the number of tested materials to 12 (8 base metals, 2 welds and 2 heat affected zones)
- Collect and dispatch the 12 steel materials to be investigated experimentally
Leader: FLUXYS
- Review of experimental methods and proposition of a harmonized tests matrix
WP2 will focus on the identification of the most relevant mechanical properties that shall be investigated in the context of H2 injection in the existing European pipeline grid
- Review of test procedure (standardized and non-)
- Robust inter-comparison methodology definition for existing data
- Definition of robust experimental procedures
- Definition of experimental set-up based on time- and cost- effective approach
Leader: SINTEF
- Experimental lab tests on selected steels grades representative of EU gas network
WP3 will be dedicated to the experimental characterization of the materials identified in WP1 which are the most representative of the EU gas network.
The objectives of WP3:
- Provide experimental data
- Influence of relevant parameters
- Data for model calibration
- Optimized testing procedure
- Comparison with literature review
Leader: CEA LITEN
- Innovative modelling approaches of numerical developments
WP4 will investigate and provide approaches for reduction and extrapolation of Fatigue Crack Growth (FCG) and reduction in number of experimental tests for development of new FCG-master curves.
The objectives of WP4:
- Support testing campaign
- To improve FCG-master curves
- To achieve less conservative FCG-master curves
- To support for the creation of a design criteria
Leader: IWM
- Mitigation guidelines towards limiting embrittlement phenomena
WP5 will investigate mitigation techniques limiting H2 uptake, and thus embrittlement, through a comprehensive literature review on the main achievements so far.
The objectives of WP5:
- Definition of adapted operational parameters compatible with the safe operation of hydrogen grids.
- Determination of the inhibitors (O2, CO, etc.) content threshold value for a selection of steel grades, regarding its capacity to mitigate the effects of gaseous hydrogen embrittlement.
- Understanding of the mitigation capacity of internal coatings in steel pipes of different grades depending on the material and thickness.
Leader: FHa
- Design code & standards optimization
WP6 will be dedicated to the development of guidelines to be provided to standardization bodies to improve the existing codes and standards.
The objectives of WP6:
- Recommend guideline as support for the writing/revision of a European standard
- Design a criterion against hydrogen-assisted fracture
- Develop a less conservative master-curve for fatigue crack growth assessment with a focus on the low ΔK portion
- Analyze the gaps on defect acceptance criteria for repurposed natural gas pipelines
Leader: GRTgaz
- Project management
WP7 carries out the management activities, including administrative, financial, and scientific coordination.
The objectives of WP7:
- Monitor activities to ensure timely and aligned project outcomes
- Comply with legal, contractual, financial, and reporting requirements of HE and EC
- Organize and assist in coordination meetings
- Adequately manage partner funds
Leader: GRTgaz
- Dissemination, communication and Exploitation
WP8 is dedicated to activities related Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation, also including clustering with other projects and initiatives, as well as providing the branding and visual identity of the project.
The objectives of WP8:
- Development and implementation of the dissemination and communication strategy
- Exploitation strategy and roadmap
- Engagement with stakeholders, clustering activities with related projects and policy makers
Leader: GERG
